These Are the Most Popular Baby Boy Names in India (2024)

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.

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.

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 and beyond.

According to BabyCenter in India, these are some top baby boy names in India, listed in order of their popularity, along with the site's translation of their meanings.

1. Shivansh, "a part of Lord Shiva"
2. Dhruv, "the pole star; firm; immovable"
3. Kabir, "powerful; great; respected"
4. Vedant, "one who has complete knowledge of the Vedas; a master of Hindu philosophy"
5. Kiaan, "grace of God"
6. Aarav, "'wisdom; a musical note; radiance
7. Arjun, "of the dawn; made of silver; lightning; white and dazzling"
8. Viraj, "sovereign; warrior; splendor"
9. Krishna, "a Hindu God who is considered a celebrated avatar of Lord Vishnu"
10. Avyan, "without any imperfections"
11. Ayansh, "a gift from God; first rays of the sun; part of the parents"
12. Vivaan, "to twist; to plait"
13. Parth, "a prince or king"
14. Ivaan, "God's glorious gift; as bright as the sun; royalty"
15. Advik, "unique"
16. Kartik, "a month in the Vedic calendar corresponding to October-November when the full moon is near the constellation of the Pleiades"
17. Malhar, "name of a raga in Indian classical music sung especially in the rainy season"
18. Ved, "sacred knowledge; holy learning and scriptures of the Hindus"
19. Sai, "one who is divine; one who strives"
20. Reyansh, "part of a stream"

Looking for more baby boy name inspiration? Check out these Good Housekeeping lists: Disney Baby Names | French Baby Names | Hispanic Boy Names | Indian/Hindu Boy Names | Italian Baby Names | Irish Boy Names | Japanese Baby Names | Long Boy Names | Nature-Inspired Baby Names | Short Boy Names | Baby Girl Names | Gender-Neutral Names

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.

1. Anish
2. Aum
   
3. Bhagvant
   
4. Giritra
   
5. Harit
   
6. Ishan
7. Jagan
   
8. Kapil
   
9. Krish
10. Luv
    
11. Moksh
12. Nitin
    
13. Omkareswar
    
14. Panshul
    
15. Parin
16. Rishi
17. Shankar
    
18. Shivay
    
19. Veer
20. Yogish
    

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.

1. Akshay
2. Ajay
3. Anil
   
4. Ashok
   
5. Dilip
   
6. Hrithik
7. Laksh
8. Rajesh
   
9. Ram
   
10. Ranbir
    
11. Ranveer
    
12. Sajan
13. Samay
14. Siddh
15. Tarak

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.

1. Ari
2. Deepak
   
3. Dev
4. Irfan
   
5. Jaiden
6. Jay
7. Kalpen
   
8. Manoj
   
9. Ravi
10. Zayn

When you want to keep it to the point, these names are short and sweet.

1. Arun
2. Asim
3. Avi
4. Elil
5. Hari
6. Hira
7. Ijay
8. Jaya
9. Lal
10. Manu
11. Ohas
12. Ohm
13. Ovi
    
14. Parv
    
15. Pran
16. Prem
17. Tala
18. Tej
19. Vasu
    
20. Yug

Then again, taking your time is nice, too.

1. Aaditya
2. Aravind
   
3. Bhaskar
4. Bhavatu
5. Chandra
6. Chitaksh
7. Dhairya
   
8. Dushyant
9. Hredhan
   
10. Jagannath
11. Jitendra
12. Kailash
13. Kalidas
14. Madhukar
15. Mahavir
16. Mahendra
17. Prabhakar
18. Samardh
    
19. Siddharth
20. Zeeshan

When you want to distinguish yourself from the rest, these are the names to consider.

1. Baldev
2. Daksh
   
3. Edhas
4. Ekansh
5. Haroon
6. Kairav
7. Karthik
8. Kavish
   
9. Mukul
10. Moksh
11. Neeraj
12. Nirmay
13. Pranav
14. Rithvik
15. Sarvesh
16. Shaan
    
17. Swapnil
18. Tanmay
19. Tavish
20. Vipul

No matter what the inspiration, one of these names might be perfect for your little one.

1. Akash
   
2. Akhil
3. Anand
4. Arian
5. Armaan
6. Ashwin
   
7. Ayaan
8. Barun
   
9. Bhavin
   
10. Bodhi
11. Brijesh
12. Charun
    
13. Chetan
14. Daivey
15. Deval
    
16. Devyan
    
17. Devesh
    
18. Dharma
19. Dinesh
    
20. Divit
21. Eshaan
    
22. Gaman
23. Harsh
24. Hunar
25. Illesh
26. Ishir
    
27. Jahan
28. Jairaj
29. Jayesh
30. Jiyan
31. Kahan
32. Kaiyen
33. Kamal
34. Karam
35. Kiran
36. Kriyan
37. Manav
38. Manish
39. Mayan
    
40. Milan
41. Mitra
    
42. Mivan
43. Mohan
44. Naman
    
45. Nayan
46. Nikhil
47. Niket
    
48. Nilam
49. Nishan
50. Niyam
51. Onkar
52. Panna
53. Pavan
54. Pravin
    
55. Priyam
56. Raghav
    
57. Rahul
58. Rajiv
59. Rajveer
60. Rakesh
61. Rayan
    
62. Revan
63. Ridhan
64. Riyan
65. Rohan
66. Rohit
    
67. Roshan
68. Rudra
69. Sachin
70. Sachiv
    
71. Sahil
72. Samesh
73. Samit
    
74. Sanjay
75. Sanjit
76. Sayan
77. Sharma
    
78. Shikhar
79. Sohum
80. Suman
    
81. Sumit
    
82. Sundar
    
83. Suraj
84. Suresh
    
85. Surya
86. Taral
    
87. Tejas
    
88. Tushar
    
89. Uttar
    
90. Vardan
91. Vihan
92. Vijay
    
93. Vikram
94. Vimal
95. Vipin
96. Vishal
    
97. Vivan
    
98. Vivek
    
99. Yash
100. Zian