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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Sanskrit name for a Pakistani baby?

64 replies

Abitofadilemma · 25/03/2021 15:12

I love Sanskrit names & I’m totally non-religious, we like many aspects of eastern spirituality (Buddhism & Hinduism) and I personally love the stories behind the names. However, is it a big no no to give future DD a Sanskrit name if we are not technically Hindu & Indian? Our families are Muslim/ Pakistani. We don’t really like any of the more “neutral names” and I have my heart set on a few Sanskrit names that I love which DH also likes. The names I like are quite strongly associated to the Hindu religion, some of them have indirect associations to goddesses. Neither of us have an issue with it because we are both very open minded and like all religions! I can see this might be quite controversial though and perhaps uncomfortable for DD growing up? I’m so confused & don’t know if I’m just going round in circles in my mind needlessly making a bit deal out of nothing!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

heyjude12 · 28/03/2021 11:14

Not flouncing off. Just agree with the old saying "you can't argue with stupid "

drainrat · 28/03/2021 11:12

A Vaishnava is a “non-Hindu”?

Dear me, did you grow up watching Star TV?

drainrat · 28/03/2021 11:10

@heyjude12 Oh dear me, flouncing off because you can’t answer a simple factual question?

I wonder why.

heyjude12 · 28/03/2021 11:05

Drainrat. I am well studied in my faith . Why do you want to know. When I said Australian it was obvious I meant a non Hindu Australian...
I don't understand why you are combative or so poorly educated about my faith.
I am hiding this thread now

drainrat · 28/03/2021 10:59

An Australian can’t be a Hindu even if they’re a Hare Krishna?!

I’ve heard it all now.

drainrat · 28/03/2021 10:42

@heyjude12 Where did you study your Hinduism?

CommanderBurnham · 28/03/2021 10:25

Hindu here. Go for it. No one has the rights to a name. Can't believe people taking offence here. My own practice of Hinduism is very inclusive.

heyjude12 · 28/03/2021 10:22

Whilst Hinduism is a philosophy that I and many of my friends follow it is also a religion that I am deeply grateful to be a part of. Its also a religion that is regularly mocked and belittled by others. You being Pakistani isn't relevant. Its the cultural appropriation that is offensive. Whether you are Australian or any non Hindu using a name steeped in our faith
A name denotes a sese of identity and belonging to so much.
A close friend of mine has a name that is outside of her faith and she feels so strongly about it that she intends to have it changed by deed poll
The whole linear argument doesn't sit well. If it offends so much then why name your child something that represents it? As this again represents yet another disparaging comment about a faith that is not properly understood.
And for the pp who asked if I had learnt anything from my faith yes I have. We are not allowed to strike forst but we are allowed to strike back. Have you no knowledge about your faith....

DM1209 · 27/03/2021 20:44

Sikh punjabi Indian here, ex-husband is a Hindu, we have 3 daughters, obviously Hindu-Punjabi's and I am TELLING you, if you don't name your gorgeous baby whatever you wish to name her, be it a name of Sanskrit origin or a name from any other Indian culture - I and my daughter's will be deeply, deeply offended!!!!

No one has any right to lay claim to a name, regardless of religious or cultural background. If anything, I find it's an honour that you want such influences in your new baby's life.

Now, personally I love these names:
Sia (derivative of Sita)
Avani (Earth)
Diya (Light)
Pari (Angel)
Kaira (Peaceful & Unique)
Ishika (Painters brush)

Disclaimer: My daughter's may or may not have one or more of these names :)

GrumpyHoonMain · 27/03/2021 20:26

[quote Abitofadilemma]@GrumpyHoonMain That’s really interesting!! Do you know any names that could have Hindu & Zoroastrian roots? I’ve always found the female idol worship in Persia really interesting. It’s really fascinating how Anahita is a Persian goddess of fertility, love and water and the Anahata Chakra in Hinduism is the “heart” chakra. Tara is another name which is both Persian, Hindu & Buddhist. Tara is a goddess in Tantric Buddhism.[/quote]
If you search for Gujarati names you should find good ones. Name sites specifically steer you towards Hindu and Persian names seperately because they cater to the communities. In reality Gujarati Hindu naming convention follows Iranian / Persian ones and many names have persian or turkic roots and multiple meanings across languages. Eg Nehal (a form of Nehel) has persian, arabic, and (when it’s short for snehalata) sanskrit roots.

Zil is another good one. It’s actually a really popular Hindu and Muslim and Farsi name in the Gujarat. But different spellings are often used according to religion and the z might be substituted for j or dj. Similarly Gul - really popular. But Hindus and Muslim Gujjis tend to have another name attached to it - eg Gulrose, Gulshan, Gulsharan.

