Maitri

/M-AA-IY-T-R-IY/

Girl Buddhist Sanskrit origin IndianNepali

Loving-kindness, benevolent friendliness, from the Sanskrit maitri, the wish that all beings be happy. The first of the four Buddhist immeasurables, maitri (Pali metta) is cultivated in meditation as boundless goodwill, so the name carries one of the warmest ideals of the contemplative traditions.

See Maitri scored for your family

Meaning & origin

Maitri is a girl's name of Sanskrit origin, traditionally used in Buddhist families. The name means "Loving-kindness, benevolent friendliness, from the Sanskrit maitri, the wish that all beings be happy. The first of the four Buddhist immeasurables, maitri (Pali metta) is cultivated in meditation as boundless goodwill, so the name carries one of the warmest ideals of the contemplative traditions." and belongs to the Love cluster — names for children loved deeply before they arrive.

Common among Indian, Nepali, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayali families, Maitri carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.

Numerology of Maitri

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 Maitri resonates in either tradition.

Pythagorean
7
introspection and spiritual wisdom
Chaldean
4
stability and disciplined work

How Maitri sounds

NameRoot scores the phonetic fit of every name against the sound of your last name. The pronunciation of Maitri breaks down into 6 phonemes: /M-AA-IY-T-R-IY/. In the app, you'll see how those sounds flow with your family name across rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters.

Nicknames

Common affectionate forms of Maitri — useful for everyday family conversation, early childhood, or as standalone given names themselves.

MaitiMaitru

The six signals, applied to Maitri

NameRoot scores every name across six independent dimensions. Here's how Maitri maps to each — install the app to see the full compatibility score for your specific family.

01 — Birth Star
Nakshatra match
Enter your baby's birth date in the app and we'll compute the nakshatra compatibility score.
02 — Numerology
Destiny alignment
Pythagorean and Chaldean life-path calculations (destiny 7) matched against your family's own numerology profile.
03 — Phonetics
Last-name fit
Rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters measured with IPA to see how Maitri flows with your family name.
04 — Meaning
Love
Maitri belongs to the Love cluster — names for children loved deeply before they arrive.
05 — Cultural & Tradition
Buddhist
As a Buddhist name, Maitri carries religious and cultural weight scored against your family's heritage — plus grandparent-name matches, saint's-day alignment, and generational naming patterns scored against your family tree.
06 — Uniqueness
Popularity balance
How common Maitri is today versus historically — finding the sweet spot between familiar and forgotten.

Names similar to Maitri

If Maitri 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 Buddhist girl names, common in Indian families

Priya
Beloved, dear one, she who is cherished above all — Priya is among the most tender words in Sanskrit, used in scripture and poetry to address the one held closest to the heart. It carries the warmth of a whispered endearment, simple and unadorned yet infinitely deep in its affection
Maya
Illusion, the enchanting veil that makes the world appear as solid when it is actually fluid — Maya is the great philosophical concept of Indian thought, the creative power that projects the universe like a dream upon the screen of consciousness. As a name it crosses Hindu, Buddhist, Greek, and Hebrew traditions, carrying layers of meaning: illusion, water, mother, and the intoxicating beauty of a world that may not be what it seems
Tara
A star, a fixed point of celestial light in the vast dark sky — Tara is both a Hindu and Buddhist name of deep antiquity
Kamala
The lotus flower, rising immaculate from murky waters — Kamala is among the most ancient names for Lakshmi, who stands upon a fully opened lotus in every depiction

Sharing the same meaning

Other Buddhist girl names from the Love cluster

Yua
Bound by love, tied with affection — combining yu (tie, bind, connect) with a (love, affection). A tender name expressing the unbreakable bond between parent and child, the love that connects family across generations.
Drolma
The liberator, from Tibetan sgrol ma, where sgrol means to liberate. It is the Tibetan name for Tara, the most beloved female deity of Tibetan Buddhism, the embodiment of compassionate action and the swift one who comes to free beings from suffering, cherished across every Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Dolma
Tara, the savior — Dolma is an alternate transliteration of Drolma, the Tibetan name for Tara. The two spellings are interchangeable, with "Dolma" being more common in some Tibetan refugee communities and "Drolma" in others. Both refer to the most beloved female bodhisattva in Tibetan Buddhism.

Names that sound similar

Buddhist girl names that open with the same syllables as Maitri

Mali
Jasmine — Mali (Thai มลิ, from Sanskrit mallikā 'jasmine') is the Thai word for jasmine — Thailand's national symbol of motherly love. Each year on Mother's Day (August 12, Queen Sirikit's birthday), Thai children present jasmine garlands to their mothers. A foundational Thai feminine name.
Manyu
Graceful jade, from Mandarin man 'graceful, supple, prolonged' and yu 'jade.' Jade is the most treasured of stones in Chinese culture, an emblem of purity, virtue, and beauty, so the name evokes lithe, lasting grace allied to the moral and aesthetic refinement that jade has long symbolised.
Mala
Garland, prayer beads, the flower necklace — from Sanskrit mālā, the strand of flowers given to a deity in worship and the 108-bead string used for mantra repetition. Mala names a daughter as the household's living garland, both an ornament and an instrument of devotional practice.

Common questions about Maitri

What does the name Maitri mean?

Maitri means "Loving-kindness, benevolent friendliness, from the Sanskrit maitri, the wish that all beings be happy. The first of the four Buddhist immeasurables, maitri (Pali metta) is cultivated in meditation as boundless goodwill, so the name carries one of the warmest ideals of the contemplative traditions.." It is a girl name of Sanskrit origin, traditionally used in Buddhist families.

Is Maitri a boy or girl name?

Maitri is most commonly used as a girl name.

What is the origin of the name Maitri?

Maitri is of Sanskrit origin, used in Buddhist tradition, commonly among Indian, Nepali, Marathi families.

What are common nicknames for Maitri?

Common short forms of Maitri include Maiti, Maitru.

What is the numerology of Maitri?

Maitri has a Pythagorean destiny number of 7 — introspection and spiritual wisdom.

See how Maitri scores for your family

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