Boy · Sanskrit (Kannada and Telugu usage) · Hindu
Skanda
स्कंदSay it SKUN-duh
Skanda meaning
Skanda (स्कंद) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin (Kannada and Telugu usage).
'Attacker'; name of Kārttikeya, god of war, son of Śiva
Also used to mean: Kartikeya, the leaping one
Skanda (स्कंद) is one of the oldest names of Kārttikeya, the god of war and son of Shiva. Monier-Williams links the word to a root meaning "to leap" or "to spurt", lists "anything which jumps or hops", and explains the god's name as "Attacker". The Skanda Purana, the largest of the Puranas, is named after him. In the Tamil country he is Murugan and in Karnataka he is widely worshipped as Subramanya; Skanda itself is used as a boys' name in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 1256 · entry skanda · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, skanda, p. 1256 · Wikipedia, Kartikeya
Spellings
Skanda · Skand