Viṭṭu-nāmam — The Name of Viṣṇu's Servant
"Viṭṭu-nāmam" is a Tamil compound: Viṭṭu is a Tamil form of Viṣṇu (from Viṭṭuvam, used in classical Tamil Vaiṣṇava usage to denote Viṣṇu or that which belongs to Viṣṇu), and nāmam means name. Together, the compound denotes the name that identifies its bearer as belonging to Viṣṇu — a servant's name, not a master's name.
At Pañca-saṃskāra initiation, the Āchārya bestows upon the new initiate a Dāsya-nāma — a Sanskrit name ending in -dāsa (male) or -dāsī (female), meaning servant. Common forms include Rāmānuja-dāsa (servant of Rāmānuja), Veṅkaṭeśa-dāsa (servant of Veṅkaṭeśa, i.e., Tirupati Śrīnivāsa), Nārāyaṇa-dāsa, Lakṣmīnṛsiṃha-dāsa, and so on. The name may honour either Bhagavān directly or the Āchārya in whose lineage the initiate now enters — in both cases the name declares a change of ownership: the initiate is no longer governed by the ego-self but belongs entirely to the Lord and His community.
The Viṭṭu-nāmam is not a mere title but a theological statement. The Śrī Vaiṣṇava ācāryas teach that the jīvātman's eternal identity (svarūpa) is precisely that of a servant (śeṣa) of Bhagavān (śeṣī). The Viṭṭu-nāmam makes this metaphysical truth visible and socially embodied: every time the name is used, the relationship of servant and Lord is affirmed. Using one's Viṭṭu-nāmam — especially in the temple or in the assembly of devotees — is itself a form of smaraṇa (remembrance) and svarūpa-anusandhāna (reflection on the soul's true nature).