Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana crossing river Sarayu by Raja Ravi Varma.

• Origin: Sanskrit
• Meaning: “wind; air.”
• Gender: feminine
• (SAH-rah-yoo)

The name is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit सरयु meaning “wind, air.” It is also the name of a sacred river that runs along the banks of the Indian city of Ayodhya. During Rama Navani, the Hindu spring festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, many people in Ayodhya will swim in the river as it is mentioned in some versions of the Ramayana that Rama took a swim in the river.

The Sarayu river is also mentioned in the Rigveda.

In popular culture, Sarayu is the name of the Holy Spirit in William P. Young’s The Shack (2007).

The name is borne by the Indian actress, Sarayu (b. 1988).