Indian mythology is a good source of Indian baby names. The names are drawn directly from ancient or historical sources like scriptures, traditions and epics. These are also preserved in Purina’s that depict stories older than the epics and also in the Vedas which are the hymns of Rig-Veda.

A name like ‘Mohan’ is derived from Sanskrit meaning ‘delightful’, ‘charming’ or ‘attractive’. Mohan is a boy’s name and in mythology, is a name of Lord Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu in Indian history.

Similarly, ‘Manjushree’ is a girl’s name, which again is derived from Sanskrit meaning ‘the pretty one’ or ‘the Goddess of wealth’. Anushree is also the name of Lakshmi, who itself is considered as the Goddess of wealth in Indian mythology.

The name ‘Maya’ is a girl name that means ‘illusion’ in Sanskrit, and is a concept in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. In Buddhist tradition, this is a name of the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (Gautam Buddha). It is also another name of the Hindu Goddess Durga. Maya is translated as ‘greed’ in one of the eighteen traditional undesirables in Jainism. So many religions, sharing a common name with different meanings, of the same name Maya.

Yet another name ‘Kali’ is the name of the Hindu Goddess associated with death and destruction. The name Kali means ‘black’, but by folk etymology come to mean ‘force of time (kaal)’. Despite the negative connotations of the name, Kali is considered as the Goddess of time and change. Kali is also considered as the consort of Lord Shiva.

The boy’s name ‘Sameer’ means ‘God’, ‘God of Wind’, ‘breeze’, ‘cool breeze’ and an ‘entertaining companion’ in Sanskrit and is one of the famous names in India.

There are also names that are derived from the Gods names. A few examples are as follows:
Lord Shiva – Mahesh, Akul, Ishan, Nikhil, Pranav…
Lord Vishnu – Anish, Harish, Mohan, Shridhar…
Lord Ganesha – Atharva, Amogh, Pramod, Saket…
Lord Krishna – Kanha, Kishan, Madhav, Murali…
Maa Parvati – Bhargavi, Girija, Meenakshi, Shivani…
Maa Lakshmi – Aarna, Anushree, Sanvi, Shriya…
Maa Durga – Anika, Ishani, Kalika, Shambhavi…

Indian mythology provides a rich territory for baby names, so many people venture into the realm of fantastical creatures, folk heroes, and Gods and goddesses for naming ideas for their babies. Depending upon the personality and the aptitude of the parent, they can very easily find the names of their choice in this vast territory.