Tulu Baby Boy Names with Meanings

Tulu is the language of Tulu Nadu, the coast around Mangaluru and Udupi. Tulu families often name a son after Krishna of Udupi, the temple gods of Dharmasthala and Kukke, the twin heroes Koti and Chennayya, or a hero of Yakshagana. Tulu has its own old Tigalari script but today is mostly written in Kannada script, as below. Here are Tulu baby boy names with their meanings.

1. Names from Udupi

Madhvacharya founded the Krishna Matha at Udupi in the thirteenth century, beside the older Anantheshwara temple. The eight Udupi mathas take turns to worship Krishna, and Vadiraja Tirtha of Sode is among the most loved of their saints.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Krishna	The dark one; Krishna of Udupi (ಕೃಷ್ಣ)
Anantha	Endless; Anantheshwara of Udupi (ಅನಂತ)
Vadiraj	King of debaters; after Vadiraja Tirtha (ವಾದಿರಾಜ)
Keshava	A name of Vishnu (ಕೇಶವ)
Vittal	Vishnu as Vithoba (ವಿಠಲ)

2. Names from Tulu Nadu's Temples and Legends

Shiva is worshipped as Manjunatha at Dharmasthala and at Kadri in Mangaluru, and Subrahmanya at Kukke. Legend says Parashurama raised the coast from the sea, and the twin heroes Koti and Chennayya, of the Tulu paddanas, are worshipped in shrines called garadis.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Manjunath	The beautiful lord, Shiva of Dharmasthala (ಮಂಜುನಾಥ)
Subramanya	Kartikeya, worshipped at Kukke (ಸುಬ್ರಹ್ಮಣ್ಯ)
Parashuram	Rama with the axe, who raised the coast (ಪರಶುರಾಮ)
Koti	A peak; after Koti of the twin heroes Koti and Chennayya (ಕೋಟಿ)

3. Names from Yakshagana

Yakshagana, the night-long dance-drama of coastal Karnataka, tells stories from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and its heroes are favourite names in Tulu Nadu.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Arjun	Bright; the archer of the Mahabharata (ಅರ್ಜುನ)
Bhim	The mighty one (ಭೀಮ)
Abhimanyu	Arjuna's brave son (ಅಭಿಮನ್ಯು)
Karna	The generous son of the Sun (ಕರ್ಣ)
Sudhanva	A good archer; a hero of Yakshagana (ಸುಧನ್ವ)

4. Classic Tulu Nadu Boy Names

These names were common among boys in Mangaluru and Udupi through the twentieth century, usually spelt with the southern -th.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Ramesh	Lord of Lakshmi, Vishnu (ರಮೇಶ್)
Sridhar	Bearer of Lakshmi, Vishnu (ಶ್ರೀಧರ್)
Prashanth	Calm, serene (ಪ್ರಶಾಂತ್)
Sharath	Autumn (ಶರತ್)
Jayanth	Victorious (ಜಯಂತ್)
Raghavendra	Lord of the Raghus, Rama (ರಾಘವೇಂದ್ರ)
Sachin	Pure; Indra (ಸಚಿನ್)
Nithin	Master of right conduct (ನಿತಿನ್)
Sujith	Well won, victorious (ಸುಜಿತ್)

5. Modern Tulu Nadu Boy Names

Modern parents on the coast favour short names with a bright meaning.

Names For Boys

Name	Meaning
Rakshith	Protected (ರಕ್ಷಿತ್)
Prajwal	Shining brightly (ಪ್ರಜ್ವಲ್)
Karthik	Kartikeya; the month of Kartika (ಕಾರ್ತಿಕ್)
Dhanush	A bow (ಧನುಷ್)
Sudeep	A bright lamp (ಸುದೀಪ್)
Mithun	A pair (ಮಿಥುನ್)
Dheeraj	Patience (ಧೀರಜ್)
Shreyas	Excellence (ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್)
Shrinidhi	Treasure of Lakshmi (ಶ್ರೀನಿಧಿ)