Kamala is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
word meaning '
lotus'. It is used as a feminine given name in
Indian culture, predominantly by
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
families, as it is one of the names of the goddess
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...
, who appears from the centre of a lotus.
The masculine counterpart Kamal is a given name for Indian boys.
People
First name
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Kamala Bahuguna (1923–2001), Indian politician
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Kamala Balakrishnan (1930–2018), Indian immunologist
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Kamala Bhattacharya (1945–1961), Indian martyr
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Kamala Bose (1947–2012), Indian classical vocalist
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Kamala Chakravarty (born 1928), Indian classical musician and dancer
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Kamala Chandrakirana
Kamala (or Nana) Chandrakirana (born 1960) is a feminist human rights activist for justice and democracy from Indonesia. She has been a member of the United Nations Working Group on discrimination against women in law and practice since 2011. She ...
, Indonesian women's rights activist
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Kamala Devi (actress)
Kamala Devi (8 October 1933 – 29 November 2010) was an Indian and American actress, best known for her roles in the 1960s opposite her first husband, Chuck Connors.
Early Life
She was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), British India on 11th Octo ...
(1933–2010), Indian actress
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Kamala Devi (footballer) (born 1992), Indian footballer
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Kamala Hampana (1935–2024), Indian writer
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Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
(born 1964), Vice President of the United States between 2021 and 2025, former California attorney and senator
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Kamala Hayman, New Zealand newspaper journalist
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Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq, Sudanese artist
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Kamala Kanta Kalita (born 1957), Indian politician
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Kamala Kamesh
Kamala Kamesh (7 October 1952) is an Indian actress in Tamil movies. She was one of the prominent supporting actress in late 1970s and 1980s in Tamil movies. She has acted nearly 480 movies in Tamil. She is often seen in all of Visu's movies.
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(born 1952), Indian actress
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Kamala Kumari Karredula, Indian politician
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Kamala Krishnaswamy, Indian nutritionist
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Kamala Kotnis, Indian actress
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Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, American diplomat, ambassador to Malaysia
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Kamala Laxman (died 2015), Indian author of children's books
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Kamala Lopez, American filmmaker
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Kamala Markandaya (1924–2004), Indian novelist and journalist
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Kamala Nehru
Kamala Nehru (; ; 1 August 1899 – 28 February 1936) was an Indian independence activist and the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India. Their daughter Indira Gandhi would go on to become the first and the only woman Prim ...
(1899–1936), wife of Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru
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Kamala Nimbkar (1900–1979), American-born occupational therapist in India
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Kamala Parks, American drummer, songwriter
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Kamala Pujari (died 2024), Indian organic agriculture promoter
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Kamala Ranathunga (born 1937), Sri Lankan politician
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Kamala Rani Balakrishnan, Singaporean criminal
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Kamala Roka, Nepali politician
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Kamala Saikhom, Indian actress
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Kamala Sankaran, Indian academic administrator
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Kamala Sankrityayan (1920–2009), Indian writer
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Kamala Selvaraj, Indian obstetrician and gynecologist
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Kamala Shankar, Indian slide guitar player
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Kamala Sinha
Kamala (Kamla) Sinha (30 September 1932 – 31 December 2014) was an Indian politician and diplomat. She was twice elected to the Rajya Sabha from 1990 to 2000, and later served as Ambassador to Suriname and Barbados. She was also Union Council ...
(1932–2014), Indian politician
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Kamala Sohonie (1912–1998), Indian biochemist
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Kamala Surayya (1934–2009), Indian short story writer and autobiographer
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Kamala Todd, Canadian filmmaker
Surname
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Diodorus Kamala
Diodorus Buberwa Kamala (26 November 1968 – 12 February 2024) was a Tanzanian politician and diplomat.
Background
Kamala received his doctorate in economics from Mzumbe University. His thesis was on intra-regional trade in the East African Co ...
(1968–2024), Tanzanian politician
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Kumari Kamala
Kumari Kamala (born 16 June 1934) is an Indian dancer and actress (also known as Kamala Lakshman). Initially featured as a child dancer, Kamala appeared in almost 100 Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films throughout her career. In the 1970s, sh ...
(born 1934), Indian classical dancer
Fictional characters
* Kamala, in the novel ''
Siddhartha'' by Hermann Hesse
* Kamala, in "
The Perfect Mate", an episode of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''
* Kamala, a main character in the comedy-drama series ''
Never Have I Ever
"Never have I ever", also known as "I've never.." or "ten fingers", is a drinking game in which players take turns asking other players about things they have not done. Other players who have done this thing respond by taking a drink. A versi ...
''
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Kamala Khan
Kamala Khan is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie, Kamala is Marvel's first ...
(Ms. Marvel), a Pakistani-American superhero in Marvel Comics
See also
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Kamela § People with the surname ''Kamela''
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Komala § People with the name ''Komala''
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Kamla (name), given name and surname
References
{{given name, type=both
Given names derived from plants or flowers
Sanskrit-language names