Boy · Tamil
Selvan
செல்வன்Say it SEL-vun
- Meaning today
- Prosperous, wealthy
- Original meaning
- "a wealthy man; also a lord, and a son" Tamil Lexicon, p. 1610
- Say it
- SEL-vun
- Written
- செல்வன்
- Other spellings
- Chelvan
Selvan
Stays on your phone. A family name is never required.
Selvan meaning
Selvan (செல்வன்) is a Tamil boy's name.
A wealthy man; also a lord, and a son
Also used to mean: prosperous
Selvan (செல்வன்) is formed from Tamil celvam, wealth, with the masculine ending -aṉ. The Tamil Lexicon gives it as a wealthy man and also as a lord or god, and, in Kamban's Ramayana, simply as a son, the sense of a cherished child. That last sense is familiar from Kalki's historical novel Ponniyin Selvan, 'the son of Ponni', where Ponni is the Kaveri river and the title belongs to the Chola prince who became Rajaraja I. Selvan is used on its own and as the second half of names such as Tamizhselvan and Arulselvan.
Source: Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (1924–36), p. 1610 · entry celvaṉ (செல்வன்) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tamil Lexicon, celvaṉ (செல்வன்), p. 1610 · Tamil Lexicon, celvam (செல்வம்), p. 1610 · Wikipedia, Ponniyin Selvan
Spellings
Selvan · Chelvan