Cama is the God of love.
Raj means the King.
Laylah means born at night.
Nidhi is wealth.
Anuraaj means enlightenment.
Sakala means all.
Prafull means full.
Prasanna means joy.
Mudhra means pose.
Nritya is dance and Kala means art.
Chan means shine,
Tamara is a tree,
Vedha means knowledge and Sitara or Nakshatra is a star.
Aahna means existence,
Isha means God,
Ishita means Goddess and Nirvaan means deliverance.
Ekansh is the moon and Ravi is the Sun.
Nabha is the sky and Dhanush means the bow.
Aaditri and Amrita for Lakshmi.
Akshi means eyes,
Meenakshi means eyes like a fish,
Kamakshi stands for eyes of love,
Hriyankshi means eyes like a deer,
Padma means lotus and Padmakshi means lotus eyed.
Vishalakshmi means big eyes.
Bhanupriya and Smritipriya are also Sanskrit names.
Nitya means regular and Karma means duty.
Adarshini for idealistic,
Niyam for rules,
Pranali for scroll and Dharani for Earth.
Mrignayani means eyes like a deer,
Aakhya means fame,
badriyah means the moon,
Vachan means dialogue,
Satya means truth,
Nayan means eyes and so does Lochan.
Navrasi means articulate,
Kaavya means poetry,
Kavita means poems,
Raas means enjoyment.
Saanika means flute,
Megha means cloud,
Saumya is soft.
Rashmi is silken,
Roudra means aggressive,
Rudra is Shiva and Pranay is love.
Bhavya means big and also means Goddess.
Bharati is Indian,
Pratima is image and Prabhat means morning.
Sandhya is evening and Suprabhat means good morning.
Shayan means pose,
Aradhna means devotion,
Abhishek means holy water bath.
Abheri means fearless.
Akshay means indestructible.
Aabha means glow and Kashima means where clouds rest and Manasa means mind.
Gaurav means pride and Yuvraj means a prince.
Abhijeet means one who wins and Nischal is pure.
Itihaas means history and Shweta stands for white.
Madanika means for love.
Guna means virtue.
Aabhas means feeling,
Ratna means a precious stone and Manek is Ruby.
Tilak is a mark on the forehead.
Tejas means brilliance,
Sachi means skill and Ayush means the life.
Uddantika means satisfaction and Rishi is a sage.

Naamkaran or the naming ceremony in India is quite a time in every religion. Specific rituals are conducted for the same and blessings are given by elders. Name gives a distinction to a person hence naming your new born is a task. Most Hindu names are based on the raashi present in the birth horoscope. This gives the alphabet to be named. The trend is to have a name in Indian likes or Sanskrit meanings.

In cases where people need to name their offspring’s with a traditional family name, this becomes the raashi name whereas for official purpose another name is used. Venkitachalam becomes quite a mouthful by todays trend and this could be the traditional name where for official purpose the child could have a recent name like Aman or Arin.
Godly names revolve mostly on Ganesh and Lakshmi.

In earlier times it was a tradition to keep names of Gods and Goddesses for new borns so that calling the child automatically results in chanting the name of God. These include Rameshwar, Venkatesh, Mahalakshmi, Ganesh, Saraswathy and also Chatturbhuj. This traditional is getting replaced with modern names starting with ‘A’ as this is believed in numerology as a leader. Aarav, Aarambh, Apoorva, Ansh, Ahsaas, Arth, Anamika, Ananya, Ashitha, Amishi, Atharva, Agastya, Arya are a few examples.

It is quite common in India to be fascinated by leading celebrities and keep the names of babies in a similar fashion. Sachin was a rage at the peak of the career of Sachin Tendulkar. Hrithik is very common now. Aishwarya is popular alongwith Sushmita. Other common names of celebrities include Saanya, Karishma, Raveena, Deepika, Abhishek and also Bipasha.

Foreign names arrive with anglo Indian culture or when one spouse is a foreigner. It is common name as Nick Patel, Natalia Godse or Kane Raghavan.

Muslim names are beautiful too like Heena for mehndi, Raahat for relief, Aalam for world and Abaan for clear. Urdu meanings are easily adopted in Hindu homes.

Naming the child by virtue is also a trend with Saachi for truth, Siddhant for principle, Aazim for determination, Nishta for will power, Suyash for success, Suhana for pleasant and Lochan meaning eyes.

Names with meanings are essential as they are often the virtue or related to a particular diety. Sanskrit names are getting common with Sambhit, Sahasra and Shlok.

Many times parents propitiate their family God or Goddesses to bless them with an offspring and hence name the child accordingly.

If Durga is the name you wish to name your child they one can find variants in the same name with Rakshika, Saukyada, Nitya, Mati and Siddhi.

