Kanya, the Maiden or Virgo, is the sixth sign and is ruled by Mercury. Its letters are P, Th (ठ) and N (ण); the Th and N sounds are retroflex and rarely begin a name, so this page is largely a list of P names.
The chart for Kanya is the first-letter chart that the name rashi calculator also uses. For Kanya, 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 Kanya 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 Kanya
| Letter | Devanagari | Boy names listed | Girl names listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | प | 43 | 36 |
| Th | ठ | 0 | 0 |
| N | ण | 0 | 0 |
Boy names for Kanya
Names starting with P (प)
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Palash | the flame-of-the-forest tree |
| Pallav | new leaf, sprout |
| Pankaj | lotus |
| Parag | pollen |
| Param | supreme |
| Paras | touchstone, the philosopher’s stone |
| Parikshit | the name of a king in the Mahabharata |
| Parimal | fragrance |
| Paritosh | deep satisfaction |
| Parshuram | Rama with the axe, an avatar of Vishnu |
| Parth | son of Pritha; a name of Arjuna |
| Pavan | wind |
| Pinak | the bow of Shiva |
| Pinaki | a name of Shiva, bearer of the Pinaka bow |
| Pitambar | clothed in yellow; a name of Vishnu and Krishna |
| Piyush | nectar |
| Prabhakar | the sun, maker of light |
| Prabhat | morning |
| Prabodh | awakening |
| Pradeep | lamp |
| Pradyumna | the name of Krishna’s son |
| Prahlad | the devotee of Vishnu in the Puranas |
| Prakash | light |
| Pramod | delight |
| Pranav | the sacred syllable Om |
| Pranay | love, affection |
| Prasad | grace, a blessed offering |
| Prashant | calm, tranquil |
| Pratap | valour, majesty |
| Pratik | symbol |
| Pravin | skilled |
| Prem | love |
| Pritam | beloved |
| Prithvi | earth |
| Pulkit | thrilled, joyful |
| Punit | pure |
| Purav | east |
| Purnendu | full moon |
| Puru | an ancient king of the Puru dynasty |
| Purushottam | best of men; a name of Vishnu and Rama |
| Pushkar | lotus; also a sacred lake |
| Pushpak | the mythical flying chariot |
| Pushpendra | lord of flowers |
Names starting with Th (ठ)
No widely used boy names are listed for this sound.
Names starting with N (ण)
No widely used boy names are listed for this sound.
Girl names for Kanya
Names starting with P (प)
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Padma | lotus |
| Padmini | lotus-like; a lotus pond |
| Pallavi | sprouting leaves; also the opening line of a song |
| Pankhuri | flower petal |
| Pari | fairy |
| Parul | the trumpet flower |
| Parvati | daughter of the mountain; the goddess |
| Pavani | purifying, pure |
| Pavitra | pure, sacred |
| Payal | anklet |
| Pihu | beloved; the call of the peacock |
| Piya | beloved |
| Ponni | golden (Tamil); also a name of the river Kaveri |
| Pooja | worship, prayer |
| Poonam | the night of the full moon |
| Prabha | light, radiance |
| Prachi | east |
| Pragati | progress |
| Prajakta | the night-flowering jasmine |
| Prakriti | nature |
| Pranati | bow, salutation |
| Prarthana | prayer |
| Pratibha | talent |
| Pratima | image, idol |
| Preeti | affection |
| Prerana | inspiration |
| Priya | beloved |
| Priyanka | dear |
| Pujita | worshipped, honoured |
| Punita | pure |
| Purnima | the night of the full moon |
| Purvi | eastern; also the name of a raga |
| Pushpa | flower |
| Pushpanjali | an offering of flowers |
| Pushpita | flowering, in bloom |
| Pushti | nourishment, well-being |
Names starting with Th (ठ)
No widely used girl names are listed for this sound.
Names starting with N (ण)
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 Kanya. Their syllables are in the table below.
| Nakshatra | Pada | Syllable |
|---|---|---|
| Uttara Phalguni | 2 | To (टो) |
| Uttara Phalguni | 3 | Pa (पा) |
| Uttara Phalguni | 4 | Pi (पी) |
| Hasta | 1 | Pu (पू) |
| Hasta | 2 | Sha (ष) |
| Hasta | 3 | Na (ण) |
| Hasta | 4 | Tha (ठ) |
| Chitra | 1 | Pe (पे) |
| Chitra | 2 | Po (पो) |
Of those 9 syllables, 7 begin with a letter that the chart also gives to Kanya (Pa, Pi, Pu, Na, Tha, Pe and Po), and 2 begin with a letter that the chart gives to another sign or does not list (To and Sha).
The nakshatras in Kanya are Uttara Phalguni, Hasta and Chitra. Uttara Phalguni and Chitra are only partly inside the sign, so only some of their padas belong to Kanya. Each page lists names for its four syllables, and the Moon sign is the one in the Virgo Moon sign article.
Choosing a name in Kanya
The Kanya list holds 43 boy names and 36 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 Kanya 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 Kanya, type it into the name rashi calculator, or browse by first letter on the letters index.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Which letters belong to Kanya rashi?
In the first-letter chart, Kanya takes P (प), Th (ठ) and N (ण). The Devanagari form decides the sign, so a letter that Kanya shares with another sign, as T, D, N and Th are shared, is settled by the sound.
↳ Is the Kanya name rashi the same as my birth rashi?
Not necessarily. A name placed in Kanya 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 Kanya?
These nakshatras have padas in Kanya: Uttara Phalguni, Hasta and Chitra. Their naming syllables are tabulated above.
↳ How many names are listed for Kanya?
This page lists 43 boy names and 36 girl names, each with its meaning. If a Kanya letter has no widely used name, the page says so instead of adding one.