Nanda

Classical Sanskrit origin

नन्द (nanda): joy, delight, happiness (also pl.).

Source: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), a public-domain scholarly reference — not every popular name today traces to a classical dictionary entry, so this section only appears where a verified match exists.

In the epics

Nanda appears in the Mahābhārata as a warrior: Kaurava brother.

Source: Drimigo Scripture KG (CC BY 4.0). Many characters share a name across the epics — this is one notable figure who bore it, not a claim about the name's only meaning.

Traditional associations

In Hindu tradition, names are sometimes chosen by the baby's rashi (moon sign) or nakshatra (birth star). This is cultural tradition, not a rule.

• Rashi: Vrishabh
• Nakshatra: Rohini
• More names starting with N

Names with a similar meaning

Names that share a word with “Joy, happiness, foster father of Krishna”. Meanings are the common reading rather than a ruling — the same name is often glossed differently by different sources.

• Yashodha — Fame-giving, foster mother of Krishna
• Nand — Joy, delight and happiness, foster father of Krishna
• Ibrahim — Father of many nations, Mappila name
• Janak — Father, creator and progenitor
• Dadasaheb — Respected elder, honored father figure
• Bappa — Father; beloved; affectionate name for a son

More girls' names of Sanskrit-Marathi origin

• Gauri — Goddess Parvati, fair complexioned
• Shraddha — Faith, devotion, reverence
• Janhavi — Daughter of Jahnu, river Ganga
• Laxmi — Goddess of wealth and prosperity
• Swati — A star, pearl, independent
• Kavita — Poem, poetry, literary composition

Other names under Vrishabh rashi

• Vihaan — Dawn, beginning of new era
• Vamika — Goddess Parvati, another name for Durga
• Vivaan — Full of life, Sun
• Viaan — Full of life, energy
• Tara — Star, Goddess, protector
• Vedant — Ultimate knowledge, Vedas

Traditional association, recorded because families use it when choosing — see all Vrishabh names.

Where this comes from

Nanda's etymology is verified against Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899). Its meaning comes from our compiled name corpus, the least-sourced dataset on this site — we say so plainly on Sources & methodology rather than implying an authority we cannot name.