Sakunthala as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Sakunthala

What is the meaning of the name Sakunthala ?

The baby name Sakunthala is a Female name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced sa-KOON-tha-la; IPA: /səˈkʊn.t̪ə.lə/.

Sakunthala is Sanskrit in Origin.

Sakunthala is a South Indian and Sinhalese transliteration of Sanskrit Śakuntalā, a feminine name from śakunta “bird,” traditionally glossed as “protected by birds” after the Mahābhārata tale in which the infant is guarded by birds and adopted by the sage Kanva. The standardized modern form is Shakuntala; other spellings include Sakuntala, Shakunthala, and the diacritic Śakuntalā. Diminutives such as Saku or Shaku appear in contemporary use.

The name belongs to one of Indian literature’s most celebrated heroines: Śakuntalā, lover of King Duṣyanta and mother of Bharata, whose story is retold in Kālidāsa’s Abhijñānaśākuntalam (4th–5th c. CE), spreading her fame across Asia and later Europe through translations. As a given name, Sakunthala/Shakuntala saw wide adoption in the 20th century in India and Sri Lanka, supported by cultural prestige, overtones of grace and nature, and bearers like Shakuntala Devi. Today it remains traditional yet classic.