So yeah a bit complex lol

Chilldonaldchill · 27/03/2021 18:50

I don't feel I can comment on whether it's offensive or not. But I know many families where the couple are of different ethnic and religious backgrounds and have chosen names which they feel fit who they are, not necessarily the religion they grew up with. For example I have one friend who is of Pakistani origin and who married a guy who was of Indian origin - the names of their children were probably the least significant thing for their families to come to terms with - but they picked names which work well in the UK but have nods to both their heritages as well.
I only have one friend who I think it would be an issue for - all 3 of her children are named after Hindu deities and they are deeply religious. I have many other Hindu friend and colleagues who wouldn't bat an eyelid (but who are the equivalent of Christmas and Easter churchgoers) so I guess people will have different perspectives. I think that I am uncomfortable with the idea that certain names should be solely the preserve of one group of people - but I think that assumptions might be made about your child's heritage if you do use them.
(Of course for the majority of people in the UK any name from any of the heritages we've talked about will simply be seen as "foreign" and they won't have a clue where they came from ).

drainrat · 27/03/2021 16:39

I love the name Tara! Means star in Hindi and is also gender neutral.

Your posts really go deep with me and I feel for you. In India there’s a lot of overlap between communities but it’s still out there to marry someone of a different caste and class, never mind religion. In London I know so many interfaith and multiracial families. I hope you find a name you’re happy with, which suits the full spectrum of your beliefs X

Original poster

Abitofadilemma · 27/03/2021 14:06

@GrumpyHoonMain That’s really interesting!! Do you know any names that could have Hindu & Zoroastrian roots? I’ve always found the female idol worship in Persia really interesting. It’s really fascinating how Anahita is a Persian goddess of fertility, love and water and the Anahata Chakra in Hinduism is the “heart” chakra. Tara is another name which is both Persian, Hindu & Buddhist. Tara is a goddess in Tantric Buddhism.

OP posts:

GrumpyHoonMain · 27/03/2021 13:00

I personally didn’t use Sanskrit names as a Hindu because due to the limited vocabularly in the language (it’s similar to Arabic in that context) almost all names and words have a religious context. And I don’t consider official Hinduism which was invented in the bigger southern and eastern kingdoms as my religion. My form of hindusim came from the female idol worship that travelled from syria and the middle east during the persian empire. My name, my surname, my language all have roots in persia.

Original poster

Abitofadilemma · 27/03/2021 11:33

@TheTigerIsSleepy I could but I want the name to have a deep spiritual meaning because that’s the whole reason why we are thinking of going down this route. It doesn’t have to be a goddess name but it has to have some sort of spiritual significance.

We love the names Anjali, Mahika, Shreya, Vaani, Jaya, Aditi, Ananya, Aarya, Shaila, Mahima, Avni, Ishani. We also have some ancient Persian names like Anahita, Mona, Mehr, on the list which we were thinking of combining as a middle name with a Sanskrit first name.

We want to move away from all the Islamic names because they don’t feel right for us and our situation. Most Pakistani names are linked to religion - the heritage is very strongly linked to religion - this is something we don’t feel completely comfortable with. The closest options aside from the usual Islamic name choices are either Sanskrit names or Persian names.

If you are Pakistani and have an Arab name, the assumption is that you are a practicing Muslim because other religious are a very small minority in Pakistan. It’s almost like being Pakistani is being Muslim. They both go so strongly together. I just don’t want that association to be the focus of DD’s identity. It makes us really uncomfortable. We are not just thinking about doing this for fun, it’s quite a serious situation. As far as families, relatives, parents are concerned - we are totally going to stand by our beliefs regardless of what they say so we don’t have to worry about pleasing them because if we go down that road, DD will prob end up being called Fatima or Mariam, which are beautiful names but really don’t represent who we are as a family IYKWIM.

OP posts:

TheTigerIsSleepy · 26/03/2021 19:49

Hi,
I think its one of those "what-ifs" that you can keep second guessing for the rest of your lives.
You could always use a sanskrit word, which is not a goddess name. Eg Deepa, Vijaya, Indu, Maya, Aishwarya (tell everyone you named your dd after a Ms World)

Original poster

Abitofadilemma · 26/03/2021 15:34

Why do Muslims have to only have Muslim/ Arab names? Brahmins have to have only Brahmin names? How can we put complex human beings into a box like that with a label? What if the child is Muslim and Hindu through an inter-religious marriage? What if the child is Indian and Pakistani because mum is Pakistani and dad is Indian? It’s concerning that even British Asians are holding such limiting views and not having acceptance for differences and diversity. We are all entitled to our beliefs but I think it’s important to also have an awareness that not everyone in this world is following a straight linear path pre-determined for them by their background - some people have a bit more of a complex story and shouldn’t be judged for that.

