Festival Baby Names

October or November (Kartik Amavasya)

Diwali celebrates light over darkness and welcomes Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity. Names meaning light (Jyoti, Deepak, Prakash), lamp or radiance, and names of Lakshmi (Shree, Kamala, Padma) are favourites for babies born in the festival season.

September or October (Sharad Navratri), and March or April (Chaitra Navratri)

Navratri honours the nine forms of Goddess Durga. Families often choose names of the goddess (Durga, Gauri, Ambika, Shailaja) or names meaning strength and power for a baby born during the nine nights.

August or September (Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami)

Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Krishna, so his many names — Kanha, Madhav, Gopal, Keshav — are a natural choice for a baby born around the festival, especially at midnight.

August or September (Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi)

Ganesh Chaturthi welcomes Lord Ganesha, remover of obstacles and god of new beginnings. His names (Vinayak, Gajanan, Ekadant, Siddhivinayak) are a hopeful start for a newborn.

February or March (Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi)

Maha Shivratri is the great night of Lord Shiva. Names of Shiva (Mahadev, Rudra, Shankar, Neelkanth) and of Parvati are chosen by families who keep the night's vigil.

March or April (Chaitra Shukla Navami)

Ram Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Rama. Names of Rama (Raghav, Raghunandan, Ramesh) and of Sita are popular for babies born on or near the day.

Mid-January

Makar Sankranti and Pongal mark the sun's move into Capricorn and the harvest. Sun names (Surya, Aditya, Ravi, Bhanu, Arun) suit a baby born in this season of new light.

Every full moon (Purnima), including Sharad Purnima and Guru Purnima

A baby born on Purnima, the full moon, is often given a moon name — Chandra, Shashi, Soma, Purnima, Chandni — for calm, gentle light.