Many diaspora parents want to know how to write their child's name in Hindi — for grandparents, for cards, for rakhi and mehndi, or simply to keep the script alive in the family. Here are some of the most popular Indian baby names shown with their Devanagari (देवनागरी) spelling, the script used to write Hindi, Sanskrit, and Marathi.
Popular Boy Names in Devanagari
Aarav — आरव
Sanskrit for peaceful. “AA-rav” — one of the most popular boys' names in India.
Arjun — अर्जुन
Sanskrit for bright, shining — the great archer of the Mahabharata. “AR-jun”.
Aditya — आदित्य
Sanskrit for the sun, son of Aditi. “a-DIT-ya”.
Krishna — कृष्ण
Sanskrit for the all-attractive one — the beloved divine. “KRISH-na”.
Vihaan — विहान
Sanskrit for dawn, the beginning of a new era. “vi-HAAN”.
Ved — वेद
Sanskrit for sacred knowledge — the Vedas. “VAYD”, a short, dignified name.
Popular Girl Names in Devanagari
Priya — प्रिया
Sanskrit for beloved, dear one. “PREE-ya” — a timeless classic.
Diya — दीया
Sanskrit for a small oil lamp — light dispelling darkness. “DEE-ya”.
Aadhya — आद्या
Sanskrit for the first power — a name of Goddess Durga. “AAD-hya”.
Kavya — काव्या
Sanskrit for poetry — one who is creative and expressive. “KAV-ya”.
Tara — तारा
Sanskrit for star — also a goddess of compassion. “TAH-ra”.
Prisha — प्रिशा
Sanskrit for beloved, God's gift. “PREE-sha” — a modern favourite.
A Note on Reading Devanagari
Devanagari is written left to right and is largely phonetic — each character represents a consonant with an inherent vowel, modified by vowel signs (matras). The horizontal line across the top (shirorekha) joins the letters of a word. The same script is used for Sanskrit and Marathi, which is why so many Indian names share a written form across these languages.
On every name page on NaamKaro, names with a verified Hindi spelling display it right under the name. Browse our full collection of Indian baby names, or explore names by meaning.