Nysa means glow and has Greek traces.
Prishti means a ray of light.
Pratham stands for first.
Vedha stand for the scriptures.
Piya and Meet refer to a beloved.
Mana refers to the mind.
Nasah means an advisor.
Megha means cloud.
Yuvraj is the prince.
Kali means flower.
Anuraag means love and so does Pranay.
Naqeeb means a lawyer and Nardia means fragrant
Ishaan refers to God,
Rateesh is the consort of Rati and the God of love,
Aman means peace, Pranali means scroll,
Tanisha means born on a Monday,
Dilasa means relief,
Arth refers to meaning,
Agastya stands for a sage in mythology,
Shriya and Sahana mean Goddess Lakshmi,
Sampada refers to wealth,
Maanav means human,
Maanyata means belief.

Modern Christian names also refer to Raul, Loraine, Caleb, Carissa, Merlyn and Melroy , Ciar, Ross, Rossa and Torna.
Parsi names are always unique and the pronunciation has to be right with Daanish, Hutokshi, Howavee, Jamshed, Behramkamdin, Perizaad, Zaha, Tiz, Adarbad,Arash, and Arasti.

Buddhist names are interesting too with Anantavikrama, Bodhi, Bahuksana, Candavira, Harsula and Sakyamuni.
‘A’ names are believed to bring fortune as per numerology as it denotes number one, Aabha means light, Aakar is shape, Aadesh means command, Adhunik is modern, Aadi means modern, Adri is rock, Aarambh means start, Aman for peace, Anumaan for assumption, Acharya for teacher, Anali means fiery and Aadi emans first.
Anishka, Abhaya, Kantika, Prafulla, Loukik, Anokhi, Indramani, Geetika, Aayushi, Aayush, Arya, Dwitika are some more modern names. Vachan, Bhavya, Manas, Manasi, Nischay, Kaavya, Dhristi, Dhwani, Ananya are also uncommon.

With so much modernization the inter caste marriages are easily affecting the name of the future generations. People also do not self classify themselves as Hindus, Muslims or Parsis. The look out for sweet sounding names, musical variety and also the latest trend while naming their child with exclusive names.

Daanish though a Parsi name is easily adopted by a Punjabi family.

Nysa has a greek origin and many Hindu families prefer this for their girl child.

Rare mythological names like Prahlad are also chosen as previously these were omitted as Prahlad’s father Hrinayakashipu’s death was destined through his child.

Indrajeet was the son of Ravana and many families did not approve this. But owing to its exceptionality, many Hindus are opting for such names like Indrajeet, Prahlad and Pradyumna meaning the son of Krishna.

It is also interesting to note that Indians settled overseas are reconnecting with their roots. India is rich in its culture and mythology and names like Amrita, Ambalika, Shrishti and Anya are popular abroad. There is much uniqueness as these names belong to the Indian origin and hence distinguished among other Christian or Oriental names.

Baby name searching is quite a job, a hunt, and people urge for suggestions from friends relatives. Books on naming are available for detailed and alternative meanings.

Mahek meaning fragnance and Khusboo meaning the same is an alternative to the erstwhile Sugandha.
Urdu names are beautiful and very melodious with a Gulnaar, Quasar, Tasleema , Aadab and Salaam.
More variety is seen is adopting names of general meaning like Shaukat, Shaan, Armaan, Ehsaas, Alvira and Rhubarb meaning the musical instrument.

It is easy to find names in East Indian culture like Dinesh Roberts, Tanmay Miranda and Sangeeta Rodricks.
A name like Mira in a Christian family has Italian origins.

Other names also include Milleck and Millouni which are rare in Christian families where the mother of the child has origins in the Middle East.

South Indian tongue twisters in Rajaramachandran Aaru Murugan is seeing a change with Rakshak, Samaaj and Shakti.
Annambal and Sumangala Ragini is seeing a metamorphosis in Riddhima and Prishti.
Names are sure mark of an individual and meanings are essential to suit the personality.

The birth of the baby boy is often related with Lord Krishna. The naughtiness and the boyish cherubic appeal of Krishna is now capture in names like Anish, Darsh, Bankim, Manhar, Nathan and Saket.
Vasav and Yatin refer to Lord Indra, who is the Devesh (King) of all Gods.

Indians who have allegiance to Lord Shiva often name their offspirngs with the variants of Shiva like Shivil, Mahesh, Lavitra, Dakshesh and Arha.