OP posts:

Original poster

Abitofadilemma · 26/03/2021 15:27

@goldandgreen47 Thanks for such an open minded and encouraging comment! I got so worried after seeding the other responses here because I don’t mean to cause any offence to anyone! I have also seen many people online from totally different non-Indian backgrounds using very Hindu names because they are following a spiritual path and their names suit that. I don’t know why it becomes such an issue if a Pakistani does something like that.

Spirituality should be a universally accessible means of enlightenment and self-development. I haven’t read anywhere that you have to convert to Hinduism or to be born an Indian to follow its spiritual teachings or to give your children Sanskrit names. There are also Hindus in Pakistan and people from Nepal and Bangladesh who use Sanskrit names as well as a lot of western people who value Hindu/ Buddhist spiritual philosophies and teachings.

I know in India & Pakistan there is a strong belief & culture that you should stay in whatever you are born into but I totally disagree with this and think it’s extremely backward. Evolution and adaptation of beliefs/ traditions is a normal part of human nature. Even if your entire heritage or family has been following something for decades / centuries, I don’t think you have to follow the same thing - it’s okay to be different right? We don’t have to all die doing the exact same things as our ancestors. I think the world would be an awful place today if there wasn’t any growth, adaptation, evolution of ancient beliefs, cultures, traditions.

However, I don’t want DD to face hatred & hostility for her name - we can’t change the mentality of 90% of Asians who find this stuff weird, offensive and unconventional - so it’s definitely a dilemma - might just not go for it now and stick to a safer option. I thought diversity and mixing of different cultures was a good thing in the 21st century but clearly we have to “stay in our place” and just keep doing the things that everyone else expects us to do because of our background. Any sort of deviation from the norm seems to be offensive. It’s really sad tbh and we can’t keep justifying our name choice to everyone who doesn’t understand and gets offended, it will become really draining.

(Sorry for the long post but I really had to share my POV)

OP posts:

goldandgreen47 · 26/03/2021 12:56

Delurking because I’m a Priyanka and really like my name! So easy to say, classic and commonplace enough to be anonymous. Thanks to Priyanka Chopra I don’t even need to spell it out anymore.

I wouldn’t be remotely offended by someone of another culture being named this or any other Indian name (even Bodhi!) India has a long history of syncretism. Recently met a blue eyed blonde Australian called Radhika and obviously that piqued my interest - she was a follower of the Hare Krishna movement so it then made perfect sense.

HeyJude12 do you have an etymological source for Aisha meaning “light”. I’ve never heard this before. Historically it was the name of Babur’s favourite wife, and the Rajmata was named after the Rider Haggard novel - she mentions it in her autobiography.

Definitely agree with Hinduism being an ethical philosophy not a religion with a credo - so if it suits your beliefs better than your heritage, crack on.

Luckyelephant1 · 26/03/2021 08:27

I dont think I'd find it extremely offensive but maybe a bit strange, but it totally depends on the name tbh. I am Sikh Punjabi and wouldn't ever think to call my child a Muslim name, but then at the same time lots of Indian babies these days are being given more Western names, especially for girls I find. Maybe give us some name suggestions so we know what kind of names you're on about. I would definitely avoid specific names of Hindu goddesses.

drainrat · 26/03/2021 07:33

Kavita?

Ashwini?

Now you’ve really got me thinking .

drainrat · 26/03/2021 07:26

When I was at school my Indian Muslim friends had names like Razia, Ayesha, Sumeya so easy for a Hindi speaker but still recognisably Muslim.

What do your family feel about it?

drainrat · 26/03/2021 07:19

Agree with @Mavedrai , it does depend on the name.

Puja is totally not appropriate.

Madhu is fine.

I’d actually advise against Priyanka although I really like it, because it’s such a traditional name for Brahmin girls - almost a cliche. If you have ever seen Indian Vogue, literally every staffer is called Priyanka.

drainrat · 26/03/2021 07:08

@heyjude12

Really “DFOD”???

You should learn better from your religious beliefs.

Mavedrai · 25/03/2021 22:14

I would find it odd if you used a name that has a strong religious association or connotation. I think something like Priyanka or Madhuri may be okay, whereas Lakshmi/Kali/Malini/Veda/Archana, etc. would be in poor taste.

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