Choosing a name for your girl in Kerala? Families here use Malayalam names, sometimes with names from other languages and communities. Below are names that keep appearing in recent Indian and regional name lists, with meanings. They are suggestions and not an official ranking, because India publishes no single list of names by state.
Hindu names in fashion
- Devika: little goddess
- Nandana: delight
- Gauri: fair, Parvati
- Anjana: a name of Hanuman's mother
- Aparna: Parvati
- Athira: a star
- Lakshmi: fortune
- Aadhya: the first power
Christian families
- Anna: grace
- Maria: Mary
- Elsa: God is my oath
- Sara: princess
- Treesa: from Teresa
- Rose: a flower
Muslim families
- Ayesha: alive
- Fathima: captivating
- Zahra: radiant
- Mariam: Mary
- Nuha: intellect
- Inaya: care
Naming traditions in Kerala
Kerala has large Hindu, Christian and Muslim communities and each has its own naming habits. Many families add the house name or father's initial before the given name.
Before you choose
- Say the name aloud with the surname, and check the initials.
- Ask an elder, a priest or a language speaker to confirm the meaning, because meanings vary by source and community.
- Choose one spelling and use it on every document, from the birth certificate to Aadhaar.
- Check how the name sounds and reads in other languages, if your family may move.
More: Boy names in Kerala, trending girl names across India, baby names for every state and how to choose a baby name.
Please note: there is no official, single ranking of baby names in India. "Trending" here means names that appear again and again in recent Indian parenting and baby-name lists, and not a count of birth records. Meanings differ between sources, so check with a family elder, a Sanskrit or Arabic dictionary, or your own priest or maulvi before you decide. Spelling matters too: pick one spelling and use it everywhere.