Tamil Baby Names with Meanings
Tamil names for boys and girls with meanings — classical Sangam names, names of Murugan and the goddesses, and the modern short names Chennai parents love.
Tamil is one of the oldest living languages in the world, and Tamil naming still carries that history. Alongside the shared Sanskrit names used across India, Tamil families draw on pure-Tamil words from Sangam poetry — Ezhil (beauty), Inba (joy), Thamizh (the language itself), Kathir (ray of light) — and on the names of the gods most loved in the south: Murugan and his epithets (Senthil, Kumaran, Saravanan), Meenakshi of Madurai, and the village goddesses.
A modern Tamil name tends to be short and soft, ending in -a or -i for girls (Nila, Kaviya, Iniya, Oviya) and in -an or -esh for boys (Kavin, Iniyan, Mugilan). Many families still choose by the birth star, which fixes the first syllable; the letter pages on this site are built for exactly that.
Below are the Tamil names in our catalogue, most common first, then split by gender and style. Tap any name to see how it sounds with your surname in the finder.
boy girl unisex — tap a name to see it in the finder with your surname.
Popular tamil names 60
- Nithya — eternal
- Arjun — bright, shining, white
- Deepa — lamp, light
- Karthik — son of Shiva, bestower of courage
- Ramya — beautiful, delightful
- Saranya — surrendered, refuge
- Vidhya — knowledge
- Yamuna — the sacred river
- Kannan — Krishna, the beloved
- Kavin — handsome, poet
- Kokila — cuckoo, sweet-voiced
- Lakshana — sign, quality
- Mahalakshmi — the great goddess of wealth
- Meenakshi — fish-eyed, goddess Parvati
- Pavithra — pure
- Poornima — full moon
- Revathi — a star, wealthy
- Yashoda — giver of fame, foster-mother of Krishna
- Aadhavan — the sun
- Aishu — prosperity
- Amudha — nectar
- Anbarasan — king of love
- Anbu — love
- Arivu — knowledge
- Bhuvana — the world
- Chithra — picture, a star
- Elango — young prince, the poet
- Ezhil — beauty
- Ilaiyaraja — young king
- Ilakkiya — literature
- Inba — joy
- Inban — joyful
- Iniya — sweet
- Iniyan — sweet, pleasant
- Kalaivani — goddess of arts
- Kanmani — precious as the eye
- Kavitha — poem
- Kaviya — poetry
- Kayal — fish, beautiful eyes
- Keerthi — fame
- Kumaran — youthful prince, Murugan
- Madhumitha — sweet friend, honey
- Malar — flower
- Malathi — jasmine
- Mugilan — cloud
- Mullai — jasmine, forest land
- Murugan — the beautiful one, god of war
- Nandhini — delightful daughter
- Nila — moon
- Nilan — moon
- Oviya — painting, artist
- Poongodi — flowering creeper
- Priyadharshini — pleasant to look at
- Pugazh — fame
- Sangeetha — music
- Selvan — wealthy, prosperous
- Selvi — prosperous girl
- Senthil — red, lord Murugan
- Shanthi — peace
- Subhashini — well-spoken
Boy names 40
- Arjun — bright, shining, white
- Karthik — son of Shiva, bestower of courage
- Kannan — Krishna, the beloved
- Kavin — handsome, poet
- Aadhavan — the sun
- Anbarasan — king of love
- Arivu — knowledge
- Elango — young prince, the poet
- Ilaiyaraja — young king
- Inban — joyful
- Iniyan — sweet, pleasant
- Kumaran — youthful prince, Murugan
- Mugilan — cloud
- Murugan — the beautiful one, god of war
- Nilan — moon
- Pugazh — fame
- Selvan — wealthy, prosperous
- Senthil — red, lord Murugan
- Sudhan — pure, good
- Tamilselvan — treasure of Tamil
- Thamizh — the Tamil language, sweetness
