Indian Names and Castes: 150 Popular Names with Meanings

Indian names have a similar pattern to Western names. The given name comes first and the family name follows. Sometimes there is a middle name, which is usually the father's name.

Let's take Mahatma Gandhi's name as an example: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Mohandas is the first name, Karamchand is his father's name, and Gandhi is the family name (surname).

Indian Surnames and Their Castes

Many Indian surnames are related to the caste system. People in Indian society are divided into four castes according to their occupation, namely Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra.

• The Brahmin, whose task is to master and impart knowledge and administer sacrifices, have the highest rank.
• The role of the Kshatriyas (ranked second) is to hold the throne, to serve as soldiers, and to defend society.
• The Vaisya, whose task is to run commerce and agriculture, are the third class.
• The task of the Sudras is to serve the above three types of people. Artisans and craftsmen belong to this category, and they have the lowest social status.

Some surnames used by each caste are exclusive and caste-role-related, and therefore they indicate the family's caste status. For example, surnames used by the Brahmin are generally related to the Vedas, the Hindu classics, the major gods, or words denoting dignity.

The family names of the Kshatriya are generally related to weapons or words of authority and valor.

The surnames of the Vaisya are often associated with trade and wealth. People of Sudra caste can only use words such as carpenter and shoemaker as surnames to indicate their status.

Here are some common surnames used by the four castes:

• Brahmin: Sharma, Trivedi, Vyas, and Pandit
• Kshatriya: Thakker, Rajput, Singh, Thakor, and Verma
• Vaisya: Gupta, Modi, Seth, Gandhi, Shah, Ghaggar, and Goal
• Sudra: Ambedkar, Solanki, Chamar, Nayi, and Lohar

There are also many surnames unrelated to caste like Kumar. In most cases in India, surnames also indicate the family's religion. For example, "Singh" is mostly a Sikh surname. If someone's surname is Khan, then s/he's probably a Muslim.

Many Indian women change their surnames to their husbands' when they get married.

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Indian First Names

In India, a first name (given name) is the name people use at work, or the one they use when introducing themselves to strangers (informally). Indians' given names are chosen to have positive and good meanings.

Many parents, especially of Hindu families, choose a name based on the constellations (Nakshatra) and consult astrologers to help with choosing the right name for their baby.

Some Indians have a middle name, which is usually his/her father's name.

If someone is against the caste system, it is very likely that they will drop their surname and use their middle name as their new surname.

You may see some Indian (Tamil) names with initials. This is common in South India. In this case, the first letter of the initials is usually the first letter of his/her birth place, the second letter the person's father's name's initial, and this is followed by the surname.

The Name Ceremony

In India, typically there is a name ceremony on the tenth day, eleventh day, hundredth day, or first birthday of a baby.

The baby's naming ceremony (Namakarana) in a Hindu family is performed in front of a sacred fire in a temple or by inviting a priest to their home.

In the ceremony, the father writes the baby's name with a gold staff and prays to the gods to bless the new baby. The newborn is then cradled by the grandmother, who whisper the baby's name in the infant's ear.

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Indian Nicknames

Parents also give cute nicknames to their kids. Close friends and family often continue to use the nickname even when he/she is an adult.

Besides cute kid names, nicknames could simply be a short form of a given name, like Akki, which is short for Akshit.

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How to Address an Indian Person

In India, you would usually call a man by his surname and a woman by her given name. This is because many women change their surnames to their husbands'. So, it is clearer to call her by given name (especially when both husband and wife are present).

Polite expressions in English can also be used in India, such as "Mr." or "Mrs.". Another local popular polite expression is to add "Ji" behind the name which shows the respect, like "Tomji" or "Amyji".

There is also a special taboo in India. The wife cannot call her husband by his name, which is considered disrespectful. Wives usually use Babuji (meaning 'father of the baby') or 'you', instead of using their husband's name.

This is because, in traditional Indian society, the status of the husband is higher than the wife's. Indian women are told to respect their husbands from a very young age.

But now in some big cities in India, some highly educated women are breaking this "rule".

The Most Popular Indian Names and Their Meanings

Here are some of the most popular and beautiful Indian names for girls and boys.

The names, whether for girls or boys, mainly focus on common themes such as beauty, divinity, and nature, and some relate to religious beliefs/practice.

50 Popular Indian Female/Girl Names

20 Less-Common but Brilliant Indian Girl/Female Names

50 Popular Indian Boy/Male Names

20 Best Indian Boys/Male Names that are Less-Common

10 Unisex Indian Names

Touring India with Us

Taking a trip to India is a great way to delve into and start learning about India's unique language(s), values, and customs. See our popular India tours:

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