These Indian Baby Boy Names Are Inspired By Hindu Theology, Popular Culture and More

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.

My husband and I scoured the internet searching for inspiration for a name for my son. And ironically enough, I found it offline. If you're looking for an Indian baby boy name, I've shared my research to get you started.

You might have a checklist of naming criteria similar to mine if you're a parent to Indian American kids like I am. I was looking for a name that's easy to pronounce, sounded American yet ethnic and was somehow meaningful. Not all of the names on this list below meet this criteria, but they’re the most popular Indian baby boy names of 2021.

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. (I also used these as sources for Indian baby girl names for my two daughters.) As you go through these Indian baby boy names, you may notice many of them fall into one of three categories of inspiration: Hindu theology, Bollywood movies and popular culture.

Just remember, no matter how many lists you browse and what you name your child, you will likely call him anything but that. Trust me.

Indian Boy Baby 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.

• Arjun

• Aum

• Ishan

• Krish

• Moksh

• Rishi

• Veer

Indian Baby Boy 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.

• Laksh

• Moksh

• Sajan

• Samay

• Siddh

• Veer

Indian Baby Boy Names in Pop Culture

From The Green Knight 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.

• Ari

• Dev

• Jaiden

• Jay

• Kalpen
  

• Sai

• Zayn

85 Amazing Indian Boy Names to Inspire You

No matter what the inspiration, one of these names might be perfect for your little one.

1. Aaditya

2. Aarav

3. Ajay

4. Akash

5. Akhil

6. Akshay

7. Anand

8. Anil

9. Ari

10. Arian

11. Arjun

12. Armaan

13. Arun

14. Aum

15. Avi

16. Ayaan

17. Bodhi

18. Daksh

19. Dev

20. Eshaan

21. Ishan

22. Jahan

23. Jaiden

24. Jay

25. Jiyan

26. Kabir

27. Kahan

28. Kailash

29. Kaiyen

30. Kalpen
    

31. Karam

32. Karthik

33. Kavish

34. Kiaan

35. Krish

36. Kriyan

37. Laksh

38. Manav

39. Milan

40. Mivan

41. Mohan

42. Moksh

43. Nayan

44. Neeraj

45. Nikhil

46. Nirmay

47. Nishan

48. Nitin

49. Niyam

50. Ohm

51. Ovi

52. Parth

53. Pavan

54. Priyam

55. Rajiv

56. Rajveer

57. Revan

58. Ridhan

59. Rishi

60. Rithvik

61. Riyan

62. Rohan

63. Rudra

64. Sachin

65. Sahil

66. Sai

67. Sajan

68. Samardh

69. Samay

70. Sanjay

71. Sayan

72. Shaan

73. Shikhar

74. Siddh

75. Sohum

76. Tej

77. Vardan

78. Veer

79. Vihan

80. Vikram

81. Vimal

82. Viraj

83. Yash

84. Zayn

85. Zian

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