Dhanu, the Archer or Sagittarius, is the ninth sign and is ruled by Jupiter. The chart gives it four sounds, Bh, Ph, Dh (ध) and Dh (ढ), so the names here begin with the aspirated sounds of the labial and dental groups.
The chart for Dhanu is the first-letter chart that the name rashi calculator also uses. For Dhanu, as for every sign, it files a name by its first sound alone, without asking when the child was born, which is why many families use it as a quick guide. The Dhanu letters are shown below with their Devanagari forms, because sounds that English cannot tell apart, such as the dental and retroflex T, sit in different signs.
The letters for Dhanu
| Letter | Devanagari | Boy names listed | Girl names listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bh | भ | 29 | 18 |
| Ph | फ | 4 | 1 |
| Dh | ध | 9 | 7 |
| Dh | ढ | 0 | 0 |
Boy names for Dhanu
Names starting with Bh (भ)
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bhagirath | the king who brought the Ganga to earth |
| Bhagyesh | lord of fortune |
| Bhairav | a fierce form of Shiva |
| Bhanu | the sun |
| Bhanuprakash | light of the sun |
| Bharadwaj | name of a revered sage |
| Bharat | name of an ancient king, from whom Bharata takes its name |
| Bhargav | descendant of Sage Bhrigu |
| Bhaskar | maker of light, the sun |
| Bhavesh | lord of existence, Shiva |
| Bhavik | devout, sincere |
| Bhavya | grand, splendid |
| Bhima | mighty, one of the five Pandavas |
| Bhimashankar | a form of Shiva worshipped at Bhimashankar |
| Bhimrao | mighty lord |
| Bhimsen | one with a mighty army, a name of Bhima |
| Bhishma | formidable, the grand sire of the Mahabharata |
| Bhoj | a famous king of Malwa |
| Bhola | innocent, simple, a name of Shiva |
| Bholenath | the innocent lord, a name of Shiva |
| Bhudev | god of the earth |
| Bhupal | protector of the earth, a king |
| Bhupati | lord of the earth |
| Bhupen | lord of the earth |
| Bhupendra | king of kings, lord of the earth |
| Bhupesh | lord of the earth |
| Bhushan | ornament, jewel |
| Bhuvan | the world |
| Bhuvanesh | lord of the world |
Names starting with Ph (फ)
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Falgun | born in the month of Phalguna, a name of Arjuna |
| Phaneesh | lord of serpents |
| Phani | serpent |
| Phanindra | lord of serpents |
Names starting with Dh (ध)
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dhananjay | conqueror of wealth, a name of Arjuna |
| Dhanesh | lord of wealth, a name of Kubera |
| Dhanraj | king of wealth |
| Dhanush | a bow |
| Dhanvant | wealthy |
| Dharam | righteousness, duty |
| Dharmendra | lord of dharma |
| Dharmesh | lord of dharma |
| Dhaval | white, pure |
Names starting with Dh (ढ)
No widely used boy names are listed for this sound.
Girl names for Dhanu
Names starting with Bh (भ)
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bhadra | auspicious |
| Bhagirathi | the Ganga, as brought down by Bhagirath |
| Bhagyashree | goddess of fortune |
| Bhairavi | a form of Durga, also the name of a raga |
| Bhakti | devotion |
| Bhanumati | radiant like the sun |
| Bhanupriya | dear to the sun |
| Bharati | a name of Saraswati, goddess of speech |
| Bhargavi | a name of Lakshmi and Parvati |
| Bhavani | a name of Parvati |
| Bhavika | devout, sincere |
| Bhavna | feeling, sentiment |
| Bhavya | grand, splendid |
| Bhumi | the earth |
| Bhumija | born of the earth, a name of Sita |
| Bhumika | the earth, also a role |
| Bhuvaneshwari | goddess of the world, a name of Devi |
| Bhuvi | the earth |
Names starting with Ph (फ)
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Falguni | born in the month of Phalguna |
Names starting with Dh (ध)
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dhanalakshmi | Lakshmi as goddess of wealth |
| Dhanashree | goddess of wealth, also the name of a raga |
| Dhanya | blessed, fortunate |
| Dhara | stream, flow, the earth |
| Dharini | the earth, one who bears |
| Dharitri | the earth |
| Dhatri | nurse, the earth |
Names starting with Dh (ढ)
No widely used girl names are listed for this sound.
How the chart differs from the nakshatra syllables
The classical rule does not use this chart. It reads the first sound from the pada the Moon occupied at birth, and 9 padas fall in Dhanu. Their syllables are in the table below.
| Nakshatra | Pada | Syllable |
|---|---|---|
| Moola | 1 | Ye (ये) |
| Moola | 2 | Yo (यो) |
| Moola | 3 | Bha (भा) |
| Moola | 4 | Bhi (भी) |
| Purva Ashadha | 1 | Bhu (भू) |
| Purva Ashadha | 2 | Dha (धा) |
| Purva Ashadha | 3 | Pha (फा) |
| Purva Ashadha | 4 | Dha (ढा) |
| Uttara Ashadha | 1 | Bhe (भे) |
Of those 9 syllables, 7 begin with a letter that the chart also gives to Dhanu (Bha, Bhi, Bhu, Dha, Pha, Dha and Bhe), and 2 begin with a letter that the chart gives to another sign or does not list (Ye and Yo).
The nakshatras in Dhanu are Moola, Purva Ashadha and Uttara Ashadha. Uttara Ashadha is only partly inside the sign, so only some of its padas belong to Dhanu. Each page lists names for its four syllables, and the Moon sign is the one in the Sagittarius Moon sign article.
Choosing a name in Dhanu
The Dhanu list holds 42 boy names and 26 girl names, drawn from the same collection as the baby names hub and the name finder. If your family follows the nakshatra syllables instead of the Dhanu chart, the two rules can give different letters for the same child, and neither is wrong; follow your own family custom. To check whether your own name falls in Dhanu, type it into the name rashi calculator, or browse by first letter on the letters index.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Which letters belong to Dhanu rashi?
In the first-letter chart, Dhanu takes Bh (भ), Ph (फ), Dh (ध) and Dh (ढ). The Devanagari form decides the sign, so a letter that Dhanu shares with another sign, as T, D, N and Th are shared, is settled by the sound.
↳ Is the Dhanu name rashi the same as my birth rashi?
Not necessarily. A name placed in Dhanu by its first letter is the naam rashi, whereas the birth rashi is the sign the Moon was in when the child was born, and chart reading uses the birth rashi.
↳ Which nakshatras fall in Dhanu?
These nakshatras have padas in Dhanu: Moola, Purva Ashadha and Uttara Ashadha. Their naming syllables are tabulated above.
↳ How many names are listed for Dhanu?
This page lists 42 boy names and 26 girl names, each with its meaning. If a Dhanu letter has no widely used name, the page says so instead of adding one.