Punjabi Baby Girl Names with Meanings

Punjabi families often name a daughter after a word of Gurbani, one of the women of early Sikh history, or a heroine of the Punjabi folk tales like Heer and Sohni. Many Sikh names are given to both girls and boys; Kaur after the name marks a girl, as Guru Gobind Singh asked of every Sikh woman. Here are Punjabi baby girl names with their meanings and Gurmukhi spellings, from Gurbani names to classic and modern favourites.

1. Names from Gurbani and Sikh Women

Bebe Nanaki was the elder sister of Guru Nanak and the first to see who he was. Mata Khivi, wife of Guru Angad, ran the langar at Khadur Sahib, and Bibi Bhani was the daughter of one Guru, the wife of another and the mother of a third. Other names, like Sukhmani and Simran, come from the hymns and practice of the faith.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Nanaki	After Bebe Nanaki, Guru Nanak's sister (ਨਾਨਕੀ)
Khivi	After Mata Khivi, who ran the Guru's langar (ਖੀਵੀ)
Bhani	After Bibi Bhani, mother of Guru Arjan (ਭਾਨੀ)
Sukhmani	The jewel of peace; after Sukhmani Sahib (ਸੁਖਮਨੀ)
Gurbani	The hymns of the Gurus (ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ)
Simran	Remembering God in meditation (ਸਿਮਰਨ)
Japneet	One who always recites God's name (ਜਪਨੀਤ)

2. Names with Leen and Preet

Two endings are especially loved in Sikh girl names: -leen, absorbed, and -preet, love. Joined to Har (God), Gur (the Guru), Jas (praise) or Prabh (the Lord), they give names that describe a life devoted to God.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Harleen	Absorbed in God (ਹਰਲੀਨ)
Gurleen	Absorbed in the Guru (ਗੁਰਲੀਨ)
Jasleen	Absorbed in God's praise (ਜਸਲੀਨ)
Prabhleen	Absorbed in the Lord (ਪ੍ਰਭਲੀਨ)
Manpreet	Love of the heart (ਮਨਪ੍ਰੀਤ)
Gurpreet	Love of the Guru (ਗੁਰਪ੍ਰੀਤ)
Jaspreet	Love of God's praise (ਜਸਪ੍ਰੀਤ)

3. Names from Punjabi Folk Tales

Punjab's great love stories, the qissas, have heroines whose names are still given to girls. Heer is the heroine of Waris Shah's Heer, written in 1766, Sohni crossed the Chenab every night on a clay pot to meet Mahiwal, and Sahiban is the heroine of Mirza Sahiban. Names with noor, the Persian word for light, are also much loved in Punjab.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Heer	A diamond; the heroine of Heer Ranjha (ਹੀਰ)
Sohni	Beautiful; the heroine of Sohni Mahiwal (ਸੋਹਣੀ)
Sahiba	A companion; the heroine of Mirza Sahiban (ਸਾਹਿਬਾ)
Noor	Light (ਨੂਰ)
Harnoor	The light of God (ਹਰਨੂਰ)
Gurnoor	The light of the Guru (ਗੁਰਨੂਰ)
Mehak	Fragrance (ਮਹਿਕ)

4. Classic Punjabi Girl Names

These names were common among Punjabi girls in the twentieth century. Many end in -inder, from Indra, lord, and are shared with boys, so the Kaur that follows them is what marks a girl. Navneet, ever new, is also the Sanskrit word for fresh butter.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Rupinder	Lord of beauty (ਰੁਪਿੰਦਰ)
Jaswinder	Lord of glory (ਜਸਵਿੰਦਰ)
Sukhwinder	Lord of happiness (ਸੁਖਵਿੰਦਰ)
Gurmeet	A friend of the Guru (ਗੁਰਮੀਤ)
Davinder	Lord of the gods (ਦਵਿੰਦਰ)
Navneet	Ever new; fresh butter (ਨਵਨੀਤ)

5. Modern Punjabi Girl Names

Modern Punjabi girl names are short and often spiritual. Ekam recalls Ik Onkar, the one God at the start of the Guru Granth Sahib, and Jot is the divine light passed from Guru to Guru. Seerat and Jannat come from Persian and Urdu, which shaped the Punjabi language for centuries.

Names For Girls

Name	Meaning
Ekam	Oneness; the One God (ਏਕਮ)
Jot	Light, the divine flame (ਜੋਤ)
Sehaj	Calm, natural poise (ਸਹਿਜ)
Seerat	Inner beauty, character (ਸੀਰਤ)
Avneet	Modest, kind-hearted (ਅਵਨੀਤ)
Jannat	Paradise (ਜੰਨਤ)
Sukhman	One whose heart is at peace (ਸੁਖਮਨ)