Nilakanta as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Nilakanta

What is the meaning of the name Nilakanta ?

The baby name Nilakanta is a Male name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced IPA: /niːləkəntə/; phonetic: NEE-luh-KUN-tuh.

Nilakanta is Sanskrit in Origin.

Nilakanta is a Sanskrit theonym and given name formed from nila "blue" and kantha "throat," literally "blue-throated." It is an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva, recalling the myth of the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthana), in which he drank the deadly poison Halahala, turning his throat blue while saving creation.

As a personal name, it appears across South Asia, especially in Shaivite communities, from classical times into the present. Notable bearers include the Kerala mathematician-astronomer Nilakantha Somayaji (c. 1444-1544) and the Tamil scholar Nilakantha Dikshita (17th century). Common variants and transliterations are Nilakantha, Nilakanta, Neelakanta, Neelakantha, Nilkanth/Neelkanth, and Neelakant; the feminine or devotional forms Nilakanthi/Neelakanthi and Nilakanta Devi also occur regionally. The name signals devotion to Shiva and conveys protective, self-sacrificial connotations; modern diminutives include Neel.

⚙ Nilakanta is an uncommon pick. Our records hold just 18 recorded uses, spread over 5 countries.