Hanuman Names and Their Meanings From Bajrangbali to Pawanputra
When my son was about seven, he started noticing that different people at different temples called Hanuman by different names. At one temple it was Bajrangbali. At home we said Pawanputra during the Chalisa. His grandmother called him Sankatmochan every Tuesday when she lit the lamp. He came to me with a very reasonable question: "How many names does Hanuman have? And are they all the same person?"
Yes, they are all the same person. Each name is a different description. Each description comes from a different part of Hanuman's story or a different quality of his character.
Learning the 12 names of Hanuman is one of the better ways to introduce children to both the mythology and the prayers at the same time, because each name is a short sentence compressed into one word. Twelve names follow, with their meanings and the story behind each one.
Bajrangbali Means the One With a Body Strong as Lightning
Bajrangbali is probably the most widely used name for Hanuman in everyday speech. The bajrangbali meaning comes from two words: Bajrang, which comes from Vajra Ang, meaning "limbs like a thunderbolt," and Bali, meaning "the powerful one."
Vajra is the weapon of Indra, the king of the gods. It is described as a thunderbolt, indestructible and charged with force. To say that Hanuman has limbs like a vajra is to say his body is made of the same material as the most powerful weapon in existence.
The story connected to this name involves Hanuman's birth. When Hanuman was a young child, he saw the rising sun and thought it was a fruit. He leaped into the sky to eat it. Indra struck him with his Vajra to stop him. The blow hit Hanuman's jaw, which is also part of why he is called Hanuman (from "Hanu," meaning jaw, and "man," meaning disfigured or struck). He survived the strike from the most powerful weapon of the gods. His body remained intact.
The name Bajrangbali captures that quality: a body that cannot be broken.
Pawanputra and Anjaneya and the Names From His Parents
Two of the most common names for Hanuman describe his parentage rather than his qualities.
Pawanputra means son of Pawan. Pawanputra meaning: Pawan is the Sanskrit word for wind, and Putra means son. Vayu, the wind god, is considered Hanuman's divine father. The birth story describes Vayu carrying the divine essence that led to Hanuman's birth. Pawanputra is the name that locates Hanuman in the divine family tree.
Anjaneya means son of Anjana. Anjana is Hanuman's mother, an apsara who had taken the form of a vanara. Anjaneya simply means "born of Anjana." This name is more common in South India than in the North, but it appears in prayers and texts throughout the tradition.
Maruti is a third name from the same family connection. Marut is another name for Vayu (the wind god), and Maruti means son of Marut. It is the same relationship as Pawanputra but using a different name for the father.
For children, these three names together form a kind of map: Pawanputra tells you who his divine father is. Anjaneya tells you who his mother is. Maruti gives the same father connection through a different name. All three lead back to the same origin story.
Sankatmochan the Name That Means Remover of Troubles
Sankatmochan is one of Hanuman's most beloved names. Sankat means trouble, difficulty, or crisis. Mochan means the one who removes or liberates. Sankatmochan is the remover of troubles.
This name appears in a specific verse of the Hanuman Chalisa. The prayer calls on Hanuman as the one who takes away hardship and suffering from those who remember him. In devotional practice, this is the name invoked when someone is facing a difficult time. The name itself is a description of what Hanuman does.
The famous Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple in Varanasi, one of the most visited temples in the country, carries this name. Tulsidas, who wrote the Hanuman Chalisa, established the original temple at the spot where he is said to have seen Hanuman in person.
For children who have been told that praying to Hanuman helps when things are hard, Sankatmochan is the name that explains why. Not "Hanuman who is strong" but "Hanuman who removes what is difficult." The description is relational. It is about what he does for you, not just what he is.
Mahavir, Kesari Nandan, Lankadahak and Six More Names
Mahavir means great warrior. Maha is great, Vir is warrior or brave one. This name appears in the Hanuman Chalisa several times. When children have heard the Lanka Dahan story, Mahavir has a specific picture attached to it: Hanuman leaping from rooftop to rooftop across a burning city.
Hanuman Kesari Nandan is a name that means son of Kesari. Kesari was the vanara king who married Anjana and is Hanuman's earthly father. Nandan means son or beloved one. Kesari Nandan appears in the Hanuman Chalisa in chaupai 6, alongside the reference to Hanuman as a partial incarnation of Shankar (Shiva). The hanuman kesari nandan meaning in simple words: "the beloved son of the king Kesari."
Lankadahak means the one who burned Lanka. Dahan means burning. Lanka is Lanka. This name is a direct reference to the Lanka Dahan episode. It is a name that comes from a specific action in a specific story.
Ramadoot means messenger of Ram. Doot means messenger or envoy. This is Hanuman in his role in the Ramayana: the one Ram sent to find Sita, the one who carried Ram's ring to Lanka, the one who brought back Sita's jewel. Ramadoot is the name that captures the relationship between Hanuman and Ram.
Pawanasuta is another form of Pawanputra. Suta means son in Sanskrit. Same meaning, different form of the word.
Vayuputra is another name for son of Vayu. Vayu is the wind god, Putra is son. The same relationship as Pawanputra, using the formal Sanskrit name for the wind god.
Teaching Your Child These Names Through Hanuman Chalisa Verses
The Hanuman Chalisa is one of the best places to find these names in context, because the prayer uses them naturally as descriptions rather than just as titles.
Chaupai 2 uses both Anjani Putra (son of Anjana) and Pavan Sut (son of the wind) in a single verse. A child who has just learned what both names mean will recognize both when they reach this verse.
Chaupai 6 uses Kesari Nandan. Chaupai 3 uses the description that underlies the Bajrangbali name (Bajrangi, the one with a thunderbolt body). The hanuman other names that appear in the Chalisa are not separate from the prayer. They are woven into it.
Reading the Chalisa together and pausing when a name appears, asking "what does that name mean, do you remember?" is a way to turn a prayer into a conversation. The child is not just reciting. They are identifying.
The Magical Hanuman Chalisa Book presents each verse in simple English alongside illustrated contexts that help children connect the names in the prayer to the stories they come from. The 12 names of hanuman appear across multiple verses, and having a guide that explains each one makes the Chalisa easier for children to understand and remember.
The full Hanuman Chalisa in English text is also available if you want to read through the verses together and identify the names as you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many names does Hanuman have?
Hanuman has 108 names in tradition, but twelve are most commonly used and recited. These include Bajrangbali, Pawanputra, Anjaneya, Sankatmochan, Mahavir, Kesari Nandan, Lankadahak, Maruti, Ramadoot, Hanuman, Vayuputra, and Pawanasuta.
What does Bajrangbali mean?
Bajrangbali comes from Vajra Ang Bali, meaning "the powerful one with a body strong as a thunderbolt." Vajra is Indra's indestructible weapon. The name refers to Hanuman's body surviving the blow of Indra's thunderbolt during his childhood.
Why is Hanuman called Pawanputra?
Hanuman is called Pawanputra because Vayu, the wind god, is his divine father. Pawan means wind, Putra means son. Vayu's role in Hanuman's birth makes son of the wind one of his most used names.
What does Kesari Nandan mean?
Kesari Nandan means the beloved son of Kesari. Kesari was the vanara king who married Anjana and is Hanuman's earthly father. Nandan means son or dear one. The name appears in chaupai 6 of the Hanuman Chalisa.
