Gujarati Baby Boy Names with Meanings

Gujarati families often name a son after Krishna of Dwarka, Shiva of Somnath, or a great Gujarati from history like Gandhi, Sardar Patel or the poet-saint Narsinh Mehta. In everyday speech a respectful -bhai is added to a man's name, as in Vallabhbhai, but the name itself is given without it. Here are Gujarati baby boy names with their meanings and Gujarati spellings, from Krishna names to classic and modern favourites.

1. Names of Krishna of Dwarka

Gujarat knows Krishna above all as the king of Dwarka, worshipped as Dwarkadhish at the great temple on the Saurashtra coast, and as Ranchhodrai at Dakor. Many Gujarati families follow the Pushtimarg of Vallabhacharya, which worships Krishna as Shrinathji, whose main shrine is at Nathdwara in Rajasthan. These names come straight from that devotion.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Dwarkesh	Lord of Dwarka, a name of Krishna (દ્વારકેશ)
Ranchhod	One who left the battlefield; Krishna as Ranchhodrai of Dakor (રણછોડ)
Shrinath	Lord of Lakshmi; Shrinathji of the Pushtimarg (શ્રીનાથ)
Girdhar	Holder of the mountain; Krishna who lifted Govardhan (ગિરધર)
Kanha	A loving name for the young Krishna (કાન્હા)
Madhav	Sweet as honey; a name of Krishna (માધવ)
Keshav	One with beautiful hair; a name of Krishna (કેશવ)

2. Names of Shiva and Somnath

Somnath at Prabhas Patan is counted first among the twelve jyotirlingas of Shiva, and the temple that stands there today was rebuilt after independence and opened in 1951. Nageshwar near Dwarka is another Shiva shrine of Gujarat. During Shravan, the monsoon month, Gujarati families visit Shiva temples and many sons are named after him.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Somnath	Lord of the moon; Shiva of Somnath (સોમનાથ)
Nagesh	Lord of serpents; Shiva of Nageshwar (નાગેશ)
Mahadev	The great god, Shiva (મહાદેવ)
Shankar	One who brings welfare; Shiva (શંકર)
Bhavesh	Lord of the world; a name of Shiva (ભાવેશ)
Umesh	Lord of Uma; Shiva (ઉમેશ)
Rudra	The fierce one; Shiva (રુદ્ર)

3. Names from Gujarat's History

Gujarat has given India some of its best known names. Mohandas Gandhi was born in Porbandar and Vallabhbhai Patel in Nadiad, and Narsinh Mehta of Junagadh wrote Vaishnav Jan To, the bhajan Gandhi loved. Dayanand Saraswati, founder of the Arya Samaj, was born at Tankara, and Vikram Sarabhai of Ahmedabad founded India's space programme. Further back, the Solanki king Siddharaj Jaysinh ruled from Patan, where the Jain scholar Hemchandra wrote his great grammar.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Mohan	The enchanting one, a name of Krishna; Mahatma Gandhi's name (મોહન)
Vallabh	Beloved; after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Vallabhacharya (વલ્લભ)
Narsinh	Man-lion, Vishnu's avatar; after the poet-saint Narsinh Mehta (નરસિંહ)
Dayanand	The joy of compassion; after Swami Dayanand Saraswati (દયાનંદ)
Vikram	Valour; after the scientist Vikram Sarabhai (વિક્રમ)
Hemchandra	Golden moon; after Acharya Hemchandra of Patan (હેમચંદ્ર)
Siddharaj	Accomplished king; after Siddharaj Jaysinh of Patan (સિદ્ધરાજ)

4. Classic Gujarati Boy Names

Many Gujarati boy names popular through the twentieth century end in -esh, from the Sanskrit isha, lord: Hitesh, Nilesh and Paresh are among the best known. Others are Gujarati in feel, like Mehul, linked to meh, the Gujarati word for rain. These names are still widely heard in Gujarat and in Gujarati families abroad.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Hitesh	Lord of goodness (હિતેશ)
Nilesh	The blue lord; Krishna or Shiva (નિલેશ)
Paresh	The supreme lord (પરેશ)
Jignesh	Lord of curiosity; one who seeks knowledge (જિજ્ઞેશ)
Ketan	A banner; a home (કેતન)
Chirag	A lamp, from Persian (ચિરાગ)
Mehul	A rain cloud (મેહુલ)

5. Modern Gujarati Boy Names

Modern Gujarati parents often pick short Sanskrit names that are easy to say in any language. Some, like Tirth (a place of pilgrimage) and Parth (Arjuna), carry a religious meaning; others, like Vihaan and Harsh, simply mean dawn and joy. All of them sit comfortably beside a Gujarati surname.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Dhruv	Firm, unshakeable; the pole star (ધ્રુવ)
Vihaan	Dawn, the first light of morning (વિહાન)
Parth	Son of Pritha; Arjuna (પાર્થ)
Tirth	A holy place of pilgrimage (તીર્થ)
Harsh	Joy, happiness (હર્ષ)
Yash	Fame, glory (યશ)
Shlok	A verse of praise (શ્લોક)