Boy · Marathi, from Sanskrit śivā · Hindu
Shivaji
शिवाजीSay it shi-VAA-jee
- Meaning today
- Lord Shiva
- Original meaning
- "after the goddess Shivai, Marathi form of śivā (Pārvatī), with -jī" Monier-Williams, p. 1075
- Say it
- shi-VAA-jee
- Written
- शिवाजी
- Other spellings
- Sivaji, Shivajee
Shivaji
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Shivaji meaning
Shivaji (शिवाजी) is a Hindu boy's name of Marathi origin (from Sanskrit śivā).
Meaning today
Lord Shiva
Original Marathi, from Sanskrit śivā meaning
"after the goddess Shivai, Marathi form of śivā (Pārvatī), with -jī"
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 1075 · entry śivā · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Shivaji (शिवाजी) is best known as the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji (1630–1680), founder of the Maratha kingdom. He was born at Shivneri fort and, by the usual account, named after Shivai Devi, the goddess worshipped there. Shivai is a Marathi form of Sanskrit śivā, which Monier-Williams gives as the energy of Śiva personified as his wife, known as Durgā or Pārvatī; -jī is the familiar honorific ending. Name lists often give Shivaji simply as "Lord Shiva", a popular reading of the first part. In the south the name is spelled Sivaji, as with the Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan.
References: Monier-Williams, śivā, p. 1075 · Wikipedia, Shivaji · Wikipedia, Sivaji Ganesan
Famous namesakes
- Chhatrapati Shivaji, founder of the Maratha kingdom
- Sivaji Ganesan, Tamil film actor
Spellings
Shivaji · Sivaji · Shivajee