Hari
Hari (हरि) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “A name of Vishnu; one who removes sorrow”. Find pronunciation, origin, deity association, popularity and similar Hindu baby names.
Hari (हरि) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “A name of Vishnu; one who removes sorrow”. Find pronunciation, origin, deity association, popularity and similar Hindu baby names.
Hari (हरि, IAST: hari) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “A name of Vishnu; one who removes sorrow”. Among the thousand names of Vishnu — “the remover” of sin, sorrow and the cycle of rebirth.
Meaning, etymology & significance
Hari (हरि) is one of the most central names of Lord Vishnu. The Sanskrit root hṛ means “to take away” — and Vishnu as Hari is the one who takes away the sorrows, sins and bondage of his devotees. The Vishnu Sahasranama lists Hari among the principal thousand names; Krishna himself is invoked as Hari throughout the Bhagavad Gita.
Although Hari is more commonly a boys-name in modern India, it has a quiet history of feminine usage in older Vaishnava families — typically as a short form of names like Haripriya (Vishnu’s beloved, Lakshmi) or Harini (the doe).
For a baby girl named Hari, the name is at once devotional and unusually crisp. It pairs beautifully with longer family names so the brevity stays prominent.
Pronunciation: HU-ri (with the soft “a” of “up”). The longer Harini, Haripriya and Harshini are kindred girls-names that share the same root.
Astrology — nakshatra & rashi
By the standard Vedic correspondence between the first syllable of a name and the lunar mansion (nakshatra), Hari aligns with the Punarvasu nakshatra, under the Mithuna rashi (Moon sign).
Similar names
Hindu names with a similar feel or meaning include: Harini, Haripriya, Harshini. Each is a distinct choice with its own etymology — explore them on their own pages for fuller context.