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Indian Baby Names - Traditional, Religious And Modern

As can expected from one of the most populated (over 1billion people) countries in the world and the one with fastest growing population, there are thousands of Indian baby names to choose from. This must create a few headaches for the new Indian parent. Well…probably not. You see, as a country which is still deeply rooted in tradition and history, choosing new Indian baby names is often a religion or family-specific event.

Many, many Indian names have their origins in Sanskrit meanings. These tend to be Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain names. However, despite the western association of India with the majority Hindu and the high-profile Sikh populations, the religious makeup of the Indian population is actually quite surprising:

According to the 2001 Census, the religious make-up of the Indian population as follows:

80.5% Hindu,

13.4% Muslim,

2.3% Christian,

1.9% Sikh,

0.8% Buddhist,

0.4% Jain,

0.01% Zoroastrian,

1.3% other (2001)

So you can see, the second largest section of the population is Muslim and, even more surprisingly, the third largest is Christian. Consequently. this means that Indian baby names cover an extremely wide range of choices from very traditional Muslim, through to biblical names.

Wherever you live in the world, selecting a name for a newborn child has always been a complex and fascinating process. For thousands of years, Indian baby name selection for the majority Hindu population was performed according to a traditional system, one that eliminated personal bias and reflected, according to astrological principles, the best qualities that the child was supposed to grow up with.

The name was usual selected after calculations involving the horoscope, the exact time and place of birth, as well as the traditional textual links between numbers so derived and letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. This was an extremely complex and learned process, requiring deep knowledge of ancient texts as well as their applicability in normal or special circumstances. Highly specialized training was needed as well as a thorough grounding in the methodologies and processes of the Rites and Rituals dimension of the Hindu Religion, known as the Karma Kanda. Whew!! A little more involved than just opening up a book of Indian baby names…

Modern India is a melting pot of many religions, with different baby-naming rituals, however the religious connotations and connections remain as strong as ever. The meanings of baby names are very important in Indian culture. With thousands of gods and goddesses to choose from, as well as the deeply-rooted traditions of honoring family ancestors, the Indian baby naming process remains a fascinating and spiritual one.

However, with the rapid growth of the Indian economy and its accelerating adoption of western culture, Indian parents are also beginning to use to more modern methods of finding names for their children – and also looking for more modern and more "Westernised" names. For example, there are many Internet sites, full of excellent lists of Indian baby names, together with their roots and meanings. These are great sources of ideas for names.

But – as with choosing any baby name, the process of choosing a more modern or stylish Indian baby name can lead to major problems, created when a child is given a name with a bad meaning. In western and more secular societies, this may not be much of an issue, but in Indian society this could be disastrous for the future of the child.

So, if you are a modern Indian parent-to-be, searching for a baby name, think for a while and make use of the extensive Indian baby name resources on the Internet and elsewhere. The blend of the traditional and religious with the modern is not an easy one – in fact the difficulties of choosing and Indian baby name are a true reflection of India’s own struggles to balance its traditions with its desire to become a modern, 21^st century country.

For lists of Indian baby names, use this link below:

Indian baby names