Buddhist Baby Names 2026

Tibetan, Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist names

Buddhist naming varies enormously by country, because Buddhism carried different languages with it as it spread. The names on this page come mainly from the Tibetan tradition, with some Pali and Sanskrit terms that are shared across Theravada and Mahayana countries alike.

In Tibetan practice a name is often given by a lama rather than chosen by the parents, and it usually consists of two elements drawn from a pool of auspicious words: Tashi (good fortune), Tenzin (holder of the teachings), Dorje (thunderbolt, indestructible), Dolma (the bodhisattva Tara), Tsering (long life), Pema (lotus), Dawa (moon), Nyima (sun). These combine freely — Tenzin Dolma, Pema Tsering — and nearly all of them are unisex. Tibetan names also do not usually include a family surname, which is why the two elements sit together as a unit rather than as first and last name.

The vocabulary is doctrinal rather than decorative. Pema, the lotus, is the standard image for purity emerging from difficulty; the flower grows in mud. Dorje refers to the vajra, the ritual implement symbolising indestructible clarity. Tenzin became overwhelmingly common in the 20th century because it is the personal name of the 14th Dalai Lama, and many Tibetan families named children in his honour.

From Pali and Sanskrit, names such as Ananda (bliss, and also the Buddha's closest attendant), Metta (loving-kindness) and Bodhi (awakening) travel across Buddhist countries and are increasingly chosen by Western families with a meditation practice. If you are in that position, the respectful approach is the same one Buddhist families take: learn what the word actually means in context before using it, since most of these are terms of practice rather than ordinary vocabulary.