Kamala

KUH-muh-luh (Hindi); kah-MAH-la (Hawaiian)
Hindi, Hawaiian
"lotus or pale red; or, a garden"

Kamala Origin and Meaning

The name Kamala is a girl's name of Hindi origin meaning "lotus or pale red; or, a garden".

A multicultural name that manages to sound soft and strong at the same time, Kamala is also another name for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

Former California Attorney General Kamala Harris (who describes her own name's pronunciation as COMMA-la), Joe Biden's vice presidential pick in the 2020 election, is the first Indian-American and the first Black woman to run on a US Presidential ticket for a major party – preceded only by Charlotta Bass, who ran on the Progressive Party ticket in 1952. Kamala Harris's mother was Indian and her father is Jamaican.

A rising star in the Democratic Party, Harris was sworn in as her state's junior senator in January 2017 and instantly became one of the most visible critics of the Trump Administration. She makes Kamala one of the most recognizable Hindi names for girls, with a strong sound and international appeal.

# 213 on Nameberry

Kamala Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Kamala Popularity

Famous People Named Kamala

  • Kamala Reddy
    birth name of Mother Meera, Indian religious leader
  • Kamala Devi Harris
    American politician; former California attorney general and current U.S. Senator/Vice,President elect
  • Kamala Das
    Indian English poet and fiction writer

Kamala in Pop Culture

  • Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel
    comics character
  • Chamalla
    a herb with curative properties on TV's "Battlestar Galactica"
  • Kamala
    character in Barbara Cartland's "Journey to Paradise"
  • Kamalas are an evil shadow
    like species in the video game "Fran Bow"