Somnath

Somnath meaning

Somnath (सोमनाथ) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, सो, it is a Kumbh rashi name (Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra) in the North Indian table.

Name of a celebrated Shiva linga and its shrine

Also used to mean: lord of the moon

Somnath (सोमनाथ) is Sanskrit soma-nātha, "lord of Soma", from soma, which in later texts means the moon and the moon god, and nātha, "lord". Indian name lists give it as "lord of the moon", which follows from that sense of soma. Monier-Williams records Somanātha as a celebrated Liṅga of Śiva set up by the god Soma, one of the twelve great Liṅga temples of India, and notes that Mahmud of Ghazni raided it and carried off its treasures. The temple stands at Prabhas Patan on the Gujarat coast, and Britannica calls it the most famous temple of Gujarat, rebuilt several times. A well-known bearer was Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009.

In Hindu tradition this is a name of Shiva.

Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 1250 · entry somanātha · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Monier-Williams, somanātha, p. 1250 · Britannica, Somanatha · Wikipedia, Somnath Chatterjee

Famous namesakes

• Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker of the Lok Sabha 2004–2009

Fits your syllable

First sound सो

Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra, pada 2 · Kumbh rashi

North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.

Spellings

Somnath · Somanath

Related names

Also meaning moon

Also starting with Som-

More Sanskrit names

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