Lord Vishnu Names for Baby Boy, with Meanings

Lord Vishnu is the preserver in the Hindu trinity, who comes down to earth in his avatars, among them Rama and Krishna, to protect the good. The Vishnu Sahasranama lists a thousand of his names. Here are the most-loved names of Vishnu for a baby boy, with their meanings: classic names, names of his avatars and temples, and modern names drawn from them.

1. Classic Names of Lord Vishnu

Traditional names of Vishnu, heard in prayers across India.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Vishnu	The all-pervading one (विष्णु)
Narayan	The refuge of all beings (नारायण)
Hari	He who removes sorrow; Vishnu (हरि)
Madhav	Sweet as honey; husband of Lakshmi (माधव)
Keshav	One with beautiful hair (केशव)
Govind	Protector of cows (गोविंद)
Achyut	One who never falls (अच्युत)
Anant	Endless, infinite (अनंत)

2. Names of Vishnu's Avatars

Vishnu's ten avatars, the Dashavatara, run from the fish Matsya to Kalki, who is yet to come. Some lists place Balarama among them.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Narasimha	The man-lion avatar (नरसिंह)
Vamana	The dwarf avatar who measured the worlds in three steps (वामन)
Parashuram	Rama with the axe (परशुराम)
Ram	The seventh avatar, prince of Ayodhya (राम)
Krishna	The eighth avatar (कृष्ण)
Balaram	Krishna's elder brother (बलराम)
Kalki	The tenth avatar, yet to come (कल्कि)

3. Names from Vishnu's Form

Vishnu is shown with four arms holding a conch, a discus, a mace and a lotus, dressed in yellow, with the Kaustubha jewel on his chest and a lotus rising from his navel.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Padmanabh	Lotus-navelled (पद्मनाभ)
Chakradhar	Bearer of the discus (चक्रधर)
Pitambar	Dressed in yellow (पीतांबर)
Shridhar	Bearer of Lakshmi (श्रीधर)
Kaustav	After the Kaustubha jewel Vishnu wears (कौस्तुभ)
Hrishikesh	Lord of the senses (हृषीकेश)
Janardan	He who helps people (जनार्दन)
Damodar	With a rope round his waist; baby Krishna (दामोदर)

4. Names from Vishnu's Temples

Vishnu is worshipped as Venkateswara at Tirupati, Ranganatha at Srirangam, Vitthal at Pandharpur, Jagannath at Puri and Badrinarayan at Badrinath.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Venkatesh	Lord of the Venkata hill, Tirupati (वेंकटेश)
Srinivas	Abode of Lakshmi; Venkateswara (श्रीनिवास)
Balaji	Venkateswara of Tirupati (बालाजी)
Ranganath	Vishnu of Srirangam (रंगनाथ)
Vitthal	Vishnu of Pandharpur (विट्ठल)
Jagannath	Lord of the universe, of Puri (जगन्नाथ)
Badri	After Badrinath in the Himalaya (बद्री)

5. Modern Names Inspired by Vishnu

Names from the Vishnu Sahasranama that sound fresh today.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Aniruddh	Unstoppable; a name in the Sahasranama (अनिरुद्ध)
Shreyas	Excellence, welfare (श्रेयस)
Avyay	Imperishable (अव्यय)
Mukund	Giver of liberation (मुकुंद)