These Are the Most Popular Indian Baby Girl Names of 2021

I had decided I was going to name my daughter Simran when I was 11 years old. It was a name I never wavered from and love even to this day. Fast forward 22 years, when I was pregnant with my first daughter: We named her Naavya. Three years later, I was pregnant with my second daughter; her name is Saanvi. When I planned of having a daughter named Simran, I clearly forgot that I'd have to take my husband's preferences into account.

While my husband and I went through a lot of back-and-forth about what to name any of our three kids, we agreed on naming criteria. We knew it was important for them to have unique names that celebrated our Indian heritage, were meaningful and were easy to pronounce.

It’s funny how a seemingly simple criteria feels impossible to meet, even when you have nine months to decide. Whether you’ve stumbled on this list five weeks pregnant or while nursing your newborn, I imagine it might be because you also had a name picked out that got vetoed by your spouse.

Just bear in mind that this list is not called “82 Indian Baby Girl Names All Parents Will Love,” without reason; these are the most popular names for Indian girls this year. To put it together, I referenced the Social Security Administration (SSA), which provides a list of top 1,000 most-used baby names, to gather names at a macro level. I also gathered additional names at a micro level by reaching out to small businesses who sell South Asian inspired baby products: Modi Toys, the maker of diverse plush toys that sing Hindu prayers, Her Sun & Stars Co., which sells the softest minky blankets and Creative Crafty Mom, who provides crafts and gifts for special occasions. They each provide personalization, making them a treasure trove of trending names. (I also put together a list of great Indian baby boy names using the same method, if you need even more food for thought.)

As you go through this list, you may notice these trends emerge: names inspired by Indian cities and Hindu goddesses, along with names ending in -ya. My daughters’ names are Naavya and Saanvi (named after the Hindu goddess, Laxmi), so I obviously am a trendsetter of sorts. If only my husband recognized my greatness.

Indian Baby Girl Names Inspired by Indian Cities

While traveling to India may not currently be an option until we're living in a post-COVID world, you can still draw inspiration from these Indian cities.

Farida
Jhansi
Mirza
Navi
Ranchi
Sahara
Surya

Indian Baby Girls Named After Hindu Goddesses

In Hinduism, there is a trinity of goddesses: Laxmi, Saraswati and Durga. And yet, there are more than 300 names for just the three of them. So there’s a high chance a name you pick could very well be named after a goddess.

Aashvi
Lakshmi
Meera
Saanvi
Sarika
Shyla
Sita
Uma

Indian Baby Girl Names Ending in -ya

Why the sudden proliferation of names ending in -ya? I have no clue — these things tend to go in cycles. (On the SSA list, the most popular girls' names all end in -a, like Olivia, Emma and Ava, which is pretty similar.) They sure sound pretty, don’t ya think?

Aarya
Divya
Jaya
Lavanya
Kimaya
Saumya
Satya
Zoya

indian baby girl names naavya and saanvi

Courtesy of Avani Modi Sarkar

The author’s two daughters, named Naavya and Saanvi.

82 Beautiful Indian Baby Girl Names to Kick Off Your Baby-Name Search

Whether they're named after cities, goddesses or something else entirely, your baby will end up with a name they make their own. Here's a list to inspire you.