Kartikeya
/K-AA-R-T-IH-K-EY-Y-AH/
Son of the Krittikas, the six-headed war god born from Shiva's fire — Kartikeya is Shiva's son, commander of the divine armies, raised by the six Krittika star-mothers and given a head for each. In South India as Murugan he is the most beloved deity
Get Kartikeya's full report — nakshatra, rashi & a portrait — freeQuick — what every Hindu parent asks about Kartikeya:
How well does Kartikeya fit your family?
This page tells you what Kartikeya means. The app tells you whether it's right for your baby — scored against your family & your heritage, and your baby's birth details.
Unlock Kartikeya's score — free
Six signals — scored for your family & heritage, not in the abstract:
Meaning & origin
Yes — Kartikeya is a Hindu boy name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “Son of the Krittikas, the six-headed war god born from Shiva's fire — Kartikeya is Shiva's son, commander of the divine armies, raised by the six Krittika star-mothers and given a head for each. In South India as Murugan he is the most beloved deity”.
Kartikeya is a boy's name of Sanskrit origin, traditionally used in Hindu families. The name means "Son of the Krittikas, the six-headed war god born from Shiva's fire — Kartikeya is Shiva's son, commander of the divine armies, raised by the six Krittika star-mothers and given a head for each. In South India as Murugan he is the most beloved deity" and belongs to the Divine cluster — names rooted in sacred meaning and spiritual tradition.
Common among Indian, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi families, Kartikeya carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.
Kartikeya's nakshatra & rashi
In Hindu tradition, a baby's name is chosen to harmonise with their nakshatra (birth star) and rashi (moon sign) — most often through an auspicious first syllable. Kartikeya opens with “Ka”. Whether that's auspicious for your baby depends on their exact date, time and place of birth.
NameRoot works it out for you. Enter your baby's birth details and see exactly which nakshatra and rashi Kartikeya aligns with — and how strongly it scores.
See Kartikeya's nakshatra reading →What does Kartikeya's numerology say?
Numerology assigns each name a single-digit destiny number by summing its letter values. Different schools use different mappings — NameRoot computes both so you can see how Kartikeya resonates in either tradition.
Kartikeya's destiny number is 11 — but a number only matters in context. The app matches it to your family's own numbers for a real compatibility read. See Kartikeya's full reading →
Does Kartikeya go with your family's names?
Kartikeya breaks into 9 sounds: /K-AA-R-T-IH-K-EY-Y-AH/. The real test isn't how it sounds alone — it's how it sounds beside the names already in your family: yours, your partner's, and any brothers or sisters. NameRoot scores that harmony, so Kartikeya sits naturally next to a Mum and Dad like Michael & Anna, or a big sister named Gianna — no awkward clashes, no two names that blur together. Hear Kartikeya beside your family's names →
Nicknames
Common affectionate forms of Kartikeya — useful for everyday family conversation, early childhood, or as standalone given names themselves.
Names similar to Kartikeya
If Kartikeya resonates with you, these names live in the same world — drawn from the same tradition, sharing the same meaning, or echoing a similar sound.
From the same tradition
Other Hindu boy names, common in Indian families
Sharing the same meaning
Other Hindu boy names from the Divine cluster
Names that sound similar
Hindu boy names that open with the same syllables as Kartikeya
Explore more names
Keep exploring names like Kartikeya — by tradition, by meaning, or by first letter.
Common questions about Kartikeya
What does the name Kartikeya mean?
Kartikeya means "Son of the Krittikas, the six-headed war god born from Shiva's fire — Kartikeya is Shiva's son, commander of the divine armies, raised by the six Krittika star-mothers and given a head for each. In South India as Murugan he is the most beloved deity." It is a boy name of Sanskrit origin, traditionally used in Hindu families.
Is Kartikeya a boy or girl name?
Kartikeya is most commonly used as a boy name.
What is the origin of the name Kartikeya?
Kartikeya is of Sanskrit origin, used in Hindu tradition, commonly among Indian, Marathi, Bengali families.
Is Kartikeya a Hindu name?
Yes. Kartikeya is a boy name traditionally used in Hindu families, of Sanskrit origin.
What does Kartikeya mean in Sanskrit?
Kartikeya originates from Sanskrit, where it means "Son of the Krittikas, the six-headed war god born from Shiva's fire — Kartikeya is Shiva's son, commander of the divine armies, raised by the six Krittika star-mothers and given a head for each. In South India as Murugan he is the most beloved deity."
What are common nicknames for Kartikeya?
Common short forms of Kartikeya include Kari, Kart.
What is the numerology of Kartikeya?
Kartikeya has a Pythagorean destiny number of 11 — intuition and inspired leadership (master number).
What is Kartikeya's rashi and nakshatra?
By its first syllable "Ka", Kartikeya falls under the Mrigashira nakshatra and Mithuna (Gemini) rashi — its naam-rashi, or name-based moon sign. (A baby's birth nakshatra comes from their date and time of birth; NameRoot matches the two.)
See how Kartikeya scores for your family
NameRoot is the only baby-name app that scores every name across 6 signals against your specific family context. Download free — Kartikeya is waiting.
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