Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Anjali

Meaning — From the Sanskrit anjali, the word for the gesture of joining both hands together in offering or salutation — from añj meaning "to anoint, to honor". The anjali mudra (hands pressed together at the chest) is the fundamental gesture of respect, prayer, and greeting across Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions, making this name an embodiment of devotion and reverence.·Sanskrit origin·Female·AHN-jah-lee

Anjali Anjali carries the sacred gesture of the anjali at its core — a name that literally means an act of devotion, making its bearer someone whose identity is expressed through giving rather than taking. In Sanskrit devotional poetry the anjali represents the soul's orientation toward the divine, but in everyday South Asian culture it captures the ethic of hospitality and honor that structures social life. It suits characters whose natural mode is generous offering, who create community through acts of recognition and welcome.

Best genres for Anjali

Literary FictionHistorical FictionRomanceFantasy

Famous characters named Anjali

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Variations & nicknames

AnjaliAnjalyAnjlee

Pairs well with

Anjali CraneAnjali VossAnjali MercerAnjali AshfordAnjali WhitmoreAnjali Langford

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Related names


More Sanskrit names

Kartik

Derived from Sanskrit, meaning "son of the Pleiades" — a reference to the war god Kartikeya (also called Murugan or Skanda), who was raised by the six Krittikas (Pleiades). The name is also associated with the Hindu lunar month Kartika, a sacred period of light and devotion.

Priya

Derived from Sanskrit "priya" meaning "beloved", "dear", or "one who is loved". The word is used in Sanskrit poetry and devotional literature to address a cherished person, and is one of the most widespread feminine names across South Asia.

Lakshmi

Derived from Sanskrit "lakshana" meaning "mark", "sign", or "auspicious omen". Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune, beauty, and prosperity — the consort of Vishnu and the embodiment of divine grace and abundance.

Ashok

Derived from Sanskrit "a" (without) and "shoka" (grief or sorrow), meaning "one who is without sorrow" or "he who destroys sorrow". The name is immortalised by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great, who renounced violence after the Kalinga War and spread Buddhism across Asia.

Sita

Derived from Sanskrit meaning "furrow" — Sita was found in a furrow of ploughed earth by King Janaka, and her name evokes the earth's fertility and nurturing power. In Hindu tradition she is an avatar of Lakshmi and the noble consort of Rama in the Ramayana.

Rani

From Sanskrit "rajni" meaning "queen" or "she who rules". It is the feminine equivalent of "Raja" (king) and is used both as a name and a title throughout South Asia. The name carries associations of regal bearing and authority.


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