Telugu Baby Names by Nakshatra
In the Telugu tradition a baby's name begins with the syllable of the pada of the birth nakshatra. The 27 nakshatras have four padas each, 108 in all, and each pada has its own syllable. Pick your baby's nakshatra in the table below to see Telugu boy and girl names, with meanings, for each of its four syllables.
Naming syllables of the 27 nakshatras
Select a nakshatra to see the names for its four padas.
| Nakshatra | Pada 1 | Pada 2 | Pada 3 | Pada 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashwini | Chu చూ | Che చే | Cho చో | La లా |
| Bharani | Li లీ | Lu లూ | Le లే | Lo లో |
| Krittika | A ఆ | I ఈ | U ఊ | E ఏ |
| Rohini | O ఓ | Va వా | Vi వీ | Vu వూ |
| Mrigashira | Ve వే | Vo వో | Ka కా | Ki కీ |
| Ardra | Ku కూ | Gha ఘ | Nga ఙ | Chha ఛ |
| Punarvasu | Ke కే | Ko కో | Ha హా | Hi హీ |
| Pushya | Hu హూ | He హే | Ho హో | Da డా |
| Ashlesha | Di డీ | Du డూ | De డే | Do డో |
| Magha | Ma మా | Mi మీ | Mu మూ | Me మే |
| Purva Phalguni | Mo మో | Ta టా | Ti టీ | Tu టూ |
| Uttara Phalguni | Te టే | To టో | Pa పా | Pi పీ |
| Hasta | Pu పూ | Sha ష | Na ణా | Tha ఠా |
| Chitra | Pe పే | Po పో | Ra రా | Ri రీ |
| Swati | Ru రూ | Re రే | Ro రో | Ta తా |
| Vishakha | Ti తీ | Tu తూ | Te తే | To తో |
| Anuradha | Na నా | Ni నీ | Nu నూ | Ne నే |
| Jyeshtha | No నో | Ya యా | Yi యీ | Yu యూ |
| Mula | Ye యే | Yo యో | Ba బా | Bi బీ |
| Purva Ashadha | Bu బూ | Dha ధా | Pha ఫా | Dha ఢా |
| Uttara Ashadha | Be బే | Bo బో | Ja జా | Ji జీ |
| Shravana | Ju జూ | Je జే | Jo జో | Kha ఖా |
| Dhanishtha | Ga గా | Gi గీ | Gu గూ | Ge గే |
| Shatabhisha | Go గో | Sa సా | Si సీ | Su సూ |
| Purva Bhadrapada | Se సే | So సో | Da దా | Di దీ |
| Uttara Bhadrapada | Du దూ | Tha థ | Jha ఝ | Nya ఞ |
| Revati | De దే | Do దో | Cha చా | Chi చీ |
Names that begin with the long or the short form of a syllable (Kee or Ki) count as the same pada.
Namakarana and Barasala
Namakarana, the naming ceremony, is one of the sixteen samskaras. The Grihya Sutras set it on the tenth or twelfth day after birth. Telugu homes call the ceremony Barasala; most families hold it on the 21st day, some on the 11th, and lay the baby in a cradle as the name is given. By custom the father says the name into the baby's ear.
Nakshatra name and everyday name
The name built on the birth pada's syllable is the nakshatra name (nakshatra nama). It is the name said with the gotra in pujas, archanas and sankalpas. The name a child is called by every day (vyavahara nama) can be different; naming a child after the family deity or a grandparent is common in Telugu homes. Where a pada's syllable begins almost no names, the syllable is kept for the nakshatra name alone.
How to find your baby's nakshatra and pada
The birth nakshatra is the one the Moon occupies at the moment of birth. Each nakshatra spans 13°20′ and each pada 3°20′. The Moon moves about 13° a day, so a pada lasts only about six hours, which is why the birth time must be right to the minute. Enter the date, time and place of birth in the free kundli and it shows the Moon's nakshatra and pada.