Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Uma
“Mother”·“O do not”
In its Sanskrit naming tradition, Uma is closely associated with the Hindu goddess Parvati.
Original Sanskritउमा
Meaning & origin
What it means
The Sanskrit word uma is associated with flax or turmeric. “Mother” is another interpretation in Hindi naming use; the mythic explanation “O do not” belongs to a separate story about the goddess.
Where it comes from
Uma has a Sanskrit tradition with several explanations, including botanical word senses and a story about Parvati.
How it developed
A traditional story explains Uma through u ma, the words used by Parvati’s mother while urging her to stop her austerities. This is a mythological explanation, not the same derivation as the botanical word.
The story
Uma appears as a goddess in the Kena-Upanishad and is identified with Vac, the personification of speech. In the epics and Puranas, the name is especially associated with Parvati, Shiva’s wife.
Uma through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,901
- 0 boys · 1,901 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 81 babies
- 2025
- 55
- #3,025 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −5%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 55 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,025 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 5.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 81 in 2006. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,889 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Uma’s family of names
Uma has a related form in Umma. Uma has a related form in Umah. In English usage, Uma was borrowed from उमा.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Uma
- Uma ThurmanAmerican actress and model (born 1970)
- Kamini KaushalIndian actress1927–2025
- Uma BhartiIndian politicianborn 1959
- Uma AaltonenFinnish author, journalist, and Green League politician (1940-2009)
- Uma NehruIndian politician1884–1963
- Uma AnandIndian journalist and actress1923–2009
- Uma NarayanAmerican feministborn 1958
- Uma Rama Raodancer and choreographer (1938–2016)
- Uma SarenIndian politicianborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Uma, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Meena
Meena is used as a given name and a surname. One Hindi interpretation is “resembling a fish; in Hinduism, the daughter of the goddess Usha.”
>99% girls
Aditi
Aditi is used as a given name. One Hindi interpretation is “unbound; limitless; in Hinduism, the goddess of consciousness, the sky, and fertility.”
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Lakshmi
Lakshmi is used as a given name. One Hindi interpretation is “a good omen; in Hinduism, the goddess of wealth, light, and beauty.”
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Sati
Sati is used as a given name and a surname. One Hindi interpretation is “one who speaks the truth; in Hinduism, a goddess.”
>99% girls
Annapurna
“in Hinduism, the goddess of plenty”
>99% girls
Radha
Radha carries several Sanskrit naming contexts, including the central figure of a major devotional poem.
>99% girls
Diti
“in Hinduism, an earth goddess”
>99% girls
Padma
Padma is used as a given name. One Hindi interpretation is “resembling the lotus flower; in Hinduism, another name for the goddess Lakshmi.”
>99% girls