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

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  • Most Popular Indian Boy Names With Meanings
  • 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.

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.

Most Popular Indian Boy Names With Meanings

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

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.

  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

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.

  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

These Are the Most Popular Baby Boy Names in India (1)

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.

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

These Are the Most Popular Baby Boy Names in India (2)

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.

  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

Long Indian Boy Names

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

Unique Indian Boy Names

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

More Names to Consider

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

These Are the Most Popular Baby Boy Names in India (3)

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.

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

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