sundar

Sundar is a masculine given name of Indian origin. It derives from the Sanskrit word sundara, meaning beautiful, fair, or handsome. In many Indian languages the term is used as an adjective to describe beauty and is commonly employed in poetry and devotional contexts.

The name is widely used across the Indian subcontinent and among the Indian diaspora. It appears in various linguistic forms and can be combined with other elements to form compound names, such as Sundaram or Sundaramoorthy in Tamil. In some traditions, Sundar also appears in feminine forms like Sundari, though Sundar is typically given to males.

In Hindu literature the root appears in the title of the Sundara Kanda, the fifth book of the Ramayana, which narrates Hanuman’s journey to Lanka and his appreciation of beauty and virtue.

Notable individuals named Sundar include Sundar Pichai (born 1972), Indian-American business executive who became CEO of Google and Alphabet. The name is encountered in fields ranging from business to the arts, reflecting its broad cultural presence.

Variants and related names include Sundaram, Sundari, and Sundara, and the name is often used in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Marathi communities with local pronunciations.