Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Rajiv
राजीवSay it raa-JEEV
- Meaning
- A blue lotus; streaked, striped Monier-Williams, p. 875
- Say it
- raa-JEEV
- Written
- राजीव
- Other spellings
- Rajeev
- First sound
- रा · Tula rashi
Rajiv
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Rajiv meaning
Rajiv (राजीव) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, रा, it is a Tula rashi name (Chitra nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
A blue lotus; streaked, striped
Rajiv (राजीव) is the Sanskrit rājīva. Monier-Williams gives it as an adjective meaning streaked or striped, and as a noun for several striped or patterned creatures, a kind of fish, a striped deer and the Indian crane. Its sense as a flower, a blue lotus, is found in the Mahābhārata and the law book of Yājñavalkya, and that is the meaning name lists give, "lotus". Some sites explain the name as rāj, "king", plus jīva, "life", but that split is a modern guess rather than a dictionary derivation. Rajeev is another spelling.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 875 · entry rājīva · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, rājīva, p. 875 · Britannica, Rajiv Gandhi
Famous namesakes
- Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (1984–1989)
Fits your syllable
First sound रा
Chitra nakshatra, pada 3 · Tula rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Rajiv · Rajeev