Ashwini
- Pada 1चु · ChuMesha
- Pada 2चे · CheMesha
- Pada 3चो · ChoMesha
- Pada 4ला · LaMesha
Naamkarana · Birth-Star Naming
Baby Name Finder by Nakshatra
In the Vedic naming ceremony, a baby's name begins with the one syllable written in the stars at birth — the pada (quarter) of the Moon's nakshatra. Enter the birth details, or pick the birth star directly, and find auspicious names that start with that sacred sound.
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How nakshatra naming works
A Vedic name is not chosen from a book of favourites — it is read off the sky. At the moment of birth the Moon occupies one of the 27 nakshatras, the lunar mansions that divide the zodiac into steps of 13°20′. Each nakshatra is quartered into padas, and each pada owns exactly one syllable. Multiply 27 stars by 4 quarters and you get the classical table of 108 name syllables — the same 108 as the beads of a mala.
The naming logic is three steps. First, cast the birth moment: date, time and place fix the Moon's exact longitude. Second, find its pada — the quarter of the nakshatra it stands in. Third, begin the baby's name with that pada's syllable. The sound is prescribed; everything after it is yours — meaning, language, length and family tradition all stay in the parents' hands.
This is also why the prescribed syllable doubles as the child's nakshatra name, the ritual name used in sankalpam and religious observances throughout life. Families who know the birth star but not the exact hour can use the wider rashi letters of the Moon sign instead — a gentler net that still keeps the name aligned with the birth chart. If you would like the complete chart behind the name, cast the free janma kundli or check the pair with kundli matching.
The complete 108-pada syllable table
Every birth star and its four prescribed syllables, with the Moon sign (rashi) each pada falls in. Find your baby's nakshatra, read across to the pada, and the name must begin with that sound.
Bharani
- Pada 1ली · LiMesha
- Pada 2लू · LuMesha
- Pada 3ले · LeMesha
- Pada 4लो · LoMesha
Krittika
- Pada 1आ · AaMesha
- Pada 2ई · EeVrishabha
- Pada 3उ · UVrishabha
- Pada 4ए · EVrishabha
Rohini
- Pada 1ओ · OVrishabha
- Pada 2वा · VaVrishabha
- Pada 3वी · ViVrishabha
- Pada 4वु · VuVrishabha
Mrigashirsha
- Pada 1वे · VeVrishabha
- Pada 2वो · VoVrishabha
- Pada 3का · KaMithuna
- Pada 4की · KiMithuna
Ardra
- Pada 1कु · KuMithuna
- Pada 2घ · GhaMithuna
- Pada 3ङ · NgaMithuna
- Pada 4छ · ChhaMithuna
Pada 3's syllable ङ (Nga) almost never begins a usable name, so names on Na or Da are traditionally accepted for this pada.
Punarvasu
- Pada 1के · KeMithuna
- Pada 2को · KoMithuna
- Pada 3हा · HaMithuna
- Pada 4ही · HiKarka
Pushya
- Pada 1हु · HuKarka
- Pada 2हे · HeKarka
- Pada 3हो · HoKarka
- Pada 4डा · DaKarka
Ashlesha
- Pada 1डी · DiKarka
- Pada 2डू · DuKarka
- Pada 3डे · DeKarka
- Pada 4डो · DoKarka
Magha
- Pada 1मा · MaSimha
- Pada 2मी · MiSimha
- Pada 3मू · MuSimha
- Pada 4मे · MeSimha
Purva Phalguni
- Pada 1मो · MoSimha
- Pada 2टा · TaSimha
- Pada 3टी · TiSimha
- Pada 4टू · TuSimha
Uttara Phalguni
- Pada 1टे · TeSimha
- Pada 2टो · ToKanya
- Pada 3पा · PaKanya
- Pada 4पी · PiKanya
Hasta
- Pada 1पू · PuKanya
- Pada 2ष · ShaKanya
- Pada 3ण · NaKanya
- Pada 4ठ · ThaKanya
Chitra
- Pada 1पे · PeKanya
- Pada 2पो · PoKanya
- Pada 3रा · RaTula
- Pada 4री · RiTula
Swati
- Pada 1रू · RuTula
- Pada 2रे · ReTula
- Pada 3रो · RoTula
- Pada 4ता · TaTula
Vishakha
- Pada 1ती · TiTula
- Pada 2तू · TuTula
- Pada 3ते · TeTula
- Pada 4तो · ToVrischika
Anuradha
- Pada 1ना · NaVrischika
- Pada 2नी · NiVrischika
- Pada 3नू · NuVrischika
- Pada 4ने · NeVrischika
Jyeshtha
- Pada 1नो · NoVrischika
- Pada 2या · YaVrischika
- Pada 3यी · YiVrischika
- Pada 4यू · YuVrischika
Mula
- Pada 1ये · YeDhanu
- Pada 2यो · YoDhanu
- Pada 3भा · BhaDhanu
- Pada 4भी · BhiDhanu
Purva Ashadha
- Pada 1भू · BhuDhanu
- Pada 2धा · DhaDhanu
- Pada 3फा · PhaDhanu
- Pada 4ढा · DhaDhanu
Uttara Ashadha
- Pada 1भे · BheDhanu
- Pada 2भो · BhoMakara
- Pada 3जा · JaMakara
- Pada 4जी · JiMakara
Shravana
- Pada 1खी · KhiMakara
- Pada 2खू · KhuMakara
- Pada 3खे · KheMakara
- Pada 4खो · KhoMakara
A second living tradition gives Ju, Je, Jo, Gha for these four padas; tools and families accept either set.
