Rohini (Rohiṇī) is a Sanskrit origin feminine name. The literal translation is “ascending”, “growing”, and “red one”.
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Etymology
The name is derived from the Sanskrit root roh (“to rise, grow, ascend”) plus the feminine suffix -inī.
In Hindu mythology, bearers include Rohinī Devi, the favourite consort of Chandra, and Rohinī, mother of Balarama and Subhadra in the Mahābhārata.
People
The name is used across India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the South‑Asian diaspora. Notable people with the given name include:
Rohini Arora, Canadian politician
Rohini Balakrishnan, Indian bioacoustics expert
Rohini Banerjee, Indian actress and model
Rohini Bhate (1924 – 2008), Indian Kathak dancer and scholar
Rohini Chowdhury (born 1963), Indian author and literary translator
Rohini Kumar Chaudhuri (1899–1955), Indian politician
Rohini Sindhuri Dasari (born 1984), Indian bureaucrat
Rohini Devasher, Indian contemporary artist
Rohini Godbole (1952 – 2024), Indian particle physicist
Rohini Hattangadi (born 1951), Indian actor, BAFTA winner for Gandhi
Rohini Mariam Idicula, Indian actress, anchor and model
Rohini Khadilkar (born 1963), Indian chess player
Rohini Khadse-Khewalkar (born 1982), Indian politician
Rohini Kuner (born 1970), Indian-born German pharmacologist and academic
Rohini Marasinghe, Sri Lankan puisne justice of the Supreme Court
Rohini Mohan, Indian musician and artist
Rohini Mohan, Indian journalist and writer
Rohini Molleti (born 1969), Indian actress, screenwriter, dubbing artist and lyricist
Rohini Nanayakkara Sri Lankan banker
Rohini Nilekani (born 1960), Indian author and philanthropist
Rohini Pande, Indian economist
Kodavatiganti Rohini Prasad (1949–2012), Indian author and scientist
Rohini Salian (born 1947), Indian lawyer and prosecutor
Rohini Somanathan (born 1965), Indian economist
Rohini Kesavan Srihari, American computer scientist and entrepreneur
Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, Sri Lankan politician