Choosing a name for your girl in Tamil Nadu? Families here use Tamil 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.
Popular now
- Oviya: a painting
- Yazhini: from the yazh, a stringed instrument
- Ilakkiya: literature
- Kayal: a fish; also beautiful eyes
- Aadhira: a star
- Poorvika: of the east
- Kavya: poetry
- Nila: the moon
Rooted in Tamil
- Thenmozhi: sweet speech
- Madhivadani: moon-faced
- Tamizharasi: queen of Tamil
- Valli: a consort of Murugan
- Meenakshi: fish-eyed, the goddess
- Abirami: the beautiful one
Naming traditions in Tamil Nadu
Tamil families often love names in pure Tamil as well as Sanskrit ones. Many carry the father's name or village initial in front, and some choose names by the baby's nakshatra.
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 Tamil Nadu, 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.