Many parents name their child after a god, goddess or divine quality, as a blessing and a lifelong reminder of faith. Here are 100 baby names inspired by the gods and holy figures of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism and Buddhism, each with its meaning.
Hindu names inspired by gods (boys)
Aditya – Lord Surya, the sun god
Agni – God of fire
Anantha – Lord Vishnu, the endless one
Balaji – Lord Venkateswara
Bholenath – Lord Shiva, the innocent lord
Brahma – Creator of the universe
Chakradhar – Lord Vishnu, holder of the discus
Damodar – Lord Krishna
Ganesh – Lord of the ganas, remover of obstacles
Girish – Lord Shiva, lord of the mountains
Gopal – Lord Krishna, protector of cows
Govind – Lord Krishna
Hanuman – Devotee of Lord Rama
Hari – Lord Vishnu
Indra – King of the gods
Jagannath – Lord of the universe
Kartikeya – God of war, son of Shiva
Keshav – Lord Krishna
Krishna – Eighth avatar of Vishnu
Madhav – Lord Krishna
Mahadev – Lord Shiva, the great god
Mahesh – Lord Shiva
Murari – Lord Krishna
Murugan – Lord Kartikeya
Narayan – Lord Vishnu
Neelkanth – Lord Shiva, the blue-throated
Parth – Arjuna
Pashupati – Lord Shiva, lord of animals
Raghav – Lord Rama
Ram – Seventh avatar of Vishnu
Rudra – Lord Shiva
Shankar – Lord Shiva
Shiv – The auspicious one
Shrinivas – Lord Vishnu
Surya – The sun god
Varun – God of the oceans
Vinayak – Lord Ganesha
Vishnu – The preserver
Vishwanath – Lord of the universe
Vitthal – Lord Vishnu
Hindu names inspired by goddesses (girls)
Aditi – Mother of the gods
Ambika – Goddess Parvati
Annapurna – Goddess of food
Bhavani – Goddess Parvati
Durga – The invincible goddess
Gauri – Goddess Parvati
Gayatri – Goddess of the Vedas
Girija – Daughter of the mountain
Ishani – Goddess Parvati
Jahnavi – Goddess Ganga
Janaki – Goddess Sita
Kali – Goddess of time
Kamakshi – Goddess Parvati
Lakshmi – Goddess of wealth
Meenakshi – Fish-eyed goddess
Parvati – Wife of Lord Shiva
Radha – Beloved of Krishna
Rukmini – Wife of Krishna
Saraswati – Goddess of knowledge
Shakti – Divine power
Shivani – Goddess Parvati
Sita – Wife of Lord Rama
Tulsi – Holy basil, a goddess
Uma – Goddess Parvati
Vaishnavi – Goddess Durga
Names from the Qur’an’s names of Allah
Abdul Rahman – Servant of the Most Merciful
Abdul Rahim – Servant of the Most Compassionate
Abdul Malik – Servant of the King
Abdul Quddus – Servant of the Most Holy
Abdul Salam – Servant of the Source of Peace
Abdul Aziz – Servant of the Almighty
Abdul Ghaffar – Servant of the Forgiving
Abdul Razzaq – Servant of the Provider
Abdul Fattah – Servant of the Opener
Abdul Alim – Servant of the All-Knowing
Abdul Hakim – Servant of the Wise
Abdul Wadud – Servant of the Loving
Abdul Majid – Servant of the Glorious
Abdul Haq – Servant of the Truth
Abdul Wahab – Servant of the Bestower
Names from Christianity
Emmanuel – God is with us
Michael – Who is like God? An archangel
Gabriel – God is my strength, an archangel
Raphael – God has healed, an archangel
Uriel – God is my light, an archangel
Christian – Follower of Christ
Christopher – Bearer of Christ
Theodore – Gift of God
Elijah – My God is the Lord
Joshua – The Lord is salvation
Names from Sikhism and Buddhism
Waheguru – The wondrous Lord (Sikh)
Akal – The Timeless One (Sikh)
Nirankar – The Formless One (Sikh)
Onkar – The One Creator (Sikh)
Kartar – The Creator (Sikh)
Amitabha – Buddha of infinite light
Maitreya – The future Buddha
Tara – Female Buddha of compassion
Manjushri – Bodhisattva of wisdom
Avalokiteshvara – Bodhisattva of compassion