Dhanishta
- Pada 1गा · GaMakara
- Pada 2गी · GiMakara
- Pada 3गु · GuKumba
- Pada 4गे · GeKumba
Shatabhisha
- Pada 1गो · GoKumba
- Pada 2सा · SaKumba
- Pada 3सी · SiKumba
- Pada 4सू · SuKumba
Purva Bhadrapada
- Pada 1से · SeKumba
- Pada 2सो · SoKumba
- Pada 3दा · DaKumba
- Pada 4दी · DiMeena
Uttara Bhadrapada
- Pada 1दू · DuMeena
- Pada 2थ · ThaMeena
- Pada 3झ · JhaMeena
- Pada 4ञ · JnaMeena
Pada 4's glyph ञ is also rendered Nya or Gya; any name with that sound is accepted in practice.
Revati
- Pada 1दे · DeMeena
- Pada 2दो · DoMeena
- Pada 3चा · ChaMeena
- Pada 4ची · ChiMeena
Pada syllable or rashi letters — which should you use?
The pada method is precise: one birth star quarter, one syllable, no substitutes. The rashi method is forgiving: it keys off the Moon sign alone — a 30° block holding nine padas — and accepts any name starting with one of the sign's letters. Every pada syllable sits inside its own sign's letter set, so a pada name automatically satisfies the rashi method too. Tradition prefers the pada syllable whenever the birth time is trustworthy; the rashi letters are the honoured fallback when it is not.
Mesha (Aries)
A, L, E
Vrishabha (Taurus)
B, V, U
Mithuna (Gemini)
K, Chh, Gh
Karka (Cancer)
D, H
Simha (Leo)
M, T
Kanya (Virgo)
P, Th, N
Tula (Libra)
R, T
Vrischika (Scorpio)
N, Y
Dhanu (Sagittarius)
Bh, Dh, Ph
Makara (Capricorn)
Kh, J
Kumba (Aquarius)
G, S, Sh
Meena (Pisces)
D, Ch, Th, Jh
Baby naming questions, answered
How is a baby's name chosen in the Vedic tradition?
At the Naamkarana (naming) ceremony, the name is keyed to the Moon's position at the moment of birth. The Moon sits in one of 27 nakshatras (birth stars), and each nakshatra is divided into four quarters called padas. Every pada carries one prescribed starting syllable — 108 syllables in all. A name that begins with the syllable of the baby's pada is believed to resonate with the birth star and support the child's nature and fortune.
What exactly is a nakshatra pada?
A nakshatra spans 13°20′ of the zodiac. One quarter of it — 3°20′ — is a pada. The Moon takes roughly six hours to cross a pada, which is why the exact birth time matters: two babies born on the same day in the same star can belong to different padas and receive different syllables.
We don't know the exact birth time. Can we still choose an auspicious name?
Yes. When the pada cannot be fixed reliably, families fall back to the rashi (Moon sign) method: each Moon sign owns a small set of auspicious starting letters — for example B, V or U for a Vrishabha (Taurus) Moon. Any name beginning with one of those letters is acceptable. The full rashi letter sets are listed on this page below the 108-pada table.
Must the syllable be the very first sound of the name?
Yes — the prescription is about the name's starting sound. The rest of the name is entirely the family's choice: its meaning, length and style are free, as long as it begins with the pada's syllable (for example, Vi for Rohini pada 3 — Vishal, Vidya, Vinay and hundreds more).
Do all traditions agree on every syllable?
Almost. The 108-pada table is remarkably stable across classical and modern sources, with one famous split: Shravana's four padas are given as Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho in one tradition and Ju, Je, Jo, Gha in another — both are accepted in practice. A few padas have unusable syllables (Ardra pada 3's Nga), where names on a neighbouring accepted sound are traditionally allowed.
Is the finder free? What does it need from me?
It is completely free and needs no sign-up. Enter the birth date, time and place — the same details used for a janma kundli — or, if a chart has already been cast, simply pick the birth nakshatra and pada directly.