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Nanda

“Joy, delight, also the Buddha's half-brother”

2 syllables · 5 letters

About the name Nanda

Nanda belonged both to the Buddha's half-brother, who was ordained rather reluctantly, and to a nun of the same name renowned for her beauty and eventual insight. The word means joy and appears constantly in Hindu naming too, where Nand Baba is Krishna's foster father in the Vrindavan stories.

Nanda is a boy name of Pali origin, pronounced NUN-dah. On the NameRarity scale it scores 89 out of 100, which places it in the very rare band — a genuinely uncommon pick — most people have never met anyone with this name. Its strongest period was the classical era.

Associated with
gladeasyaffectionatelight

Name facts at a glance

Meaning
Joy, delight, also the Buddha's half-brother
Origin
Pali
Gender
Boy
Pronunciation
NUN-dah
Syllables
2
Letters
5
US rank
Outside top 1000
Peak era
classical era
Rarity
89 / 100
Per million
~2.8
Starts with
N
Numerology
7 · The Seeker

How popular is Nanda?

Popularity11/100
Rarity89/100

Nanda currently falls outside the US top 1,000, which is a large part of why it scores so highly for rarity. Roughly 2.8 people per million carry it — about 1 in 357,143. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.

Famous people named Nanda

  • Nanda Karunaratne
    Sri Lankan cricketer

Spellings and variants of Nanda

NandaaNandNandini

Names similar to Nanda

Very Rare

Ananda

ah-NAHN-dah

Bliss, joy, also the Buddha's cousin and personal attendant

Pali81% rare
Ultra Rare

Manda

MUN-dah

Gentle, unhurried; short for Mandakini, the celestial Ganga

Marathi95% rare
Ultra Rare

Rahula

RAH-hoo-lah

Fetter, the name the Buddha gave his only son

Pali96% rare
Very Rare

Ahaan

uh-HAHN

Dawn, the break of day; also unstoppable

Sanskrit76% rare
Uncommon

Bodhi

BOH-dee

Awakening, enlightenment, the tree under which the Buddha awoke

Pali42% rare
Ultra Rare

Nikunj

nih-KOONJ

A leafy bower, a grove where Krishna plays

Sanskrit93% rare
Ultra Rare

Nivaan

nih-VAAN

Holy, one who is free of bonds

Sanskrit91% rare
Ultra Rare

Norbu

NOR-boo

Jewel, the wish-fulfilling gem of Buddhist iconography

Tibetan93% rare
Browse all 1,284 names →

Nanda — frequently asked questions

What does the name Nanda mean?

Nanda means "Joy, delight, also the Buddha's half-brother". It is a name of Pali origin, most often given to a boy.

How do you pronounce Nanda?

Nanda is pronounced NUN-dah, with 2 syllables.

How rare is the name Nanda?

Nanda scores 89 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it very rare. Roughly 1 in every 357,143 people carry it — about 2.8 per million.

What is the numerology number for Nanda?

Nanda carries the expression number 7, known as The Seeker. Its soul urge number is 2 and its personality number is 5.

What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Nanda?

The lucky number for Nanda is 7 (with 16, 25, 34 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Deep Violet. The traditional lucky day is Monday and the associated gemstone is Sapphire.