Baby Names · Nakshatra 8 of 27
Pushya nakshatra baby names
18 traditional boys' and girls' names with meanings, arranged by the four pada syllables.
Pada 1: Hu · Pada 2: He · Pada 3: Ho · Pada 4: Da
How the Pushya Naming Syllable Is Chosen
At the namakarana, the rite of naming held traditionally on the eleventh or twelfth day, the child’s ritual name begins with a syllable fixed by the Moon’s position at birth. The Moon’s path is divided into 27 nakshatras of 13°20′ each, and each nakshatra into four padas of 3°20′. That gives 108 padas and 108 syllables — one for each, and the same 108 that make up the four-times-27 grid printed in every panchang.
The syllable belongs to the pada, not to the nakshatra. Pushya covers Cancer 3°20′ – 16°40′, and the Moon crosses one pada of it in a little under six hours, so two children born in Pushya on the same day can carry different syllables. This is the reason a birth time and place are needed and a date alone is not enough — any tool that gives you a syllable from the date is guessing.
27 nakshatras × 4 padas = 108 = 12 signs × 9 navamsas, which is why each pada also falls in its own navamsa sign. Those signs are listed against each pada below.
The Four Padas of Pushya
| Pada | Syllable | Navamsa sign | Names listed | Rashi & substitutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hu हु | Leo | 1 | Pada 1 details |
| 2 | He हे | Virgo | 7 | Pada 2 details |
| 3 | Ho हो | Libra | none in common use | Pada 3 details |
| 4 | Da द | Scorpio | 10 | Pada 4 details |
The four name lists are all on this page, in full, below. Each pada also has its own page, which carries what is specific to that quarter rather than to Pushya: the exact degrees it spans, the Moon sign it falls in, and the nine-syllable rashi list that Pushya pada syllable belongs to — the list a panchang prints against a sign, which turns out to be the nine pada syllables inside it.
Not sure which pada? The pada follows from the Moon’s exact longitude, so it needs the time and place of birth — the baby name finder resolves it from a birth date, and the nakshatra finder gives the nakshatra and pada together.
Pushya Pada 1 — Names Beginning With Hu (हु)
Navamsa sign Leo · 1 boys' and 0 girls' names
One Sanskrit name, and no established girl's name. Hukum and Hulash, which the lists give, are Rajasthani words rather than Namkaran names, and Husain belongs to a different naming tradition.
Boys' names — 1
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hutashan | the eater of oblations — a name of Agni |
There is no established girl's name beginning with Hu in common use. The three traditional substitutes below apply.
Pushya Pada 2 — Names Beginning With He (हे)
Navamsa sign Virgo · 3 boys' and 4 girls' names
Boys' names — 3
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hemant | the early winter |
| Hemang | golden-limbed |
| Heramb | a name of Ganesha |
Girls' names — 4
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hema | gold |
| Hemlata | a golden creeper |
| Hemangi | golden-bodied |
| Hetal | friendly, in Gujarati |
Pushya Pada 3 — Names Beginning With Ho (हो)
Navamsa sign Libra · no established names begin with this syllable
No established name begins with हो. Homa, sometimes listed, is the fire rite itself and not a name; Hoshiyar is an adjective meaning alert.
Pushya Pada 4 — Names Beginning With Da (द)
Navamsa sign Scorpio · 5 boys' and 5 girls' names
Boys' names — 5
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Daksh | able, skilled — a Prajapati |
| Darshan | sight, vision |
| Damodar | bound with a rope at the waist — Krishna |
| Dayal | compassionate |
| Darpan | a mirror |
Girls' names — 5
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Daksha | skilled, capable |
| Damini | lightning |
| Darshana | vision, philosophy |
| Daya | compassion |
| Damayanti | the wife of Nala |
When a Pada Syllable Has No Name
The 108 syllables are produced by dividing the zodiac, not by asking what Sanskrit allows at the beginning of a word, so some of them land on sounds that begin few names or none — the retroflex stops ट, ठ, ड, ढ and ण begin almost no inherited Sanskrit word, and ङ and ञ cannot begin one at all. Where that happens the tradition does not improvise a name; it substitutes, and three substitutions are recognised:
- Another pada of the same nakshatra. The pada fixes the syllable, but the nakshatra as a whole is what the naming rite is built on, and using a sibling pada's syllable is the commonest accommodation.
- Any syllable of the same Moon sign. Each rashi covers either two and a quarter nakshatras or nine padas, so this widens the choice to roughly nine syllables.
- A name of the nakshatra's presiding deity, which sidesteps the syllable question altogether — Rudra for Ardra, Indra for Jyeshtha, Vishnu for Shravana.
For Pushya the third route gives names of Brihaspati, the presiding deity. All three are in ordinary use and none is considered a compromise — a pandit will usually offer the sibling pada first.
What Pushya Says About the Child
Widely regarded as the single most auspicious of the twenty-seven — the cow's udder, presided over by Brihaspati, ruled by Saturn. Pushya nourishes. These natives are the ones a family relies on, dutiful without being asked and generous without keeping count. Pushya Nakshatra days are still chosen for starting anything that matters, with the notable exception of marriage.
Lord Saturn · presiding deity Brihaspati · symbol Cow's udder · Deva gana. The full profile — padas, career indications, Kundli Milan values and remedies — is on the Pushya nakshatra page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the name letters for Pushya nakshatra?
How many names are there for Pushya nakshatra?
Do I have to use the Pushya syllable for my baby's name?
What if the Pushya pada syllable has no good names?
Which rashi does Pushya nakshatra belong to for naming?
Is the Pushya naming syllable the same in every regional tradition?
Not Sure Which Pada?
The pada is set by the Moon’s exact longitude at birth, so it takes the time and place as well as the date. A free kundli gives the nakshatra, the pada and the syllable together.
Baby Names by Nakshatra
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