Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Rakesh
राकेशSay it RAA-kaysh
- Meaning
- The full moon, lord of Raka; also a name of Shiva Monier-Williams, p. 871
- Say it
- RAA-kaysh
- Written
- राकेश
- Other spellings
- Raakesh
- First sound
- रा · Tula rashi
Rakesh
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Rakesh meaning
Rakesh (राकेश) 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.
The full moon, lord of Raka; also a name of Shiva
Rakesh (राकेश) is the Sanskrit rākeśa, from rākā, the day of the full moon, and īśa, "lord". Rākā is also personified as the goddess of the full-moon day, so rākeśa, like rākā-pati, "husband of Rākā", is a poetic name for the full moon itself; Monier-Williams cites it from the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. The same entry records Rākeśa as a name of Śiva in the Śiva-gītā. Name lists generally give "lord of the full moon", which agrees with the dictionary. The name's best-known bearer is Rakesh Sharma, who in April 1984 flew aboard Soyuz T-11 to the Salyut 7 space station and became the first Indian in space.
In Hindu tradition this is a name of Shiva.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 871 · entry rākeśa · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, rākeśa, p. 871 · Britannica, Rakesh Sharma
Famous namesakes
- Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space (1984)
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
Rakesh · Raakesh