OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Tamil Name Generator
Pure Tamil and Modern Names, With Initials in Tamil Style
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How the Tamil Name Generator works
This Tamil name generator gives names from Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and the Tamil diaspora, including pure Tamil names with no Sanskrit roots, such as Kayal and Senthil, and popular modern names. Results use the Tamil custom of a father's initial in place of a surname.
How the Tamil name generator formats names
Most Tamils do not use a family surname. Instead, a person is known by their own name with their father's initial before it, so S. Karthik is Karthik, son of Subramaniam. On forms that demand a surname, the father's full name is often written as the last name, which is why many Tamils abroad appear as Karthik Subramaniam. The generator gives both forms. Caste surnames were dropped by most Tamils in the twentieth century under the Self-Respect Movement.
Pure Tamil names
Pure Tamil names, thanith thamizh peyar, come from Tamil roots rather than Sanskrit. Many describe nature: Kayal is a fish, Thamarai a lotus, Nila the moon, Thendral the southern breeze and Mugil a cloud. Others come from Tamil kings and poets, such as Cheran and Ilango. Choose the pure Tamil option for these, or Female and Male for the mixed names most common on today's class lists.
More South Asian names
For names from across India, try the Indian name generator, and for Bengal, the Bengali name generator.
FAQ
Do Tamils have surnames?
Traditionally no. Tamils use a father's name or initial with their given name, and women often switch to a husband's initial after marriage. Abroad, the father's name is usually used as a surname on official documents.
What is a pure Tamil name?
A pure Tamil name is one built from Tamil words rather than Sanskrit, such as Ilakkiya, meaning literature, or Vetri, meaning victory. They became popular through the Tamil revival movements of the twentieth century.
Can I use these as Sri Lankan Tamil names?
Yes. Sri Lankan Tamils share most first names and the same father's-name system, though spellings can differ slightly, and families abroad often use the father's name as a surname, as in Kumaran Ratnam.
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