Most of us grow up around names like Ram, Sita, Arjun and Krishna, names so woven into everyday life that they barely even register as mythological anymore. But both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are absolutely packed with characters whose names rarely make it onto modern baby name lists, even though they carry just as much meaning, history, and quiet poetry. If you’re hoping to give your child a name with real epic roots, but don’t want them sharing it with three other kids in the same classroom, here are some genuinely rare names worth considering, straight from these two great Indian epics.
Her name means “wave,” which evokes a gentle, flowing kind of strength rather than anything loud or dramatic. Picture a girl named Urmila carrying that quiet weight of someone who gives selflessly without ever needing recognition for it, a beautifully understated choice if you’re drawn to the lesser-told parts of the epic. Her name beautifully combines “shruta,” meaning that which is heard or learned, with “kirti,” meaning fame or glory, together suggesting someone whose reputation is built on wisdom rather than conquest. Her name means “one with a beautifully decorated arm,” or alludes to a radiant presence in battle, striking a nice balance between elegance and strength.
Urmila was Sita’s younger sister and Lakshmana’s wife in the Ramayana, someone whose own sacrifice, staying behind while her husband went off into exile with Rama and Sita, rarely gets the attention it deserves. Shatrughna was the youngest of King Dasharatha’s four sons, twin brother to Lakshmana, and his name literally translates to “destroyer of enemies. Ram, Lakshman, even Bharat tend to get far more of the spotlight, but Shatrughna quietly played his own important role in Ayodhya’s story all the same. It’s a bold, powerful name that’s genuinely rare these days, giving a boy a strong mythological identity without borrowing the familiarity of his more famous brothers’ names. Mandavi was Bharat’s wife in the Ramayana, one of four royal sisters, alongside Sita, Urmila, and Shrutakirti, who married into King Dasharatha’s family. Her name’s believed to relate to prosperity and good fortune, though she remains one of the epic’s quietest, least-talked-about figures. Choosing Mandavi gives a daughter a genuinely rare name with real royal lineage behind it, without leaning on any of the epic’s more commonly used character names. Angada was Vali’s son and a key warrior in Rama’s army during the war against Ravana, known for his courage and the pivotal role he played in the search for Sita. His name is thought to relate to an ornament worn on the arm, symbolising strength and valour. It’s strong and distinctive without being hard to pronounce, a good fit if you want something rooted firmly in the Ramayana’s more adventurous chapters. Shrutakirti was another of the four princesses married into Dasharatha’s family, becoming Shatrughna’s wife in the Ramayana. It’s a longer, more elaborate name, but one with real depth if you want something that doubles as an aspiration for your daughter. Chitrangada was a warrior princess of Manipur who married Arjuna and became the mother of Babruvahana, notable for being trained in warfare herself rather than existing purely as a royal consort. It’s a name that reflects a woman who earned respect in her own right within the epic, not just through who she was married to. Iravan, sometimes spelt Aravan, was Arjuna’s son with the serpent princess Ulupi in the Mahabharata, a figure who plays a significant, though often overlooked, role ahead of the Kurukshetra war. If you want a name tied to a specific, lesser-known regional thread of the epic, Iravan offers genuine distinctiveness. Taraka tends to be remembered as a fearsome figure, but her name itself actually relates to stars and the celestial sky, taking on a very different feel once separated from her role as an antagonist in the Ramayana. Used thoughtfully, Taraka can be reclaimed as a name meaning something bright, star-like, and far-reaching, a good reminder that names from these epics often carry more layered meaning than their most famous associations suggest.
His name carries serpent-related associations given his maternal lineage, and his story still holds real cultural significance in parts of South India, where he’s actively worshipped today.
