A classic Tibetan and Himalayan name, Sonam literally means “merit, virtue, good fortune, spiritual merit.” It comes from the Tibetan term bsod nams, a central concept in Tibetan Buddhism referring to the positive karma or merit accumulated through virtuous deeds.
The name is also used in Northern India.
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Both Sparsh and Sparsha come from the Sanskrit root sparśa (स्पर्श), which literally means “touch, contact, sensation.”
Sparsh is widely used as a given-name in India and among the Indian diaspora, the name is unisex but more common for boys in North India and for girls in South India when spelled Sparsha.
In Hindu philosophy, sparśa refers not just to physical touch but to the faculty of sensory perception—one of the five tanmātras (subtle elements) that correspond to the senses.
Sparśa (Pāli: phassa) is also a key concept in Buddhist philosophy, not only in Hindu thought.
In the chain of dependent origination (pratītya-samutpāda), sparśa is the sixth link:
contact between sense organ, sense object, and consciousness gives rise to feeling (vedanā).
It refers to the meeting of the sense base (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind) with its object and the corresponding consciousness. Only when all three are present does “contact” occur, which then conditions sensation and craving.
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The name is composed of the Sanskrit roots, tri (त्रि) “three,” and dhā (धा), “to place, to hold, to divide.” Combined it literally means “in three parts,” “threefold,” or “divided into three.”
In Hindu philosophical and scriptural texts, tridha is an adjective or adverb describing something that exists or manifests in three ways—for example, the threefold division of the Vedas or the three aspects of time.
It is borne by Indian actress, Tridha Choudhury.
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Rudraksha रुद्राक्ष is a male Sanskrit name. It is the name of a genus of Eleocarpus plant. The seeds are considered sacred to Lord Shiva. They are harvested and dried to be used to create prayer beads in both Hinduism and Buddhism. The etymology is composed of the Sanskrit Rudra and अक्ष (akṣa), meaning “eyes.”
Another masculine for is Rudraksh.
Rudrakshi रुद्राक्षी is the feminine form.
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The name has come into recent use in India. It is most likely derived from the Sanskrit word स्मय (smaya), meaning “smile, wonder; surprise; astonishment.” Yet, it can also mean “arrogance; pride.” It is from the same Indo-European root as the English word, “smile.” The Danish female name, Smilla, is also related. All of these are ultimately derived from Indo-European root *smey- (to laugh, be glad, wonder).
It’s mainly used as a female name, but it does appear as the name of male character in the Purana.
It can also be a variant transliteration of the Arabic female name, Sumeyya.
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In the Hindu religion, Varahi is the name of one of the seven Matrikas (mother-goddesses). She is represented with a boar’s head. In Nepal, she is venerated as Barahi. She is especially venerated in Shaktism.
The name is from the Sanskrit वराही (varahi) meaning, “wild sow.” It is also the Sanskrit name for a species of sweet potato known scientifically as Ipomoea batatas.
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The name is derived from the Sanskrit, वृति (vrti), meaning, “selection; choice; boon.”
It is currently born by child actress, Vritika Gupta (b. 2010).
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The name is from the Punjabi meaning “wealthy; priceless.” It is a unisex name used among Sikhs.
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The name is from the Sanskrit हरिण (harina), which can refer to a doe as well as to a yellowish-greenish colour, such as tawny or green. It is used to refer to yellow jasmine as well as to an idol made of gold. Harini (doe) is also used to describe one of four classes of a type of woman, feminine and sweet like a doe. It is also an epithet for the goddess Lakshmi.
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From the Sanskrit root हर्ष (harsa) meaning “joy; delight; excitement.” It can also refer to sexual excitement or an erection. In Hinduism, Harsha is one of the twenty-four emanations of the celestial couple, Lakshmi and Narayana. It is also the name of one of the three sons of Dharmadeva and the husband of Nandi (also meaning “joy).
Harsha itself is unisex but is more common on males. It was born by a 7th-century Emperor of Kannauj of the Pushyabhuti dynasty in Northern India, also known as Harshvardhana or Harsh-Vardhana, and several other medieval Indian Kings as well as a 12th-century C.E. Sanskrit epic poet. A strictly masculine form is Harsh (HERSH).
Harshvardhana or sometimes spelled Harsh Vardhana is a masculine double name which means “increasingly happy,” being composed of the Sanskrit words, हर्ष (harsa) and वर्धन vardhana (increase; growth).
The feminine offshoot of Harshika derives from the same root but also refers to a type of musical metre.
Another feminine form is Harshini, which derives from the Sanskrit adjective हर्षिन् (harSin) meaning “delightful; joyful.” Harshini is also the name of a type of plant. This beautiful name is not pronounced har-SHEE-nee, but more like HERSH-e-nee or HERSH-nee, like Hershey Chocolate Kisses. There is also just Harshi, pronounced like Hershey.
And another female form is Harshita, which is of the same root being from the Sanskrit हर्षित (harsita) meaning, “pleased; gladdened; joy; happy; delight; charmed” or “made to stand erect.”
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