Boy · Tamil
Nilavan
நிலவன்Say it NI-luh-vun
- Meaning
- Moon; masculine form of nilavu, moonlight or moon Tamil Lexicon, p. 2277
- Say it
- NI-luh-vun
- Written
- நிலவன்
- Other spellings
- Nilavaan
Nilavan
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Nilavan meaning
Nilavan (நிலவன்) is a Tamil boy's name.
Moon; masculine form of nilavu, moonlight or moon
Nilavan (நிலவன்) is a modern Tamil boys' name built from nilavu, the moon, with the masculine ending -aṉ, much as Mugilan is built from mukil, a cloud. The Tamil Lexicon of the University of Madras refers nilavu to nilā, whose senses are moonlight, the moon, and light or splendour, citing classical and devotional poetry. Nilavan itself is not a dictionary headword; it is a newer coinage made from these words. Name lists give it simply as "moon". Its feminine counterparts include Nila and Vennila, "white moon", and like them it is a native Tamil name rather than one borrowed from Sanskrit.
Source: Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (1924–36), p. 2277 · entry nilavu² (நிலவு) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tamil Lexicon, nilavu, p. 2277 · Tamil Lexicon, nilā, p. 2278
Spellings
Nilavan · Nilavaan