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Saravanan

Saravanan is a Tamil male given name, derived from one of the names of the Hindu god Murugan. Owing to the Tamil tradition of using patronymic surnames, the name is also borne as a surname by both men and women. The name is widely used among Tamil-speaking communities in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and the wider Tamil diaspora.

Key Facts

Type Given name; also used as a surname
Origin Tamil
Gender Predominantly male
Meaning One of the names of the Hindu deity Murugan
Region Tamil Nadu (India), Malaysia, Singapore, Tamil diaspora

Etymology and usage

The name Saravanan is associated with Murugan, the Tamil god of war and victory, and refers in tradition to his birth in the reed forest known as Saravana. As is common in Tamil naming practice, the personal name of a father can serve as a patronymic surname for his children, so Saravanan appears as both a first name and a family name in records and biographies.

People named Saravanan

Cinema and arts

  • Saravanan – Indian actor working in Tamil cinema.
  • M. Saravanan – Indian film producer.
  • M. Saravanan – Indian film director.
  • Sakthi Saravanan – Indian cinematographer.
  • Tiruchy L. Saravanan – flute player in the Carnatic tradition.
  • Suriya (born 1975) – Tamil actor whose birth name is Saravanan Sivakumar.
  • Senthil Kumar (born 1978) – Indian film and television actor also known as Mirchi Saravanan.

Military, politics and sport

  • Mariappan Saravanan (1972–1999) – Indian Army officer.
  • Saravanan Murugan (born 1968) – Tamil Malaysian politician.
  • V. Saravanan (born 1978) – former Malaysian footballer.
  • Govindasamy Saravanan (born 1970) – Malaysian race walker.
  • Vishnu Saravanan (born 1999) – Indian sailor.

Other

  • Saravanan Michael Ramalingam (1971–1996) – Singaporean murder victim.

Films and television

  • Saravanan Meenatchi – Tamil-language soap opera broadcast on Star Vijay.
  • Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan – 2004 Tamil-language film.
  • Saravanan Engira Surya – 2015 Tamil-language film.
  • Ratsasan (2018) – Tamil-language film featuring a character named Saravanan, portrayed in a triple role as Christopher Fernandez, Mary Fernandez and Annabella George.

Significance

The continued popularity of the name reflects the cultural prominence of Murugan worship in Tamil Nadu and among Tamils overseas. Its appearance across cinema, sport, the armed forces, politics and the arts illustrates how a single devotional name can recur across very different fields of public life in the Tamil-speaking world.

References