Hindu Baby Names by Nakshatra
2134 names sorted by the 27 nakshatras and their 108 padas, 1127 for boys, 986 for girls and 21 for either, each with its Devanagari spelling and meaning. Open the nakshatra the Moon occupied at birth and the list for each pada is there.
In Hindu naming the Moon’s nakshatra at birth, the Janma Nakshatra, gives the first sound of the name. Each nakshatra has four padas and each pada has its own syllable, so there are 108 syllables in all. The Baby Name Calculator finds the nakshatra and the pada from the birth date, time and place, and the Nakshatra and Alphabets article explains the table behind it.
Names for each nakshatra
| Nakshatra | Syllables | Boys | Girls | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashwini | Chu, Che, Cho, La | 21 | 19 | 40 |
| Bharani | Li, Lu, Le, Lo | 21 | 11 | 32 |
| Krittika | A, I, U, E | 77 | 88 | 165 |
| Rohini | O, Va, Vi, Vu | 71 | 61 | 132 |
| Mrigashira | Ve, Vo, Ka, Ki | 63 | 58 | 118 |
| Ardra | Ku, Gha, Nga, Chha | 14 | 14 | 27 |
| Punarvasu | Ke, Ko, Ha, Hi | 66 | 43 | 108 |
| Pushya | Hu, He, Ho, Da | 12 | 9 | 21 |
| Ashlesha | Di, Du, De, Do | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Magha | Ma, Mi, Mu, Me | 61 | 75 | 133 |
| Purva Phalguni | Mo, Ta, Ti, Tu | 13 | 9 | 21 |
| Uttara Phalguni | Te, To, Pa, Pi | 72 | 58 | 128 |
| Hasta | Pu, Sha, Na, Tha | 20 | 18 | 38 |
| Chitra | Pe, Po, Ra, Ri | 50 | 47 | 97 |
| Swati | Ru, Re, Ro, Ta | 41 | 35 | 76 |
| Vishakha | Ti, Tu, Te, To | 35 | 19 | 53 |
| Anuradha | Na, Ni, Nu, Ne | 48 | 43 | 91 |
| Jyeshtha | No, Ya, Yi, Yu | 25 | 16 | 41 |
| Mula | Ye, Yo, Bha, Bhi | 36 | 28 | 63 |
| Purva Ashadha | Bhu, Dha, Pha, Dha | 37 | 24 | 61 |
| Uttara Ashadha | Bhe, Bho, Ja, Ji | 39 | 31 | 69 |
| Shravana | Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Dhanishta | Ga, Gi, Gu, Ge | 39 | 25 | 63 |
| Shatabhisha | Go, Sa, Si, Su | 137 | 157 | 291 |
| Purva Bhadrapada | Se, So, Da, Di | 74 | 59 | 131 |
| Uttara Bhadrapada | Du, Tha, Jha, Nya | 11 | 9 | 19 |
| Revati | De, Do, Cha, Chi | 58 | 48 | 106 |
Names by Moon sign
A family that names by rashi rather than by pada uses the letters of the Moon sign, which are the syllables of the nine padas inside it. The links lead to the nakshatra lists that make up each sign.
| Moon sign | Letters | Nakshatras |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | Ch, L, A (Chu, Che, Cho, La, Li, Lu, Le, Lo, A) | Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika (pada 1) |
| Taurus | I, U, E, O, V (I, U, E, O, Va, Vi, Vu, Ve, Vo) | Krittika (padas 2 to 4), Rohini, Mrigashira (padas 1 to 2) |
| Gemini | K, Gh, Ng, Chh, H (Ka, Ki, Ku, Gha, Nga, Chha, Ke, Ko, Ha) | Mrigashira (padas 3 to 4), Ardra, Punarvasu (padas 1 to 3) |
| Cancer | H, D (Hi, Hu, He, Ho, Da, Di, Du, De, Do) | Punarvasu (pada 4), Pushya, Ashlesha |
| Leo | M, T (Ma, Mi, Mu, Me, Mo, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te) | Magha, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni (pada 1) |
| Virgo | T, P, Sh, N, Th (To, Pa, Pi, Pu, Sha, Na, Tha, Pe, Po) | Uttara Phalguni (padas 2 to 4), Hasta, Chitra (padas 1 to 2) |
| Libra | R, T (Ra, Ri, Ru, Re, Ro, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te) | Chitra (padas 3 to 4), Swati, Vishakha (padas 1 to 3) |
| Scorpio | T, N, Y (To, Na, Ni, Nu, Ne, No, Ya, Yi, Yu) | Vishakha (pada 4), Anuradha, Jyeshtha |
| Sagittarius | Y, Bh, Dh, Ph (Ye, Yo, Bha, Bhi, Bhu, Dha, Pha, Dha, Bhe) | Mula, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha (pada 1) |
| Capricorn | Bh, J, Kh, G (Bho, Ja, Ji, Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho, Ga, Gi) | Uttara Ashadha (padas 2 to 4), Shravana, Dhanishta (padas 1 to 2) |
| Aquarius | G, S, D (Gu, Ge, Go, Sa, Si, Su, Se, So, Da) | Dhanishta (padas 3 to 4), Shatabhisha, Purva Bhadrapada (padas 1 to 3) |
| Pisces | D, Th, Jh, Ny, Ch (Di, Du, Tha, Jha, Nya, De, Do, Cha, Chi) | Purva Bhadrapada (pada 4), Uttara Bhadrapada, Revati |
How the lists were made
Every name was filed under the syllable it begins with in Devanagari, the way a panchang table reads it. A name in श sits under the स syllables of Shatabhisha and Purva Bhadrapada by its vowel, a name in ब sits under the व syllables, and a name that opens on a conjunct, like Krishna or Pratap, files by its first consonant and the vowel after the cluster. Long and short vowels share a syllable. Common names come first in each list and the less common ones follow, so a parent who wants a name few others carry can find one.
Questions about naming by nakshatra
How is a Hindu baby name chosen from the nakshatra?
The Moon’s nakshatra at birth is the Janma Nakshatra, and each of its four padas has a naming syllable. The name begins with the syllable of the pada the Moon occupied, so the child’s name carries the sound of the birth star.
How do I find my baby’s nakshatra and pada?
Enter the birth date, time and place in the Baby Name Calculator on this site. It calculates the Moon’s position with the sidereal zodiac and the Lahiri ayanamsa and gives the nakshatra, the pada, the syllable and the Moon sign.
What if the pada syllable has no name I like?
Take a name from another pada of the same nakshatra, then from the Moon sign letters. Many families also keep the nakshatra name for rituals and horoscope matching and use a different name every day.
How many names are in these lists?
2134 names across the 27 nakshatras: 1127 for boys, 986 for girls and 21 for either, each with its Devanagari spelling and meaning.
Are these lists the same for Nepal and India?
Yes. The 108 syllables come from the same classical table across India and Nepal. The lists here include names common in Nepal alongside the Sanskrit and Hindi names, and each entry says where a name is mostly used.
Nirajan Bom Malla is the founder of VedicMarga and a spiritual entrepreneur with over 17 years of experience. Since 2016, he has worked in the spiritual space, helping thousands of seekers worldwide through educational content and digital tools. He has practised Vedic astrology for over 6 years and writes about Vedic astrology, spirituality, and conscious living.