Connie Ellefson - A Genealogists Guide to Indian Names: A Reference for First Names from India

A Genealogists Guide to Indian NamesA REFERENCE FOR FIRST NAMES FROM INDIAby Connie Ellefson
Cincinnati, Ohio shopfamilytree.com Two significant waves of immigration have arrived from East India. The first occurred in the early twentieth century. A drought in the Punjab (northwestern India) between 1898 and 1902 sent nearly 5,000 Sikh men (mostly farmers) out of their country between 1900 and 1910. Most settled in California where they put their agricultural skills to work in vineyards and fig orchards around Fresno and in the rice fields around Sacramento. Thousands also worked on the Western Pacific Railroad in northern California. and extreme differences in Eastern and Western culture. and extreme differences in Eastern and Western culture.

Only seven East Indian women came to the U.S. before World War I. Sikhs comprised over half of Indias immigrants to the U.S. during the early immigration period, and Muslims made up a third. Hindus made up the smallest group of immigrants, perhaps because they had to give up so many of their old ways of life and religion (i.e., the caste system was not a viable way to live in the U.S.). Also, most Hindus are vegetarians, with the eating of meat (sacred cows.) being most objectionable to them.

Thus,only the most independent, adaptable and energetic Indians were able to make the change. Although the Sikhs now make up 30 to 40 percent of the East Indian population in California, they represent only 2 percent of the population in India. The Sikh religion was founded in the fifteenth century by a religious teacher who tried to combine the best aspects of the Hindu and Muslim religions, dedicated to one God. Restrictive exclusion rulings against East Indians in 1917 and 1923, combined with the 1924 Immigration Act, effectively brought East Indian immigration to a halt until 1946, when the Asian quota was relaxed somewhat. About 6,000 East Indians immigrated between 1947 and 1965. After the 1965 immigration laws eliminated national quotas, East Indian immigration increased dramatically.

According to the 1970 census, there were 51,000 foreign-born East Indians in the U.S. By 1980, it was closer to 200,000. The largest concentration of immigrants lives in the New York City area; more than 30,000 live within fifty miles of New York City. Other popular destinations include Chicago and California. When the quota laws were abolished, preference was given to highly trained professionals and their families. Almost 46,000 scientists, teachers, engineers and businesspeople immigrated in the decade following the new law, with an equal number of spouses and children.

English speaking and well educated, these families tended to have little trouble assimilating into the American society, although they attempted to maintain aspects of their own culture as well. The majority of East Indians in India and America are Hindu. Muslims make up 5 percent of the East Indian population and less among their immigrants here.

Hindus believe God is manifested in everything. They may name a child after a household object because every time they say the name they are pronouncing the name of God, which is a step toward salvation. Other sources of names are nature, a made-up name, the name of one of the seven sacred Indian rivers, or one of the hundreds of names for Hindu gods, which are said to be manifestations of One God.

The god of destruction, Siva, has 1,008 qualities, any of which can be used as a name. Occasionally, a child may be given an unpleasant name to trick the gods into not taking the child away. Grandparents are often given the honor of choosing a name for a child.

a = ah as in ball e = eh as in late i = ee as in keep o = oh as in hope u = oo as in moon j = j as in joy q = k as in kite y =y as in yes bh = b as in ball at beginning of word, otherwise pronounce both letters dhr = pronounce d and r as in English, but with distinct sounds Aditi (Hin) goddess Adya born on Sunday Ahimsa (Hin) nonviolence Ajaya (Hin) invincible, intoxicating Alka (Hin) girl between eight and eighteen years old, girl with long hair Ambar (Hin) sky, horizon Ambika (Hin) name for Sakti (goddess of power and destruction) Amma a mother goddess (others: Mata, Amba, Mahamba, Bimba, Elma) Amritha (Hin) name of a god Anala (Hin) fire; Agni Ananda (Hin) bliss Anila (Hin) wind god Anusha (Hin) name of a god; one of twenty-seven stars in Hindu astrology Arhana (Hin) worship Arpana (Hin) a present, dedication Aruna (Hin) name of a god; radiance Asoka (Hin) nonsorrow flower Asvina (Hin) born in lunar month Libra Avasa (Hin) independent Baka (Hin) crane (symbol of longevity) Bakula (Hin) a mythological plant Bela (Hin) Jasmine flower, violin Bharati (Hin) India Bhavna (Hin) wish, fancy, desire Chaitra (Hin) Aries lunar month Chandi (Hin) name for Sakti (goddess of power and destruction); angry; Chanda Chandra (Hin) moon, moon god Changla (Hin) active girl Channa chickpea Chitra (Hin) name of a god; star in astrology Corona (Hin) politeness, kindness Daru (Hin) pine, cedar Deepa (Hin) name of a god; lamp Deva (San) divine Devaki black Devi (DAY-vee) (Hin) name for Sakti (goddess of power and destruction) Divya (Hin) divine, heavenly; Divia Drisana (San) daughter of the sun; Drisa Durga (Hin) wife of Siva (god of destruction) Durva (Hin) durva grass Ellama (Hin) mother goddess Ganesa (guh-NAY-shuh) (Hin) god of good luck and wisdom Ganga (Hin) holy river; Ganges Garuda (Hin) sunbird that god Vishnu rides Gauri (GO-ree) (Hin) yellow, fair Geetha (Hin) song (especially Hindu lyric Bhagarat Geetha) Girisa (gee-REE-shah) (Hin) name for Shiva (god); mountain lord Guri (Hin) goddess of abundance Hanita (Hin) divine grace Hara (HAH-rah) (Hin) name for Siva (god of destruction); seizer Hema (Hin) name of a god; daughter of the mountains Indi (Hin) Indian Indra (Hin) god of power Jambu (Hin) rose apple tree Jarita (Hin) legendary bird mother Jaya (Hin) name of a god; victory Jayne (JIN) (Hin) victorious Jivanta to give life Jyotis suns light Kala (Hin) name for Siva (god of destruction); black, time Kali (San) mother goddess Sakti; energy, black goddess Kalinda (Hin) sun, from mythical Kalinda mountains Kamala (Hin) lotus Kantha (Hin) wife Kanya