List of Indian state and union territory name etymologies

This is a list of the origins of the names of states and union territories of India.

Union territories

 * Andaman and Nicobar Islands (A):
 * Andaman: Italian traveler Niccolò de' Conti (c. 1440) mentioned the word Andaman meant "Island of Gold". A theory that became prevalent in the late 19th century and has since gained momentum is that the name of the islands derives from Sanskrit via the Malay, named for the Hindu deity Hanuman.
 * Nicobar: The name "Nicobar" is probably derived from the Chola dynasty name for the islands, nakkavaram (literally, "naked man" in Tamil) which is inscribed on a Tanjore inscription of 1050 CE.
 * Chandigarh (B): "Chandi's fort" in Hindi. Although, no actual fort ever existed but according to legends, a large Chandi temple protected the locals, hence the name. The goddess Chandi appears as a form of the goddess Kali or Parvati.
 * Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (C): From the towns of Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu.
 * Jammu and Kashmir (D):
 * Jammu: From the name of King Jambu Lochan.
 * Kashmir: After Vedic sage Kashyapa.
 * Ladakh (E): Ladakh ("la-dvags") means "land of high passes" in Tibetan. Ladak is its pronunciation in several Tibetan dialects, and Ladakh is a transliteration of the Persian spelling.
 * Lakshadweep (F): "Hundred Thousand Islands". In Sanskrit, lakṣa means "a hundred thousand" and dvīpa means "island".
 * National Capital Territory of Delhi (G): The etymology of "Delhi" is uncertain. The very common view is that its eponym is Dhillu or Dilu, a king of the Mauryan dynasty, who built the city in 50 BC and named it after himself.  The Hindi/Prakrit word ḍhīlī ("loose") was used by the Tomaras to refer to the city because the Iron Pillar built by Raja Dhava had a weak foundation and was replaced. Coins in circulation in the region under the Tomaras were called dehlīwāl. Some other historians believe that the name is derived from Dillī, a corruption of dehlīz  or dehalī (देहली). Both terms mean "threshold" or "gateway" and are symbolic of the city as a gateway to the Gangetic Plain. Another theory suggests that the city's original name was Dhillika.


 * Puducherry (H): From Puducheri in Tamil; pudu ("new") + ceri ("settlement" or "camp").