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- Most Popular Indian Boy Names
- Indian Boy Names Inspired by Hindu Theology
- Indian Names Inspired by Bollywood
- Indian Names From Pop Culture
- Short Indian Boy Names
- Long Indian Boy Names
- Unique Indian Boy Names
- More Names to Consider
I have three kids but 11 names for them, because each one of them has approximately three nicknames assigned by different members of the family. Do we actually call them by the names given to them at birth? Not as much. And yet, choosing a baby name is one decision parents often belabor and debate for months.
I was looking for a name that's easy to pronounce, sounded American yet ethnic and was somehow meaningful. My husband and I scoured the internet searching for inspiration for a name for my son. If you're looking for an Indian baby boy name, I've shared my research to get you started.
Ironically enough, I found my son's name offline. But if you're struggling like we were, sources of inspiration can be anywhere, from Hindu theology to Bollywood films. Here, some top Indian baby boy names to consider in 2024.
Note: There are many languages spoken in India — including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu and Urdo, among many others — which means lots of sources for inspiration for baby names. In addition to referencing the Social Security Administration (SSA), which provides a list of top 1,000 baby names, this list was also curated from a few hidden gems I looked to when searching for my son's name: small businesses who sell South Asian-inspired baby products that can be personalized with names. These include Modi Toys, the maker of mantra-singing plush toys; Her Sun & Stars Co., which sells personalized minky blankets and Creative Crafty Mom, who provides personalized rakhis for Raksha Bandhan. These were an unexpected source of great baby names.
Most Popular Indian Boy Names
According to BabyCenter in India, these are some top baby boy names.
- Aarav
- Advik
- Arjun
- Avyan
- Ayansh
- Dhruv
- Ivaan
- Kabir
- Kartik
- Keshav
- Kiaan
- Krishna
- Malhar
- Sai
- Shivansh
- Ved
- Vedant
- Viraj
- Vivaan
- Reyansh
Looking for more baby boy name inspiration? Check out these Good Housekeeping lists: French Baby Names | Hispanic Boy Names | Indian/Hindu Boy Names | Italian Baby Names | Irish Boy Names | Japanese Baby Names | Long Boy Names | Short Boy Names | Baby Girl Names | Gender-Neutral Names
Indian Boy Names Inspired by Hindu Theology
Given the vast number of gods and goddesses in Hinduism — and with each deity carrying multiple alternative names — there is no shortage of inspiration found here.
- Anish
- Aum
- Bhagvant
- Giritra
- Harit
- Ishan
- Jagan
- Kapil
- Krish
- Luv
- Moksh
- Nitin
- Omkareswar
- Parin
- Parth
- Rishi
- Shankar
- Shivay
- Veer
- Yogish
Indian Names Inspired by Bollywood
While Bollywood’s scripts are no match for Hindu scriptures, the one benefit of having a prolific movie industry are the countless movie titles hitting the screens.
- Akshay
- Ajay
- Anil
- Ashok
- Dilip
- Hrithik
- Laksh
- Rajesh
- Ram
- Ranbir
- Ranveer
- Sajan
- Samay
- Siddh
- Tarak
Ram Charan and N. T. Rama Rao Jr., also known as Tarak, dance to "Naatu Naatu" in the Telugu film RRR.
Indian Names From Pop Culture
From Monkey Man star Dev Patel to The Namesake's Kal Penn, these are the Indian names you might hear on the radio or see splashed across the screen.
- Ari
- Deepak
- Dev
- Irfan
- Jaiden
- Jay
- Kalpen
- Manoj
- Ravi
- Zayn
The Green Knight star Dev Patel
Short Indian Boy Names
When you want to keep it to the point, these names are short and sweet.
- Arun
- Asim
- Avi
- Elil
- Hari
- Hira
- Ijay
- Jaya
- Lal
- Manu
- Ohas
- Ohm
- Ovi
- Parv
- Pran
- Prem
- Tala
- Tej
- Vasu
- Yug
Long Indian Boy Names
Then again, taking your time is nice, too.
- Aaditya
- Aravind
- Bhaskar
- Bhavatu
- Chandra
- Chitaksh
- Dhairya
- Dushyant
- Hredhan
- Jagannath
- Jitendra
- Kailash
- Kalidas
- Madhukar
- Mahavir
- Mahendra
- Prabhakar
- Samardh
- Siddharth
- Zeeshan
Unique Indian Boy Names
When you want to distinguish yourself from the rest, these are the names to consider.
- Baldev
- Daksh
- Edhas
- Ekansh
- Haroon
- Kairav
- Karthik
- Kavish
- Mukul
- Moksh
- Neeraj
- Nirmay
- Pranav
- Rithvik
- Sarvesh
- Shaan
- Swapnil
- Tanmay
- Tavish
- Vipul
More Names to Consider
No matter what the inspiration, one of these names might be perfect for your little one.
- Akash
- Akhil
- Anand
- Arian
- Armaan
- Ashwin
- Ayaan
- Barun
- Bhavin
- Bodhi
- Brijesh
- Charun
- Chetan
- Daivey
- Deval
- Devyan
- Devesh
- Dharma
- Dinesh
- Divit
- Eshaan
- Gaman
- Harsh
- Hunar
- Illesh
- Ishir
- Jahan
- Jairaj
- Jayesh
- Jiyan
- Kahan
- Kaiyen
- Kamal
- Karam
- Kiran
- Kriyan
- Manav
- Manish
- Mayan
- Milan
- Mitra
- Mivan
- Mohan
- Naman
- Nayan
- Nikhil
- Niket
- Nilam
- Nishan
- Niyam
- Onkar
- Panna
- Pavan
- Pravin
- Priyam
- Raghav
- Rahul
- Rajiv
- Rajveer
- Rakesh
- Rayan
- Revan
- Ridhan
- Riyan
- Rohan
- Rohit
- Roshan
- Rudra
- Sachin
- Sachiv
- Sahil
- Samesh
- Samit
- Sanjay
- Sanjit
- Sayan
- Sharma
- Shikhar
- Sohum
- Suman
- Sumit
- Sundar
- Suraj
- Suresh
- Surya
- Taral
- Tejas
- Tushar
- Uttar
- Vardan
- Vihan
- Vijay
- Vikram
- Vimal
- Vipin
- Vishal
- Vivan
- Vivek
- Yash
- Zian