When choosing a baby name, many parents look for a name that makes a bold statement or a name that is connected to a celebrity and status.
But many other parents are looking for names that have a peaceful, spiritual name that has a deep connection with the world.
These names offer the wearer a little attitude that they can aspire to while still presenting a friendly, relaxed, and approachable persona to the outside world. These names create a great first impression and help others feel at ease with the wearer.
Before we dive into this list of Buddhist girl names, I must make it clear that I’m not a Buddhist, so my knowledge of Buddhist terms and their associated meanings is not by any means exhaustive.
With that said, here are some of our favorite Buddhist girl names along with their meanings.
A
Achara – A name of Thai origin and means angel or beautiful angel.
Anicca – This is a term that means inconsistency or impermanence, which refers to the Buddhist teaching that all things are in a constant state of change – an inevitable cycle of birth, growth, decay, and death. It is pronounced uh-NIK-uh.
Anong – With Thai origins and means beautiful woman.
Angkasa – This name originates from Sanskrit and means sky or space.
Arya – Most people would recognize this name from the Game of Thrones series as the rebellious daughter of the Starks. It means noble or exalted in Sanskrit and is often used in the Buddhist faith to describe the Four Noble Truths (catvary arya satyani) or The Noble Eightfold Path (arya marga).
Avici – This is the Buddhist term for the lowest level of hell and is pronounced uh-vee-chee. Add an extra ‘i’ and you have the adopted stage name of the Swedish DJ. This gives the name an even cooler sound and it is a name that could work well for either gender.
B
Bi – Of Chinese origin and means green jade.
Bodhi – It means enlightenment or awakened and is a term used for the understanding the Buddha possesses regarding the nature of things while sitting under a sacred tree known as the Bodhi tree.
Boonsri – This name originated in the Thai language and it means beautiful.
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C
Cais – A Vietnamese name that means ‘rejoicer.’ This name is considered a unisex name.
Cahya – It means one who is the light in the darkness. It is of Indonesian origin and is often used for both boys and girls.
Caihong – Of Mandarin Chinese origin and means rainbow.
Cao – Cao is a Chinese surname and one line of this family name is related to emperor Zhuan Xu (26th-century bc).
D
Dharma – This name is rich in Buddhist meaning and is a term used for the understanding of the laws of nature and how they apply to the human condition. The name was also made famous by the 90s sitcom Dharma and Greg and due to this character played by Jenna Elfman, it does have a hippie sense attached to it.
Dechen – Is a Tibetan name meaning great bliss and is a translation of the Sanskrit term mahasukha.
Dokai – In Buddhist, Indian the name means way formality or way steps.
Dojin – This is a Buddhist name that is usually given to boys but with such a beautiful meaning I think a little girl could easily carry this name off. It means the path of love.
Druki – This is a Buddhist name that means they are peace-loving individuals
Duangkamol – It is pronounced DOOAN-ga-mohn and literally means from the heart.
Duanphen – This name originates in the Thai language and means full moon.
E
Etsudo – A Japanese name meaning joy and child.
Erhi – A name of Mongolian origin and means a musical instrument.
F
Fumiko – Of Japanese origins and means beautiful child.
Fujii – Fujii Nichidatsu was a Japanese Buddhist monk. He is best known worldwide for his decision in 1947 to begin constructing Peace Pagodas in many locations around the world as shrines to world peace.
G
Genji – With its origins in Japanese, it means two beginnings. Other meanings are who are most valuable to God.
Goldeholda – With Buddhist origins and means a person who is rich and has a huge collection of ornaments. Its other meanings are a person who is very intelligent.
Goldeheve – This name carries such a sense of self-awareness. It means the one with a sixth sense, high energy level, sensitiveness, and possess a high sense of awareness.
H
Heljo – The name is of Greek origin and means blessed or holy.
Hella – This name means successful or victorious.
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J
Justeene – This is a name that has appeared in different forms in various languages. It means righteous or upright.
K
Kannika – This name has its origins in Sanskrit and means a flower grown in tropical regions, a bird of paradise. In English, it means jasmine.
Karawek – With Thai origins, this Thai name means little bird.
Karma – Most people are very familiar with the concept of Karma, that a person’s actions and intent will influence their future in both this life and beyond. Karma has proven to be a very popular choice for parents.
Karamia – This name is rare and has not ranked highly over the past one hundred years. It means beloved peace.
Karnchana – It has Thai origin and means a beautiful and lovely girl.
Kathina – This is a Buddhist festival held at the end of Vassa, which is the three-month rainy season retreat for Theravada Buddhists. This time is a time of giving, a chance for people to express their thanks to monks. Kathina is rarely used as a name but would make a great celebratory name and is not that dissimilar to Katrina or Katherine.
Kohsoom – Thai origins and means lotus flower.
Khun Mae – With Thai origins, it means honorable mother.
Kulap – It means rose in Thai but has Persian origins.
Kwang/Kwang-Sun – A word name and is Thai for deer.
L
Lawan – This is one of many names that mean beautiful.
Lotus – The lotus flower is an important icon in Buddhism. It is a symbol that is associated with the path from ignorance to enlightenment, as it rises from the mud of materialism, through the waters of experience and into the sunshine of enlightenment. This is a simple yet beautifully elegant name for a little girl.
M
Madee – Means a good beginning
Malivalaya – This has Thai origins and means climbing jasmine.
Malee – This has origins in Welsh as it is the Welsh form of Molly or Thai and it means jasmine flower.
Mahayana – This is one of the main branches of Buddhism and comes from the Sanskrit words maha meaning ‘great’ and yana meaning vehicle. This is a more liberal type of Buddhism and also the most popular amongst Buddhist followers. They believe that anyone can attain enlightenment not just monks or nuns. It is pronounced mah-huh-YAH-nuh.
