160 Beautiful Indian Baby Girl Names That Parents Will Love

I was settled on a baby name for my daughter ever since I was 11 years old. I had chosen Simran, which means "remembrance," and it was a name I never wavered from and love even to this day. Fast-forward 22 years to when my first daughter was born: We named her Naavya. Three years later, we had a second daughter; her name is Saanvi. When I planned on having a daughter named Simran, I clearly forgot that I'd have to take my husband's preferences into account.

If you're struggling the way we were, get inspired by these Indian and Hindu baby girl names. As you go through this list, you may notice these trends emerge: names inspired by Indian cities and Hindu goddesses, along with names ending in -ya. My daughters’ names are Naavya and Saanvi (named after the Hindu goddess, Laxmi), so I obviously am a trendsetter of sorts. If only my husband recognized my greatness.

India is the seventh-largest country in the world, and is filled with over a million people. There are many languages spoken — Hindi, Bengali, Marathi — just to name a few, as well as religions practiced, each with their own customs. To put this together, I referenced the Social Security Administration (SSA), which provides a list of the top 1,000 most-used baby names, to gather names at a macro level.

I also gathered additional names at a micro level by reaching out to small businesses who sell South Asian-inspired baby products: Modi Toys, the maker of diverse plush toys that sing Hindu prayers, Her Sun & Stars Co., which sells the softest minky blankets and Creative Crafty Mom, who provides crafts and gifts for special occasions. They each provide personalization, making them a treasure trove of trending names.

If you want to be on the up-and-coming, these are Indian and Hindu names that are on trend right now in India, listed in order of popularity and with their meanings, according to BabyCenter in India.

1. Aadhya, "another name for Goddess Durga"
   
2. Aditi, "mother of the gods"
3. Aarna, "river" or "wave"
4. Dhriti, "joy"
5. Dhwani, "sound" or "tone"
6. Ayra, "more than the eye can behold"
7. Vaanya, "a sylvan glade"
8. Isha, "another name for Goddess Durga"
9. Kashvi, "luminous; shining"
10. Aarohi, "ascending musical notes"
11. Mira, "prosperous"
12. Medha, "intelligence" or "wisdom"
13. Samriddhi, "prosperity"
14. Savya, "another name for Lord Vishnu"
15. Vedika, "alter"

When it posted its round-up of trends, BabyCenter also noted that Maya and Arya are the top Indian names among users in the U.S. and the U.K.

These may not have hit the upper echelons in the rankings this year — but that just means their primed for reclamation.

1. Aarya, "respectable and noble; a line of prayer"
2. Vamika, "another name for Goddess Durga"
3. Pari, "ethereal beauty"
4. Jiya, "radiance" or "light"
5. Mehar, "kindness" or "grace"
6. Maya, "dream" or "illusion"
7. Advika, "unique"
8. Aarvi, "peace"
9. Ridhi, "wealthy"
10. Ishani, "a name for Goddess Durga"
11. Adhira, "lightning"
12. Jahnavi, "River Ganga"
13. Saanvi, "a name for Goddess Lakshmi"
14. Diya, "light" or "lamp"
15. Mini, "small"

You can draw inspiration from these Indian cities, rivers and other points of interest.

1. Adra
2. Ajanta
3. Avanti
4. Bharati
   
5. Farida
6. Godavari
   
7. Jhansi
8. Kabini
   
9. Kaveri
   
10. Mayurakshi
    
11. Mirza
12. Narmada
    
13. Navi
14. Purna
    
15. Ranchi
16. Sahara
17. Sindhu
    
18. Surya
19. Ujjaini
    
20. Vaishali
    

In Hinduism, there is a trinity of goddesses: Laxmi, Saraswati and Durga. And yet, there are more than 300 names for just the three of them. So there’s a high chance a name you pick could very well be named after a goddess.

1. Aashvi
2. Amala
   
3. Aparna
   
4. Devi
   
5. Dhanyasri
   
6. Indira
   
7. Ilaa
   
8. Kamala
   
9. Kalyani
   
10. Lakshmi
11. Lalita
    
12. Meera
13. Pragya
14. Sarika
15. Shakti
    
16. Shyla
17. Sita
18. Tarini
    
19. Uma
20. Vama
    

The author’s two daughters, named Naavya and Saanvi.

There are always trends dictating not just which names are popular, but which sounds in names are popular. For Indian baby girl names, it's the -ya sound. On the Social Security Administrations list of the top 1,000 girl names in the United States, many of the most popular girls' names all end in an -ia sound, as in Olivia, Sophia and Mia, which is almost similar. They sure sound pretty, don’t you think?

1. Aarya
2. Aavya
   
3. Adhya
4. Agastya
5. Alya
   
6. Ananya
   
7. Bhavanya
8. Dhairya
   
9. Divya
10. Haniya
    
11. Jaya
12. Kavya
13. Lavanya
14. Laya
    
15. Navya
    
16. Kimaya
17. Pravya
    
18. Radhya
    
19. Saumya
20. Satya
21. Shanaya
    
22. Shivanya
    
23. Shreya
    
24. Tiya
    
25. Zoya

For those who like to keep things short and sweet, these names are five letters or fewer.

1. Anvi
2. Aria
3. Ayla
4. Dev
   
5. Eesha
6. Imara
7. Liya
8. Mahi
9. Mila
10. Myra
11. Nila
12. Om
    
13. Ram
    
14. Ria
15. Roja
16. Ruhi
17. Sri
    
18. Ved
    
19. Vera
20. Zara

Longer names are becoming a trend in the United States, and these fit right in.

1. Aadhavi
2. Anushka
3. Chinmayi
   
4. Dhruvika
   
5. Suhasini
   
6. Jasmine
   
7. Kareena
8. Mahalakshmi
   
9. Manaswini
   
10. Parinita
    
11. Sarasvati
    
12. Shaurya
13. Shaniya
14. Shivani
15. Shivaya
    
16. Siddhiksha
    
17. Vasundhara
    
18. Vedanshi
    
19. Yashaswini
    
20. Zunaira

Whether they're named after cities, goddesses or something else entirely, your baby will end up with a name they make their own. Here's a list to inspire you.

1. Aanya
   
2. Alani
3. Amara
4. Amulya
5. Aniya
6. Jivika
7. Jiyana
8. Khushi
9. Kiyana
10. Misha
11. Nidhi
12. Nirvi
13. Nisha
14. Pritha
15. Priya
16. Rahi
17. Saiya
    
18. Sajani
19. Sana
20. Siya
21. Suri
22. Tashi
23. Veena
24. Ziya
25. Zoha

Looking for more baby girl name inspiration? Check out other Good Housekeeping lists: Disney Baby Names | French Baby Names | Hispanic Girl Names | Indian/Hindu Girl Names | Irish Girl Names | Italian Baby Names | Japanese Baby Names | Long Girl Names | Nature Baby Names | Short Girl Names | Baby Boy Names | Unisex/Gender Neutral Names | 1920s Names | 1930s Names

Avani Modi Sarkar

 Avani Modi Sarkar is the Co-founder of Modi Toys, an award-winning children's brand of toys and books, rooted in South Asian culture and Hindu faith; in addition to authoring and publishing four children's books as part of the Modi Toys collection, she is also a contributing writer for Parents, The Bump and Good Housekeeping. Avani resides in NJ with her husband and three children.