Nishtha (निष्ठा, IAST: Niṣṭhā) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu boy-name meaning “The supreme foundation, unwavering steadfastness”. From the prefix ni (completely, absolutely) and the root sthā (to stand, to be firm), Niṣṭhā means the ultimate ground of steadfastness, the point in which all things rest — naming Vishnu as the absolute foundation upon which all existence stands without wavering.

Meaning, etymology & significance

Niṣṭhā carries the dual sense of being both the quality of firm devotion in the devotee and the ultimate support or resting-ground that makes such steadfastness possible — thus Vishnu is both the object and the very power of all faithful commitment. In Vedāntic thought, Brahman is the adhiṣṭhāna — the substratum of the world — and Niṣṭhā conveys this quality in a way accessible to devotional understanding. Bearing this name as a boy's name is an aspiration toward unshakeable faith.

Niṣṭhā appears in the feminine grammatical form in the Vishnu Sahasranāma (hence the dative niṣṭhāyai), which reflects Sanskrit's grammatical gender rather than biological gender — the quality of steadfastness is grammatically feminine in Sanskrit. It is occasionally used for boys as a given name in Vaishnava communities. Pronounced nish-thaa.

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Scriptural source

Nishtha appears in the Vishnu Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Vishnu.

Astrology — nakshatra, rashi & numerology

By the standard Vedic correspondence between a name’s first syllable and the lunar mansion, Nishtha aligns with the Anuradha nakshatra, under the Vrischika rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 6.