Girl · Sanskrit · Hindu
Neerja
नीरजाSay it NEER-jaa
- Meaning
- 'water-born': a lotus or water lily; also a pearl Monier-Williams, p. 566
- Say it
- NEER-jaa
- Written
- नीरजा
- Other spellings
- Neeraja, Nirja
- First sound
- नी · Vrishchik rashi
Neerja
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Neerja meaning
Neerja (नीरजा) is a Hindu girl's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, नी, it is a Vrishchik rashi name (Anuradha nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
'water-born': a lotus or water lily; also a pearl
Neerja (नीरजा) comes from Sanskrit nīraja, "born in water", from nīra, "water", and ja, "born". Monier-Williams gives it as the water lily or lotus, and also as a pearl. A separate Sanskrit word spelled nīraja means "free from dust" or "free from passion". Name lists give Neerja as "lotus", which matches the dictionary. The name is closely linked with Neerja Bhanot, the flight attendant who saved passengers during the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 and was awarded the Ashoka Chakra. In the South it is spelled Neeraja.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 566 · entry nīra-ja · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, nīra-ja, p. 566 · Wikipedia, Neerja Bhanot
Famous namesakes
- Neerja Bhanot, Pan Am flight attendant and Ashoka Chakra recipient
Fits your syllable
First sound नी
Anuradha nakshatra, pada 2 · Vrishchik rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Neerja · Neeraja · Nirja