Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu
Tilak
तिलकSay it TILL-uk
- Meaning today
- Forehead mark, ornament
- Original meaning
- "a mark on the forehead; the ornament or best of anything" Monier-Williams, p. 448
- Say it
- TILL-uk
- Written
- तिलक
- Other spellings
- Thilak, Tilakh
Tilak
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Tilak meaning
Tilak (तिलक) is a Hindu boy's name of Sanskrit origin.
A mark on the forehead; the ornament or best of anything
Also used to mean: forehead mark
Tilak (तिलक) is the Sanskrit tilaka, the mark worn on the forehead and made with sandal paste, coloured earths or ash. Monier-Williams also records that at the end of a compound tilaka means "the ornament of" something, so a person can be called the tilaka of his family, its pride. The word is usually connected with tila, sesame, after the small seed-like shape of the spot. Name lists give Tilak as "forehead mark" or "ornament", the dictionary senses. The name also recalls the freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, for whom Tilak was a surname. As a first name it is carried by the cricketer Tilak Varma.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 448 · entry tilaka · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, tilaka, p. 448 · Wikipedia, Bal Gangadhar Tilak · Wikipedia, Tilak Varma
Famous namesakes
- Tilak Varma, Indian cricketer
Fits your syllable
First sound ति
Vishakha nakshatra, pada 1 · Tula rashi
This exact sound isn't in the table; the closest is ती, which differs only in vowel length. North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Tilak · Thilak · Tilakh