Hindu Baby Names

SINCE ANCIENT times, Hindu children have been given as many as three names, one of which is secret and unspoken. At least one of the names, preferably the everyday name, should be taken from the names of the gods, who are manifestations of the One God. In Hindu belief, God is manifest in all things, and the names of all things are the names of God. Thus, many names are derived from common words. To these root words are also added various popular suffixes. There are some five dozen terminations for male names, but only around ten suffixes for female names. Most of the other Hindu and Sanskrit names that do not reflect the names of gods or have a religious meaning fall into several other categories: nature names, personal or abstract qualities, occupational names, and names from common words. A child born after the death of a sibling may be given a name designed to keep evil spirits away. Such a name is invariably disgusting, in the hopes that the spirits will believe that the child, too, is repellent and stay away from it. In some parts of India, it is common practice to mention a person's caste with his name, so as to distinguish between people of the same name. Some castes state the father's name first, and some castes add a surname for designation.