Various explanations of the name "Ravana" can be found. The literal translation from Sanskrit: (rAvaNa) is "Singing", Sharp. In Sanskrit the literal translation of (sItA rAvaNaM na gaNayati sma) mentioned as Sita did not care for Ravana.[3]

In Tamil, literal translation the name Ravanaswaran mentioned as "A person with ultimate rights" (Iraavanan = "Ira" (Tamil: ) "Avanan" (Tamil: ), "a boy with incomparable beauty"[citation needed] and "A Man with strong principles".[4] A third explanation from Pargiter, "Ravana" may originally have been a Sanskritisation of Iraivan, the Tamil or Dravidian for a lord or king.[5][6]

Ravana had many other popular names such as Dasis Ravana, Dasis Sakvithi Maha Ravana, Dashaanan, Raavan, Ravula, Lankeshwar, Lankeshwaran, Ravanaeshwaran all signifying the qualities of his life. Variations of the names (alphabetically) include the following:

Assamese: [abn]Bengali: RaabonBurmese: [jwna]Devanagari: RaavaaGujarati: Indonesian: RahwanaJavanese: Rahwana or Dasamuka (from Daamukha or 'ten-faced')Kannada: RaavanaKashmiri: RaavunKhmer: or (ten-faced) or (ten-necked)Lao: RaphanasuanMalay: Rawana or WanaMalayalam: RaavananMaranao: LawanaMarathi: RaawanNepali: RawanThai: Rawana or corrupted as Rap, but more commonly Thotsakan (from Dashakantha or 'ten-necked')Tamil: IraavananTelugu: RvaaSanskrit: RvaaSinhalese: RavanaYuan: RahbanasunMarwari: Raavan MurarkaOdia: Rabana