Find Baby Names by Nakshatra

The Nakshatra system in Vedic naming

In classical Vedic astrology, the zodiac is divided into 27 Nakshatras (lunar mansions), each spanning 13°20′ of the sky. Every Nakshatra is further split into 4 Padas (quarters) of 3°20′ each — giving 108 Padas in total, matching the sacred number 108 that recurs throughout Vedic tradition (mala beads, Upanishads, deity names). Each Pada is assigned a specific akshara (syllable) used as the first sound of the auspicious birth name. The traditional Namakarana (naming ceremony) selects this first sound based on where the Moon was at the exact moment of birth — because the Moon governs the mind (mana) in Jyotish, a name aligned to the Moon’s Pada is believed to harmonize the child’s mental rhythm with their karmic blueprint.

How to use this table

Every row lists one of the 27 Nakshatras with its 4 Padas. Each Pada cell shows the assigned syllable in both English transliteration and Devanagari — e.g., Ashwini Pada 1 = Chu (चु). Click any Pada cell to open the full curated name list for that specific akshara.

Every name in our database is traced to a Sanskrit, Punjabi Gurbani, or Urdu–Persian root, with meaning, origin, gender, and popularity indicator attached. Filter by gender within each Pada page to narrow to boy or girl names, or view all. If you don’t know your baby’s Nakshatra yet, use the by-birth-details method — it computes the Nakshatra and Pada from the exact birth moment using Swiss Ephemeris precision.

Nakshatra vs Rashi — which name matters?

Both are divisions of the same 360° zodiac at different resolutions. Rashi is one of 12 signs (30° each), derived from Hellenistic astrology and integrated into Jyotish around the early centuries CE. Nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions (13°20′ each), an older Vedic system rooted in lunar observation and documented in the Taittirīya Brāhmạa and Vedānga Jyotịa. For naming purposes, the Nakshatra + Pada is what determines the auspicious akshara — not the Rashi. Two children born under the same Moon sign but different Nakshatras or Padas will receive different starting syllables. Rashi-based naming is a modern simplification; the Vedic canon uses Nakshatra + Pada.

Naming traditions covered

• Hindu / Sanskrit — classical names from the Vedas, Puranas, and epics: Krishna, Radha, Arjun, Sita, Lakshmi, Vishnu, plus modern derivations.
• Punjabi / Sikh — Gurbani-inspired compound names with Gur-, Jas-, Khush-, Har-, Sat- prefixes, traditionally unisex in Punjabi tradition.
• Urdu / Muslim — Arabic and Persian-origin names common in Muslim families across India and South Asia.
• Regional variants — Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam adaptations where the underlying akshara maps cleanly.

Ganda Moola Nakshatras — important note

Six of the 27 Nakshatras are traditionally classified as Ganda Moola: Ashwini, Ashlesha, Magha, Jyeshtha, Mula, and Revati. They sit at the junction points of sign transitions or nodal axes, and a child born with the Moon in a Ganda Moola Nakshatra traditionally requires a Shanti Puja before or during Namakarana to neutralize the karmic sensitivity. The naming ceremony can still use the akshara from the Pada, but many families consult a priest for the appropriate ritual. You can verify your child’s Nakshatra using the birth chart tool or the find-nakshatra tool.

Rashi Naam vs Vyavaharika Naam

Rashi Naam (also called Janma Naam or Nakshatra Naam) is the spiritually significant birth name selected by the Moon’s Nakshatra and Pada. It appears in religious contexts — priestly Sankalpa during pujas, naming-day ceremonies (Namakarana), horoscope matching (Kundli Milan) before marriage, and traditional rituals. Vyavaharika Naam is the everyday name the family uses socially — anything the family chooses, with no astrological restriction. Many families pick a Vyavaharika Naam that also begins with the Rashi Naam’s syllable so one name serves both purposes; others keep them separate (the Rashi Naam may be known only to the family priest).

Explore the rest of Nakshatrica

One tool won't answer everything. Nakshatrica pairs each landing page with a full set of free, Swiss-Ephemeris-precise Vedic tools — pick whichever you need next.