Hema

♀ Girl

Pronounced HAY-mah /ˈheɪ.ma/Medium

Meaning: From Sanskrit hema, 'gold, golden'. A long-used Indian girls' name, also an epithet in Sanskrit poetry for what is golden or precious. Familiar across India, including in Tamil and Hindi-speaking families.Medium

In 30 seconds: Hema is Sanskrit for 'gold, golden' — short, warm and long-used in India (said 'HAY-mah').

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Origin MediumSanskrit, Indian

MeaningFrom Sanskrit hema, 'gold, golden'. A long-used Indian girls' name, also an epithet in Sanskrit poetry for what is golden or precious. Familiar across India, including in Tamil and Hindi-speaking families.

U.S. rank (2024)#14057 ↗ Rising

2024 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2007

Total births (all-time)≈ 165

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Hema comes straight from Sanskrit hema, 'gold'. It has served as a girls' name across India for generations and turns up in Sanskrit literature as a word for what is golden and precious. In the U.S. it reads as a compact, luminous heritage name (said 'HAY-mah').

It appears only rarely in U.S. records, chiefly in Indian families. Rare here, familiar in India.

Did you know? In Sanskrit, hema is gold itself — the metal and the color. It has been used in poetry for anything precious, and as a girls' name it is a small, bright classic in India (said 'HAY-mah').

Overall data confidence 58%

References — Hema — Sanskrit hema 'gold'

Variations

HemaaHemaliHemangi

Nicknames

HemiEmmy

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Hema…

Heera— a like Indian name meaning 'diamond'

Asha— a like short warm Indian pick

Meera— a like classic Indian girls' name

Carma— the same short feel

Soma— shares the -ma ending

Explore names like Hema

By themeheritage short sanskrit indian

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Hema mean?

Hema means 'gold, golden', from Sanskrit hema.

How do you pronounce Hema?

It's said HAY-mah /ˈheɪ.ma/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Hema an Indian name?

Yes — it is a long-used Sanskrit-rooted girls' name, familiar across India.

How popular is Hema?

Hema is rare in the U.S. but well known in India.