- Thirumalai — the sacred hill
- Valavan — skilful, mighty
- Vasanth — spring
- Veeran — brave hero
- Vetri — victory
- Vikneshwaran — lord of obstacles, Ganesh
- Manoj — born of the mind, love
- Dinesh — lord of the day, sun
- Kumar — prince, youth
- Vishnu — the preserver, all-pervading
- Mohan — charming, Krishna
- Sundar — beautiful
- Vimal — pure, clean
- Arulmozhi — graceful words, the Chola king
- Chezhian — prosperous, flourishing
- Ezhilan — handsome
- Gokul — the village of Krishna
- Gowtham — the Buddha
- Hariharan — Vishnu and Shiva united
Girl names 40
- Nithya — eternal
- Deepa — lamp, light
- Ramya — beautiful, delightful
- Saranya — surrendered, refuge
- Vidhya — knowledge
- Yamuna — the sacred river
- Kokila — cuckoo, sweet-voiced
- Lakshana — sign, quality
- Mahalakshmi — the great goddess of wealth
- Meenakshi — fish-eyed, goddess Parvati
- Pavithra — pure
- Poornima — full moon
- Revathi — a star, wealthy
- Yashoda — giver of fame, foster-mother of Krishna
- Aishu — prosperity
- Amudha — nectar
- Bhuvana — the world
- Chithra — picture, a star
- Ezhil — beauty
- Ilakkiya — literature
- Inba — joy
- Iniya — sweet
- Kalaivani — goddess of arts
- Kanmani — precious as the eye
- Kavitha — poem
- Kaviya — poetry
- Kayal — fish, beautiful eyes
- Keerthi — fame
- Madhumitha — sweet friend, honey
- Malar — flower
- Malathi — jasmine
- Mullai — jasmine, forest land
- Nandhini — delightful daughter
- Nila — moon
- Oviya — painting, artist
- Poongodi — flowering creeper
- Priyadharshini — pleasant to look at
- Sangeetha — music
- Selvi — prosperous girl
- Shanthi — peace
Hindu tamil names 30
- Nithya — eternal
- Arjun — bright, shining, white
- Deepa — lamp, light
- Karthik — son of Shiva, bestower of courage
- Ramya — beautiful, delightful
- Saranya — surrendered, refuge
- Vidhya — knowledge
- Yamuna — the sacred river
- Kannan — Krishna, the beloved
- Kavin — handsome, poet
- Kokila — cuckoo, sweet-voiced
- Lakshana — sign, quality
- Mahalakshmi — the great goddess of wealth
- Meenakshi — fish-eyed, goddess Parvati
- Pavithra — pure
- Poornima — full moon
- Revathi — a star, wealthy
- Yashoda — giver of fame, foster-mother of Krishna
- Aadhavan — the sun
- Aishu — prosperity
- Amudha — nectar
- Anbarasan — king of love
- Anbu — love
- Arivu — knowledge
- Bhuvana — the world
- Chithra — picture, a star
- Elango — young prince, the poet
- Ezhil — beauty
- Ilaiyaraja — young king
- Ilakkiya — literature
Modern picks 7
Classic picks 21
- Sudhan — pure, good
- Sudharshini — beautiful to behold
- Tamilselvan — treasure of Tamil
- Thamizh — the Tamil language, sweetness
- Thenmozhi — sweet-tongued, honeyed words
- Vanitha — woman, lady
- Manoj — born of the mind, love
- Surya — the sun god
- Dinesh — lord of the day, sun
- Kumar — prince, youth
- Mohan — charming, Krishna
- Sundar — beautiful
- Vimal — pure, clean
- Bharathi — goddess Saraswati, the poet
- Chezhian — prosperous, flourishing
- Gowtham — the Buddha
- Jeeva — life
- Maran — god of love
- Ramanan — pleasing, beloved
- Sathish — lord of truth
- Vairamuthu — diamond pearl
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Meanings and origins are compiled from common references and are approximate. Many names carry several meanings across traditions — please confirm with family or a native speaker before deciding. Updated 2026-09-20.