Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Durga
“the unreachable”
Durga is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “one who is unattainable; in Hinduism, a wife of Shiva” (Hindi) and “the unreachable” (Hindi). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “one who is unattainable; in Hinduism, a wife of Shiva” (Hindi) and “the unreachable” (Hindi). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
From Sanskrit दुर्गा; its root is Proto-Indo-European *dus-.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2000. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Durga through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 68
- 0 boys · 68 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 9 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9 in 2006. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,788 as a first name in 2020; 393 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Durga’s family of names
Durga has a related form in Doorga. In Telugu usage, Durga is a transliteration of దుర్గ.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Durga
- Durga McBroomAmerican singer (born 1962)
- Durga Bai VyamIndian painterborn 1973
- Durga MallaIndian soldier (1913-1944)
- Durga Chew-BoseCanadian essayistborn 1986
- Durga Charan BanerjeeIndian politician1898–1958
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Durga, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Saura
“of the heavens”
>99% girls
Ajaya
Ajaya is used as a given name. One Hindi interpretation is “one who is invincible; having the power of a god.”
>99% girls
Vinaya
“one with discipline; good behavior”
>99% girls
Sandhya
“twilight”
>99% girls
Prerna
Prerna is a feminine given name from Sanskrit.
>99% girls
Nishita
Nishita is a feminine given name from Hindi, ultimately from Sanskrit.
>99% girls
Namrata
Namrata is a feminine given name from Hindi.
>99% girls
Ahalya
Ahalya is used as a given name. One Hindi interpretation is “in Hinduism, a woman who was turned to stone by her husband.”
>99% girls