Bhishma
/B-IY-SH-M-AH/
The terrible one, the grandsire whose vow of celibacy earned him the most fearsome name in the Mahabharata — Bhishma took a vow of lifelong celibacy to secure his father's second marriage, and the gods renamed him from Devavrata to Bhishma for the terribleness of his sacrifice. He lay on a bed of arrows for fifty-eight days, choosing the moment of his own death
See Bhishma scored for your familyQuick — what every parent wants to know about Bhishma:
Yes — Bhishma is a Hindu boy name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “The terrible one, the grandsire whose vow of celibacy earned him the most fearsome name in the Mahabharata — Bhishma took a vow of lifelong celibacy to secure his father's second marriage, and the gods renamed him from Devavrata to Bhishma for the terribleness of his sacrifice. He lay on a bed of arrows for fifty-eight days, choosing the moment of his own death”.
How well does Bhishma fit your family?
This page tells you what Bhishma means. The app tells you whether it's right for your baby — scored against the names already in your family, your heritage, and your baby's exact birth star.
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Six signals — scored for your family, not in the abstract:
Meaning & origin
Bhishma is a boy's name of Sanskrit origin, traditionally used in Hindu families. The name means "The terrible one, the grandsire whose vow of celibacy earned him the most fearsome name in the Mahabharata — Bhishma took a vow of lifelong celibacy to secure his father's second marriage, and the gods renamed him from Devavrata to Bhishma for the terribleness of his sacrifice. He lay on a bed of arrows for fifty-eight days, choosing the moment of his own death" and belongs to the Courage cluster — names for children who will grow into bold, fearless hearts.
Common among Indian, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayali families, Bhishma carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.
What's Bhishma's birth star?
In Vedic tradition, a baby's name is matched to their nakshatra (birth star) and rashi (moon sign) — usually through its first syllable. Bhishma opens with “Bh.” But whether that's auspicious depends on your baby's exact date, time, and place of birth.
NameRoot works it out for you. Enter your baby's birth details and see exactly which nakshatra and rashi Bhishma aligns with — and how strongly it scores.
See Bhishma's birth-star reading →What does Bhishma's numerology say?
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 Bhishma resonates in either tradition.
Bhishma's destiny number is 33 — but a number only matters in context. The app matches it to your family's own numbers for a real compatibility read. See Bhishma's full reading →
Does Bhishma go with your family's names?
Bhishma breaks into 5 sounds: /B-IY-SH-M-AH/. The real test isn't how it sounds alone — it's how it sounds beside the names already in your family: yours, your partner's, and any brothers or sisters. NameRoot scores that harmony, so Bhishma sits naturally next to a Mum and Dad like Michael & Anna, or a big sister named Gianna — no awkward clashes, no two names that blur together. Hear Bhishma beside your family's names →
Nicknames
Common affectionate forms of Bhishma — useful for everyday family conversation, early childhood, or as standalone given names themselves.
Names similar to Bhishma
If Bhishma 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 Hindu boy names, common in Indian families
Sharing the same meaning
Other Hindu boy names from the Courage cluster
Names that sound similar
Hindu boy names that open with the same syllables as Bhishma
Explore more names
Keep exploring names like Bhishma — by tradition, by meaning, or by first letter.
Common questions about Bhishma
What does the name Bhishma mean?
Bhishma means "The terrible one, the grandsire whose vow of celibacy earned him the most fearsome name in the Mahabharata — Bhishma took a vow of lifelong celibacy to secure his father's second marriage, and the gods renamed him from Devavrata to Bhishma for the terribleness of his sacrifice. He lay on a bed of arrows for fifty-eight days, choosing the moment of his own death." It is a boy name of Sanskrit origin, traditionally used in Hindu families.
Is Bhishma a boy or girl name?
Bhishma is most commonly used as a boy name.
What is the origin of the name Bhishma?
Bhishma is of Sanskrit origin, used in Hindu tradition, commonly among Indian, Marathi, Bengali families.
Is Bhishma a Hindu name?
Yes. Bhishma is a boy name traditionally used in Hindu families, of Sanskrit origin.
What does Bhishma mean in Sanskrit?
Bhishma originates from Sanskrit, where it means "The terrible one, the grandsire whose vow of celibacy earned him the most fearsome name in the Mahabharata — Bhishma took a vow of lifelong celibacy to secure his father's second marriage, and the gods renamed him from Devavrata to Bhishma for the terribleness of his sacrifice. He lay on a bed of arrows for fifty-eight days, choosing the moment of his own death."
What are common nicknames for Bhishma?
Common short forms of Bhishma include Bhisi, Bhis.
What is the numerology of Bhishma?
Bhishma has a Pythagorean destiny number of 33 — the master teacher — unconditional love in action.
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