Gujarati Baby Girl Names with Meanings

Gujarati parents often name a daughter after Amba and the goddesses danced for at Navratri garba, Radha and the women of Krishna's Dwarka, or a word with a warm Gujarati sound like Hetal or Zalak. In everyday speech a respectful -ben is added to a woman's name, as in Hetalben, but the name itself is given without it. Here are Gujarati baby girl names with their meanings and Gujarati spellings, from goddess names to classic and modern favourites.

1. Names of the Goddesses of Gujarat

Navratri is Gujarat's biggest festival, nine nights of garba danced in honour of the goddess. Ambaji in the Arasur hills of north Gujarat is one of the shakti peethas, and Kalika Mata is worshipped on top of Pavagadh hill above Champaner. Naming a daughter after the Mother goddess is one of the oldest Gujarati traditions.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Amba	Mother; the goddess of Ambaji (અંબા)
Ambika	Mother; a name of Durga (અંબિકા)
Kalika	A flower bud; also Kalika Mata of Pavagadh (કાલિકા)
Durga	The invincible goddess (દુર્ગા)
Shakti	Power, the energy of the goddess (શક્તિ)
Uma	Calm and radiant; a name of Parvati (ઉમા)

2. Names from Krishna's Dwarka

Krishna's queen Rukmini has her own temple at Dwarka, and tradition says the saint-poet Meera spent her last years there. The Pushtimarg tradition reveres the river Yamuna as a goddess, and Tulsi is married to Krishna each year in the Tulsi Vivah after Diwali. These names are loved in Vaishnav Gujarati homes.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Radha	Prosperity; Krishna's beloved (રાધા)
Rukmini	Adorned with gold; Krishna's queen at Dwarka (રુક્મિણી)
Meera	After Meerabai, the saint-poet devoted to Krishna (મીરા)
Yamuna	The sacred river, revered as Yamunaji (યમુના)
Gopi	A cowherd girl devoted to Krishna (ગોપી)
Tulsi	Holy basil, married to Krishna in Tulsi Vivah (તુલસી)
Vrinda	Holy basil; the goddess Tulsi (વૃંદા)

3. Names with a Gujarati Sound

Some girl names are heard far more in Gujarat than anywhere else. Several come from everyday Gujarati words: het means affection, zalak a glimpse, and nirali unique. They give a daughter a name that is clearly Gujarati and still easy to say.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Hetal	Loving, warm-hearted (હેતલ)
Hetvi	Love, affection (હેત્વી)
Hiral	Lustrous, shining (હિરલ)
Zalak	A glimpse, a sparkle (ઝલક)
Kinjal	The bank of a river (કિંજલ)
Nirali	Unique, one of a kind (નિરાલી)
Rupal	Silvery; made of silver (રૂપલ)

4. Classic Gujarati Girl Names

These names were common among Gujarati girls through the twentieth century and are still well loved. Falguni, for a girl born in the month of Phalgun, is also the name of the garba singer Falguni Pathak. Narmada is the great river that crosses Gujarat to reach the sea near Bharuch.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Falguni	Born in the month of Phalgun (ફાલ્ગુની)
Bhavna	Feeling, devotion (ભાવના)
Jagruti	Awakening, awareness (જાગૃતિ)
Daksha	Able, skilful (દક્ષા)
Krupa	Grace, kindness (કૃપા)
Dhara	A stream; also the earth (ધરા)
Narmada	The sacred river Narmada (નર્મદા)

5. Modern Gujarati Girl Names

Modern Gujarati girl names are short and bright. Mahi is also a river of Gujarat, and Kesar recalls both saffron and the kesar mango of Gir, the state's most famous fruit. Others, like Riddhi and Dhriti, are old Sanskrit words given a fresh life.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Mahi	The earth; also the Mahi river (માહી)
Kesar	Saffron; also the kesar mango of Gir (કેસર)
Diya	A lamp (દિયા)
Khushi	Happiness (ખુશી)
Dhriti	Courage, patience (ધૃતિ)
Kavya	Poetry (કાવ્યા)
Riddhi	Prosperity; a consort of Ganesha (રિદ્ધિ)