Chandan as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Chandan

What is the meaning of the name Chandan ?

The baby name Chandan is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced IPA: /ˈtʃʌn.dən/; respelling: CHUN-dun (Hindi/Sanskrit often pronounced tʃən-dən).

Chandan is Sanskrit in Origin.

Chandan is an Indian given name derived from Sanskrit candana, meaning sandalwood, the sacred, fragrant wood used in ritual pastes and incense. The term passed into Prakrit and modern Indo-Aryan languages (Hindi, Bengali, Odia) as Chandan/Chandana. Predominantly masculine in northern India but sometimes unisex, it appears across Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist communities in India and Nepal, and also occurs as a surname in parts of eastern India.

Classical texts, from the Mahabharata to Kalidasa, use candana as a symbol of coolness, purity, and auspiciousness; these associations inform the name’s gentle, devotional undertone. Common variants and forms include Chandana (often feminine, also used in Kannada, Telugu, and Sinhala), Chandhan (South Indian spelling), Candan (scholarly transliteration), and the diminutive Chandu. Compound variants such as Chandanlal or Chandan Kumar occur in North India. The name thus conveys qualities of fragrance, serenity, and benevolence, much like sandalwood itself.