Nepali Baby Boy Names with Meanings

Nepali families, in Nepal, Darjeeling, Sikkim and across India, often name a son after Pashupatinath, the Himalaya, the Buddha born at Lumbini or a hero of Nepal's history. Nepali is written in Devanagari and says a Sanskrit v as b, so Vikram becomes Bikram and Vivek becomes Bibek. Here are Nepali baby boy names with their meanings, from Shiva names to classic and modern favourites.

1. Names of Shiva and Pashupatinath

Pashupatinath on the Bagmati in Kathmandu is Nepal's holiest Shiva temple. The Gorkhas take their name from the yogi Guru Gorakhnath, and Kal Bhairav stands in Kathmandu's Durbar Square.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Pashupati	Lord of all beings, Shiva of Pashupatinath (पशुपति)
Gorakhnath	After Guru Gorakhnath, for whom Gorkha is named (गोरखनाथ)
Bhairav	The awe-inspiring one, a fierce form of Shiva (भैरव)
Mahesh	The great lord, Shiva (महेश)
Umesh	Lord of Uma, Shiva (उमेश)

2. Names from the Himalaya and Lumbini

Nepal holds eight of the world's ten highest peaks; Everest is Sagarmatha in Nepali, and Gauri Shankar rises in the Rolwaling Himal. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born at Lumbini, and Tenzing Norgay climbed Everest in 1953.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Himal	A snow mountain (हिमाल)
Himalaya	The abode of snow (हिमालय)
Sagar	The ocean; heard in Sagarmatha (सागर)
Kailash	Shiva's sacred mountain (कैलाश)
Kanchan	Gold; heard in Kanchenjunga (कञ्चन)
Gaurishankar	Gauri and Shankar; also the Himalayan peak (गौरीशंकर)
Siddhartha	One who has achieved his aim; the Buddha (सिद्धार्थ)
Gautam	The Buddha's family name (गौतम)
Tenzing	Holder of the teaching, from the Tibetan (तेन्जिङ)

3. Names from Nepal's History

Prithvi Narayan Shah united Nepal in the eighteenth century, and Bhanubhakta Acharya, the Adikavi, brought the Ramayana into Nepali. King Janak of Mithila ruled from Janakpur, now in Nepal.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Prithvi	The earth; after Prithvi Narayan Shah (पृथ्वी)
Bhanu	The sun; after the poet Bhanubhakta (भानु)
Janak	Father; after King Janak of Janakpur (जनक)
Bishnu	Vishnu, in its Nepali sound (विष्णु)
Hari	A name of Vishnu (हरि)
Gopal	Protector of cows, Krishna (गोपाल)

4. Classic Nepali Boy Names

These names were common among Nepali boys through the twentieth century and are still widely heard, most with the Nepali b in place of v.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Bikram	Valour, prowess (विक्रम)
Bikash	Growth, progress (विकास)
Bibek	Wisdom, discernment (विवेक)
Bishal	Vast, great (विशाल)
Sushil	Of good character (सुशील)
Rajendra	King of kings (राजेन्द्र)
Santosh	Contentment (सन्तोष)
Subash	One who speaks well (सुभाष)

5. Modern Nepali Boy Names

Modern Nepali parents often choose short names with a gentle meaning.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Sujan	A good, kind person (सुजन)
Sujal	Pure water (सुजल)
Niraj	Lotus, born of water (नीरज)
Sandesh	A message (सन्देश)
Nabin	New, fresh (नवीन)
Ashish	A blessing (आशिष)
Yuvraj	Crown prince (युवराज)