Ravi

Ravi is a Sanskrit word and name meaning “sun,” also used in Hindi and other South Asian naming traditions. It can function as a name or epithet of the sun deity, giving it a religious history as well as a direct natural meaning. The solar connection is central and does not need the additional translation “conferring” sometimes attached to it.

Sitar musician Ravi Shankar made the name familiar to audiences well beyond South Asia. The short form is complete in itself, rather than necessarily being a nickname for a longer name. Its simple Latin-letter spelling can travel easily between languages, although the exact sounds follow the speaker’s language and should not be assumed identical everywhere.