Maitri

Meaning & origin

Maitri, meaning 'loving-kindness,' entered U.S. records in 2000 and has remained uncommon. Its peak year was 2007, but it has since stabilized at a low rank of 11,932 as of 2025, with about 1 in 229,610 girls receiving the name that year. The name's gentle meaning and Buddhist associations give it a serene, philosophical quality. Though it has not appeared in top baby-name lists, its rarity may appeal to parents seeking a distinctive name with deep cultural roots. The name is most frequently chosen by families with South Asian heritage or those drawn to mindfulness traditions.

Maitri derives from the Sanskrit root mitra (friend), with the abstract suffix -tri, yielding a noun meaning 'friendliness' or 'loving-kindness.' In Buddhist contexts, maitri (Pali: mettā) is one of the brahmavihārās, the four sublime states of meditation. The name has been used in India for centuries and gained occasional use among English-speaking families in the early 2000s, often via Buddhist or Hindu cultural influence.