Srinivasa (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

) is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

name. The term Srinivasa is Vaishnava in origin, the combination of two

words, ''

Shri Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanese, ...

'' (श्री) and ''nivasa'' (निवास). It is a name for males in India as well as a family surname. Shrinivasan (श्रीनिवासन्) is the singular nominative form, and along with its variants Srinivasan, Srinivas, and others, is used as a

forename A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

Etymology

''Shri'' means "radiance" or "diffusing light"; ''nivasa'' means "place of residence", which is considered to be the source of light (as a metaphor for life) in Hindu scriptures. ''Shri'' is also an epithet of

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

who is the consort associated with Venkateshvara, and often described to be embodied within him. Hence, the alternative meaning of this name is: "one within whom Lakshmi (prosperity) lives".

Variants

Srinivas is the northern Indian variant of the original Sanskrit name Srinivasa, employed after the schwa-deletion in the Indo-Aryan languages. The use of the name Srinivasan (also rendered Sreenivasan) is common in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

and

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Similarly, the dialectical word, Srinivasulu, is commonly used in

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

. The name is also very much prevalent in

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

Maharastra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivi ...

and

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, among other parts of India. The other variants in English spelling include Sreenivas, Shrinivas, Shreenivas, Srinibas, Shrinibas.

Notable people

As first name

Srinivasa Ramanujan Srinivasa Ramanujan (; born Srinivasa Ramanujan Aiyangar, ; 22 December 188726 April 1920) was an Indian mathematician. Though he had almost no formal training in pure mathematics, he made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis ...

, Indian mathematician *

Srinivas Srinivasa (Sanskrit ) is a Hindu name. The term Srinivasa is Vaishnava in origin, the combination of two Sanskrit words, ''Shri'' (श्री) and ''nivasa'' (निवास). It is a name for males in India as well as a family surname. Shriniv ...

, 1990s Tamil Nadu playback singer, also known as Srinivasan Doraiswamy *

Srinivasan Srinivasa (Sanskrit ) is a Hindus, Hindu name. The term Srinivasa is Vaishnavism, Vaishnava in origin, the combination of two Sanskrit words, ''Shri'' (श्री) and ''nivasa'' (निवास). It is a name for males in India as well as a fa ...

, also known as "Powerstar", Tamil comedian * Sreenivasan, Malayalam script writer and actor *

Srinivas Avasarala Srinivasa Saambasiva Avasarala (born 19 March 1984) is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, and television presenter known for his works in Telugu cinema. He received two Nandi Awards and a SIIMA Award. Early life Srinivasa Saambasiva ...

, actor * Srinivasan Keshav, scientist *

Srinivas Kumar Sinha Lieutenant General Srinivas Kumar Sinha, PVSM, ADC (January 7, 1926 – November 17, 2016) was an Indian Army General who served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff. After his retirement, he served as Governor of the states of Jammu and Kashmir, ...

, Indian soldier *

Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan ( (informally Venkat, born 21 April 1945) is an Indian former cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team at the first two ICC Cricket World Cups, and later became an umpire on the elite International Cri ...

, Indian cricketer

As middle name

* Ullal Srinivas Mallya, Indian politician * Vaman Srinivas Kudva, Indian businessman

As last name

Adithya Srinivasan Adithya Srinivasan is an Indian singer. He is best known for his award winning ghazals, and international singles in classical, pop, and world music genres. His notable performances include sharing stage space with Hariharan and opening for Gh ...

, Ghazal singer and global business development leader *

Akhila Srinivasan Akhila Srinivasan is the Managing Director of the Shriram Group Shriram Life Insurance Company. She is also the founder of the Shriram Foundation, a philanthropic organization with a focus on education, micro-credit, and anti-poverty initiativ ...

, Indian businesswoman * Dharmapuri Srinivas (born 27 September 1948), Indian politician * G. Srinivasan (1958–2007), Indian film producer * Grandhi Srinivas, Indian politician *

Hari Sreenivasan Hariharan "Hari" Sreenivasan, born in 1974, is an American broadcast journalist. Biography Sreenivasan was born in Mumbai, India, around 1974.Kamineni Srinivas, Indian politician *

Krishnan Srinivasan Krishnan Srinivasan (born 15 February 1937) is a retired Indian diplomat, historian, author, former Indian Foreign Secretary, and Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations . He was born in Madras, India and educated at Bedford S ...

, Indian diplomat *

M. B. Sreenivasan Manamadurai Balakrishnan Sreenivasan (19 September 1925 – 9 March 1988), or MBS, was a South Indian music director who worked mainly in the Malayalam and Tamil film industries. He was born to an orthodox Tamil Brahmin family on 19 Septe ...

(Manamadurai Balakrishnan known as MBS, 1925–1988), Indian music director *

M. N. Srinivas Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas (1916–1999) was an Indian sociologist and social anthropologist. He is mostly known for his work on caste and caste systems, social stratification, Sanskritisation and Westernisation in southern India and th ...