The innocence and power of Lord Ganesh is captured in modern listings like Ibhanan and Kshipra.
Vishnu is also known as Ijay and Samarjit, Inesh and Ish.
Avi means Sun and Yamir is Moon.
The above names are representing Gods and yet not clichéd in the typical common selections.
Names like Mahesh, Raj, Pushpak, Ramchandra, Krishna, Ganpathy, Hrishikesh, Dilip, Kumar, Viral are not common any more and are replaced with better sounding names that are unique and render meaning.
‘A’ names are Arin, Akshaya, Akriti, Aman, Adhibaan, Adhithan and Armaan.
In the Sikh tradition it is highly difficult to bifurcate a girl name from a boy. The mentioning of Singh for boy and Kaur for girl becomes essential with each name. Harbhajan, Harmeet, Prableen, Pratap, Rajinder, Kuljeet, Karminder, Harmann, Mandeep, Manmeet are few examples here.
Niket means home,
Nikhat means fragrance,
Nischal is pure and Nautou is new.
Ekram means honour,
Parashar means ancient,
Param means the best,
Pradyot is luster and Pulak is joy.
Fateh is victory and Fatik is crystal.
Gagan is sky and Girik stands for Shiva.
Quamar means the moon and Iman is music.
Ihit is prize and Isar is Shivar.
Kanwal means lotus and Khajit is for Buddha.
Kshaunish is king and Kinshuk is a flower.
Saahas stands for bravery and Samarth means powerful.
Sanket is signal and Sashreek is prosperous.
Uttiya is Buddhist literature,
Udyam is effort.
Wali is protector.
Mitul means friend and Moulik is valuable.
Tamal is a tree and Tallen is absorbed.
Yasaar means wealth,
Yajat is Shiva,
Yuyutsu is a warrior.

One can also see come back names from not much olden times like Avinash, Aaditya, Adit, Prakash, Agastya, Jaywant and Mangesh.

Many communities necessitate the change of name after marriage. Slowly this is getting lesser as for official reasons and legal purpose ladies are choosing to retain their maiden name. In certain cases, girls prefer to keep their original surname or Niveditta Bist Patel is a classic example of double surname. This is a personal choice and also done to save legal ordeals while inheriting property or joint account status. It is common that after marriage Nila becomes Raveena, Jalpa becomes Muskaan and Rati becomes Riddhima.

It was tradition earlier down south to name the girl child after the deities worshipped there. Meenakshi, Vishalakshi, Rambha, Parvathy, Saraswathy are certain examples.

The spelling here is also to be noted as in the north the name would go as Parvathi or Saraswathi.
Abigail means father rejoices,
Aishani is Durga,
Adrienne is the dark one,
Alicia is truthful,
Amla stands for being pure,
Anumati means consent,
It is also typical to name the child after the nakshatra in his natal chart or horoscope, Ashleka, Makha, Kaushika are certain examples.
Saanika means flute,
Mekhla stands for waist band,
Bindi means the dot adorning the forehead,
Shruti means a musical instrument,
Veena is the instrument played by Goddess Saraswati,
Bela means a creeper,
Khusboo and Mahek means fragrance,
Muskaan means smile,
Ehsaas means feeling,
Prasanna means happy,
Angarika is a flower,
Arpita means offering,
Bipasha is a river,
Farha means happiness,
Jiah means heart.
Name of Goddesses are common like Dhatri, Hema, Hemlata, Uma stands for Parvathy, Goddess Saraswati is known as Bharati, Vani.
Goddess Durga is known as Bhagwati, Dakshayani, Deveshi, Ekaa, The Goddess of wealth Lakshmi has variants in Shriya and Amrita.
Unique names include Dayita for beloved,
Tisya for auspicious,
Tiya for a bird,
Urmi for wave,
Ushma for warmth,
Vanini for soft spoken,
Toya for water,
Dory for golden hair,
Yochana for thought,
Venya for lovable,
Ritika is a stream,
Rewa is a star and Ruhi is a soul.

The ceremony is held at home or in a temple. In case the home is inconvenient to host so many relatives and friends an ideal hall is booked to conduct the ritual. Certain communities conduct this feat on the 11th day of the baby. In Kerala it is done after 28 days and others prefer after 3 months. In certain castes, a huge cloth is held instead of the baby cradle and the four sisters of the father of the child swing it in motion. All relatives sing traditional songs and chant rhymes telling the child’s name.

In the Maharashtrian tradition, the child’s aunt whispers the name in the child’s ear and later says it aloud. The child is kept in the cradle and a grinding stone (small) is rounded over the cradle for five times. The cradle is beautifully decorated and diya or lamps are made of wheat flour moulds.

In Kerala the tradition is similar though having a havan or a Hom where the holy fire is lit is considered necessary. A huge feast follows alongwith singing. It is essential to present the fathers sister( name giver) with a suitable gift.

As per tradition, it is essential to name the child with easy names to be pronounced without mistakes. The nakshatra and raashi are considered. Believers in numerology are careful with the spelling of the name. Some prefer their family deities name or certain families carry on the names of their forefathers.

Catholics name the child and seek blessing of all in the Church. This is refereed as Baptism where the child is given a ritual tub bath by the priest and clothed in white garment. Generally the choice is exercised by the parents, most Catholic names are chosen after saints or refer to patrons. Most names are unique and contain foreign influences. This is also the best time to consider God parents for your baby which is a major decision.