Shantanu
/SH-V-N-T-V-N-V/
Wholesome, beneficial, eternally peaceful — the name of a great Mahabharata king, father of Bhishma.
See Shantanu scored for your familyQuick — what every parent wants to know about Shantanu:
Yes — Shantanu is a Hindu boy name of Bengali origin, meaning “Wholesome, beneficial, eternally peaceful — the name of a great Mahabharata king, father of Bhishma.”.
How well does Shantanu fit your family?
This page tells you what Shantanu 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.
Unlock Shantanu's score — free
Six signals — scored for your family, not in the abstract:
Meaning & origin
Shantanu is a boy's name of Bengali origin, traditionally used in Hindu families. The name means "Wholesome, beneficial, eternally peaceful — the name of a great Mahabharata king, father of Bhishma." and belongs to the Peace cluster — names meaning calm, serenity, and inner stillness.
Common among Bengali, Indian, American, British families, Shantanu carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.
What's Shantanu'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. Shantanu opens with “Sh.” 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 Shantanu aligns with — and how strongly it scores.
See Shantanu's birth-star reading →What does Shantanu'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 Shantanu resonates in either tradition.
Shantanu's destiny number is 8 — but a number only matters in context. The app matches it to your family's own numbers for a real compatibility read. See Shantanu's full reading →
Does Shantanu go with your family's names?
Shantanu breaks into 7 sounds: /SH-V-N-T-V-N-V/. 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 Shantanu 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 Shantanu beside your family's names →
Nicknames
Common affectionate forms of Shantanu — useful for everyday family conversation, early childhood, or as standalone given names themselves.
Variants across cultures
Shantanu appears in different forms across languages and traditions. Each variant carries the same root meaning with a distinct sound and spelling shaped by local phonology.
Names similar to Shantanu
If Shantanu 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 Bengali families
Sharing the same meaning
Other Hindu boy names from the Peace cluster
Names that sound similar
Hindu boy names that open with the same syllables as Shantanu
Explore more names
Keep exploring names like Shantanu — by tradition, by meaning, or by first letter.
Common questions about Shantanu
What does the name Shantanu mean?
Shantanu means "Wholesome, beneficial, eternally peaceful — the name of a great Mahabharata king, father of Bhishma.." It is a boy name of Bengali origin, traditionally used in Hindu families.
Is Shantanu a boy or girl name?
Shantanu is most commonly used as a boy name.
What is the origin of the name Shantanu?
Shantanu is of Bengali origin, used in Hindu tradition, commonly among Bengali, Indian, American families.
Is Shantanu a Hindu name?
Yes. Shantanu is a boy name traditionally used in Hindu families, of Bengali origin.
What does Shantanu mean in Bengali?
Shantanu originates from Bengali, where it means "Wholesome, beneficial, eternally peaceful — the name of a great Mahabharata king, father of Bhishma.."
What are common nicknames for Shantanu?
Common short forms of Shantanu include Shantu, Shanto.
What is the numerology of Shantanu?
Shantanu has a Pythagorean destiny number of 8 — material mastery and executive power.
See how Shantanu scores for your family
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