(Mysore Narasimhachar, 1916–1999), Indian sociologist * Madapuji Rajagopalan Srinivasan (born 31 May 1967), usually cited as M.R. Srinivasan, head of Agricultural Entomology at the Agricultural College and Research Institute of

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is the state agricultural university of Tamil Nadu located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. History The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University had its genesis from establishment of an agricultural sch ...

. He has published works on both '' Apis cerana'' and ''

Apis mellifera The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for "bee", and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for "honey-bearing" or "honey carrying", ...

'' (western honey bee). * Madapusi Srinivasaprasad, Indian cricketer *

Mandyam Veerambudi Srinivasan Mandyam Veerambudi Srinivasan AM FRS, also known as "Srini", (born 1948) is an Australian bioengineer and neuroscientist who studies visual systems, particularly those of bees and birds. A faculty member at the University of Queensland, he i ...

("Srini"), usually cited as M.V. Srinivasan (born 15 September 1948), bioengineer and neuroscientist, who studies visual systems, particularly those of Western honey bees (''

'') and birds; faculty member

Queensland Brain Institute The Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) is an Australian neuroscience research institute, located in Brisbane at the St Lucia campus of The University of Queensland (UQ). Founding director Professor Perry Bartlett established the QBI in 2003 with ...

at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

. *

N. Srinivasan Narayanaswami Srinivasan (born 3 January 1945) is an Indian industrialist. He is a former Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and former President of the BCCI, the governing body for cricket in India. He is also the managing ...

(Narayanaswami, born 1945), Indian industrialist and chemical engineer * P. Seenivasan, Indian politician, Deputy Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1971 to 1972 *

P. B. Sreenivas Prathivadhi Bhayankara Sreenivas (22 September 1930 – 14 April 2013) widely known as P. B. Sreenivas was an Indian playback singer, composer, harmonium player, lyricist, littérateur, and poet known for his works in South cinema, and Bollyw ...

(Prathivadi Bhayankara, 1930–2013), Indian playback singer *

R. Srinivasan R. Srinivasan is an Indian politician and was a member of the 14th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Arcot constituency. He represented the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; ...

, Indian politician, member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly *

Rangaswamy Srinivasan Rangaswamy Srinivasan (born February 28, 1929 in Madras, India) is a physical chemist and inventor with a 30-year career at IBM Research. He has developed techniques for ablative photodecomposition and used them to contribute to the development of ...

, scientist *

Rettamalai Srinivasan Diwan Bahadur Rettamalai Srinivasan (7 July 1860 - 18 September 1945), commonly known as R. Srinivasan, was a Scheduled Caste activist and politician from then Madras Presidency of British India (now the Indian state of Tamil Nadu). He is a Para ...

, Indian politician *

Sri Srinivasan Padmanabhan Srikanth "Sri" Srinivasan (; born February 23, 1967) is an Indian-born American lawyer and jurist serving as the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Before he was a circuit judge, Srinivas ...

, American judge * Subramaniam Srinivasan, Indian filmmaker * T. E. Srinivasan (Tirumalai Echambadi, 1950–2010), Indian cricketer *

T. N. Srinivasan T. N. Srinivasan, in full Thirukodikaval Nilakanta Srinivasan (27 March 1933 – 11 November 2018), was an Indian economist who had taught and worked in the United States. He was the Professor#Retired faculty 2, Emeritus Samuel C. Park, Jr. Prof ...

(Thirukodikaval Nilakanta, 1933–2018), economist who worked in the US *

Thengai Srinivasan Thengai Srinivasan (21 October 1937 – 9 November 1987) was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil language, Tamil-language films and plays from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was given the prefix ''Thengai'' (coconut) after his role as a coco ...

(1937–1987), Indian actor *

U. Srinivas Uppalapu Srinivas (28 February 1969 – 19 September 2014) was an Indian mandolin player in Carnatic classical music and composer. Because he was a child prodigy, he was sometimes called the Mozart of classical Indian music. He was awarded the ...

(Uppalapu, 1969–2014), Indian mandolin player *

Vandemataram Srinivas Kanneboina Srinavasa Rao Yadav, known professionally as Vandemataram Srinivas, is an Indian music director and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has won two Filmfare Awards and six Nandi Awards. He got the prefix "Vand ...

, Indian music director, playback singer, actor and film director * Vineeth Sreenivasan (born 1 October 1985), Indian playback singer, actor, film director, screenwriter, producer, lyricist, etc., working in Malayalam cinema, son of actor-screenwriter Sreenivasan. *

Yogi Srinivasan Yogi is a Tamil film actor. He is the grandson of Tamil film actor Thengai Srinivasan. Career Yogi made his acting debut in the romantic film ''Azhagiya Asura'' opposite then newcomer Regina Cassandra. He got the offer through singer Krish ...

, Indian actor, son of

References

{{given name, type=both Indian masculine given names