Varma (name)
Varmā, Verma, Varman, Barman or Burman (Sanskrit: वर्मा Varmā, वर्मन् Varman) are surnames found in India and South-East Asia. In modern times, these surnames have been adopted by several other communities.
Varma is also a Finnish name, with the etymology "confident" or "firm". It has been used both as a male and a female name.
Finnish usage
The word varma means "certain", "sure", "confident". The name is of relatively recent origin, and belongs to the class of names introduced in the early 20th century names with literal meanings in Finnish. Its first official appearance was in the 1909 St. Petersburg Finnish calendar. As of 2009, it has been given to 180 boys and 680 girls. Although officially it is considered a female name, it has been given to a few boys even in the 2000s. Nevertheless, most Varmas have been born in the early 20th century. Varma's name day is 23 August.
Indian traditional usage
The Sanskrit word Varmaa is masculine form of the word Varman, meaning "Shield, defensive armour". This has been used as a surname traditionally by people of ruling/kshatriya castes.