Mayuree – This name means beautiful.
N
Nin – In Hebrew the name means grace.
Nirvana – For many, this name is associated with the rock band of the same name formed in 1987. But in the Buddhist context, it refers to “the imperturbable stillness of mind after the fires of desire, aversion and delusion have been finally extinguished.” Buddhists are aiming to reach this state of mind in order to be free of their individual desires and suffering.
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O
Om – This is often referred to as the sacred syllable that is used when meditating. In Sanskrit, it means ‘creation’ and is a representation of the three most important deities in Hindu religions Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma. It refers to the essence of life. This name may be short but do not be fooled as it is full of meaning.
P
Pakpao – With Thai origins and means kite.
Pensri – The name is of Thai origin and means beauty and goodness of the moon.
Pema – This name is unisex and is pronounced as PAY-mah. It has Tibetan origins and means lotus.
Pimchan – The origin of this name lies in Thai and means beautiful as the moon.
Phairoh – Thai origin and means pleasant sounding.
Phueng – Another name with its origins in Thai and this one means bee.
Phitsamai – Of Thai origins and means adorable.
S
Saengdao – Of Thai origin and means starlight.
Sanouk – This name has Thai origins and means an enjoyable festival.
Sanoh – Thai origin and means sweet and pleasant sounding.
Samsara – This means ‘continuous movement’ or ‘cyclic existence’ and is very often translated as ‘the circle of life’. The teaching is that by following the Buddhist path you can remove yourself from the endless cycle through the six realms. But in order to be liberated, you must first understand the nature of Samsara. It is pronounced suhm-SAHR-uh and on rare occasions, it has been used as a name it has always been for a little girl.
Samorn – The meaning of Samorn is a woman who is beautiful and beloved and has its origins in Thai.
Siriporn – Derived from Thai meaning glory, splendor, and blessing.
Sirikit – This is the name of the Queen Mother of Thailand. She is active in the Thai Red Cross and public health issues. She also promoted cottage industries by establishing the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques.
Sophea – Another beautiful name with its roots in Cambodia. It means ‘she who is clever or wise one.’
Sovannah – A Cambodian name and means gold or precious in God’s sight.
Soo – A name that means a charitable, kind, and noble person.
Sook – Of Korean origin and means pure.
Sopa – This name would be perfect for a little girl and means an incredibly pretty girl.
Suong – A name of Vietnamese origin and means fog.
Suda – This is a Muslim name and means happy, or lucky. The name has multiple Islamic meanings and the name originated from Urdu.
Sunstra – Its meaning is a woman with beautiful eyes. This name is one that has the possibility of being misheard or misspelled as Sunstar or Sinatra
Sunako – In Japanese, this name means sand child.
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T
Tansanee/Tasanee – With Thai origins, this name means beautiful view.
Takarra – It is of Japanese origins and means treasure.
Takako – Japanese origin that means dutiful, precious, and beautiful.
Taki – Of Japanese origin and means waterfall.
Tenzin – This is a Tibetan given name and means the holder of Buddha Dharma. It can have an alternative spelling of Stanzin too. This spelling is generally used by Ladakhi people since their language has retained many archaic forms which have been lost in other Tibetan languages.
Tevy – This name is of Cambodian origin and means angel.
Ti – This is a common Vietnamese middle name
Tida – A name of Persian/Iranian origin and means daughter of the sun beautiful girl.
Tien – Vietnamese origin and means fairy.
Tika – Has different meanings in different languages. But in Buddhism Tika refers to a category of Buddhist literature approved by the sixth Buddhist council. These were mostly written in the first half of the second millennium, partially by the Sinhalese monks and partially by Burmese.
Thang – Vietnamese names and means victorious. It is traditionally used as a boy’s name in Vietnam.
Tham – Vietnamese origin and means she who has discreet grace.
Thanh – It means brilliant and is of Vietnamese origin.
Thi – The name means a single female and is of Vietnamese origin.
Tho – Has its origins in Chinese and Vietnamese and means longevity or long-living.
Tomo – A Japanese name means intelligence, wisdom, and knowledge.
Tomoe – Of Japanese origin and means blessing.
Tonica – This is a variant of Tamika. And has possible links with the Japanese name Tami, or a variant of Tanisha. It means to let people see benefits or children born on Monday.
Torah/Tora – This name has various meanings depending on the language. In Japanese, it means a tigress. In Latin, it refers to the victor or conqueror. In Norse, it refers to the Goddess of Thunder.
Toru – It is pronounced as toh-roo. It is of Japanese origin and means persistent or clear.
Toshiko – With Japanese origins and means alert child, child of many years, and valued child.
Tsuru – A name of Japanese origin and means crane.
Tsubame – This is the Japanese name for the barn swallow but it can also refer to Tsubame, Nigata, a city in Japan.
Tuyet – This name has Vietnamese origins and means snow.
Tuyen – Vietnamese in origin and means angel.
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V
Veda – Pronounced VEY-duh or VEE- duh it means knowledge or wisdom. Vedas are the oldest and most important of Hindu sacred literature. They are believed to be an eternal revelation of divine origin. Theraveda is the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism and it means ‘the Teaching of the Elders.’ Veda was particularly popular as a girl’s name at the beginning of the 20th century.
Z
Zen – This is identified with calmness and tranquility and for many people is associated with Buddhism. Zen means absorption or meditative state and is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that encourages the use of sitting meditation for finding Buddhist truths such as no-self, emptiness, and the uncreated mind. This is a name that has huge potential and carries an air of energy with it.
The Final Thought
Whether you decide on a name based on its meaning or because you just like the sound of it, you are sure to find lots of interesting alternatives on our list. You’re sure to feel at peace with whatever name you ultimately choose.
