Dhriti is a Sanskrit name meaning 'steadfastness,' 'courage,' or 'patience.'
Dhriti is a classical Sanskrit name of deep resonance within Hindu tradition, derived from the root dhṛ, meaning "to hold," "to support," or "to maintain." As a given name, Dhriti is most commonly translated as "courage," "patience," "steadfastness," or "determination" — qualities highly prized in the dharmic worldview. In the Bhagavad Gita, dhṛti appears as a virtue of the righteous: in Chapter 18, Lord Krishna enumerates the sattvic (pure) form of dhṛti as the unwavering resolve that sustains one through yoga, duty, and spiritual practice.
The name appears in ancient texts and is woven into the fabric of classical Indian literature and philosophy. It is found across Hindu-majority regions of India — particularly in Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra, and the broader Hindi belt — and among Indian diaspora communities worldwide. Dhriti is almost exclusively feminine in modern usage, though the virtue it names is gender-neutral in the philosophical literature.
There is also Dhritarashtra, the blind king of the Mahabharata, whose name shares the same root, lending Dhriti a subtle connection to one of the world's great epics. In contemporary India and among South Asian communities globally, Dhriti is appreciated for its elegant sound and its meaningful core. Unlike many names chosen for phonetic appeal alone, Dhriti offers parents the chance to gift their child a word-name with centuries of philosophical weight — an aspiration, a character ideal, encoded in two syllables. Its gentle rhythm and soft consonants make it accessible internationally while preserving its distinctly Sanskrit identity.