Kannada Baby Girl Names with Meanings

Kannada families often name a daughter after Chamundeshwari of Mysuru, a goddess from a great Karnataka temple, or a queen or poet from Kannada history. At Mysuru Dasara the image of Chamundeshwari is carried through the city in a golden howdah on Vijayadashami, and goddess names stay a favourite for girls. Here are Kannada baby girl names with their meanings and Kannada spellings, from goddess names to river names and modern favourites.

1. Names of Chamundeshwari and the Goddess

Goddesses of Mysuru, Kollur, Sringeri and Karnataka's other great temples. Chamundeshwari, who slew the demon Mahishasura, is the patron goddess of Mysuru and its royal family. Kollur's Mookambika and Sringeri's Sharadamba are major centres of Navaratri worship, when many children are first initiated into learning.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Chamundi	The goddess Chamundeshwari of Chamundi Hills, Mysuru (ಚಾಮುಂಡಿ)
Mookambika	The goddess of the Kollur temple (ಮೂಕಾಂಬಿಕಾ)
Sharada	Saraswati, the goddess of Sringeri (ಶಾರದಾ)
Annapoorna	Goddess of food and plenty, worshipped at Horanadu (ಅನ್ನಪೂರ್ಣಾ)
Banashankari	The forest goddess of Badami (ಬನಶಂಕರಿ)
Renuka	Mother of Parashurama, worshipped as Yellamma at Saundatti (ರೇಣುಕಾ)

2. Names Linked to Krishna

Women close to Krishna, the beloved god of Udupi. Krishna Janmashtami is one of Udupi's biggest festivals, and the Yakshagana theatre of coastal Karnataka often stages episodes from his life. These names honour his queens, his beloved Radha, his devotee Meera and his foster mother Yashoda.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Rukmini	Krishna's chief queen (ರುಕ್ಮಿಣಿ)
Radha	Krishna's beloved (ರಾಧಾ)
Bhama	Satyabhama, Krishna's queen (ಭಾಮಾ)
Tulasi	Holy basil, sacred to Krishna and Vishnu (ತುಳಸಿ)
Meera	After the poet-saint devoted to Krishna (ಮೀರಾ)
Yashoda	Krishna's foster mother (ಯಶೋದಾ)

3. Names from Kannada History and Literature

Poets, queens and the mother goddess of the Kannada land. Akka Mahadevi composed vachanas in the 12th century, and Rani Chennamma of Kittur rose against the East India Company in 1824, decades before 1857. On the coast, Rani Abbakka of Ullal resisted the Portuguese in the 16th century.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Mahadevi	Great goddess; also Akka Mahadevi, the 12th-century vachana poet (ಮಹಾದೇವಿ)
Shantala	The Hoysala queen, wife of Vishnuvardhana, remembered as a gifted dancer (ಶಾಂತಲಾ)
Chennamma	After Rani Chennamma of Kittur, who fought the British (ಚೆನ್ನಮ್ಮ)
Abbakka	After Rani Abbakka of Ullal, who fought the Portuguese (ಅಬ್ಬಕ್ಕ)
Bhuvaneshwari	Queen of the world; Kannada Thayi Bhuvaneshwari, the mother goddess of Karnataka (ಭುವನೇಶ್ವರಿ)
Vijaya	Victory; as in Vijayanagara, the city of victory (ವಿಜಯಾ)

4. Names from Nature

Rivers, flowers and the sandalwood of Karnataka. The Kaveri rises at Talakaveri in Kodagu, where pilgrims gather each October on Tula Sankramana to see the sacred spring. Mysuru jasmine (Mysore Mallige) holds a geographical indication tag, and Mysore sandalwood is known around the world.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Kaveri	The sacred river that rises at Talakaveri in Kodagu (ಕಾವೇರಿ)
Tunga	The river that flows past Sringeri (ತುಂಗಾ)
Sharavathi	The river of Jog Falls (ಶರಾವತಿ)
Netravathi	The river that flows past Dharmasthala (ನೇತ್ರಾವತಿ)
Mallika	Jasmine; Mysuru jasmine is famous (ಮಲ್ಲಿಕಾ)
Chandana	Sandalwood, for which Karnataka is famous (ಚಂದನಾ)

5. Modern Kannada Girl Names

Short names popular with Kannada parents today. Most are Sanskrit words, and in Kannada they are usually written with a long final vowel, as in Shreya (ಶ್ರೇಯಾ) and Rachana (ರಚನಾ). They are easy to say in any language and carry warm meanings.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Spoorthi	Inspiration (ಸ್ಫೂರ್ತಿ)
Shreya	Auspicious; the best (ಶ್ರೇಯಾ)
Samhitha	A collection of Vedic hymns (ಸಂಹಿತಾ)
Keerthi	Fame, glory (ಕೀರ್ತಿ)
Bhoomika	The earth (ಭೂಮಿಕಾ)
Aditi	Boundless; the mother of the gods (ಅದಿತಿ)
Rachana	Creation, composition (ರಚನಾ)