Jainism ke anusar, "naam" ek prakaar ka karma hai, jise "Naam karma" kehte hain. Jain darshan ke anusar, karma chhe prakaar ke hote hain—aur unmein se chaar ghatiya (aatma ko badalne wale) karma hain: gyaanavarniya, darshanavarniya, mohaniya, aur antaraya; aur chaar aghatiya karma hain: vedaniya, naam, gotra, aur ayushya.

Naam karma sharir, indriya, jaati, sanghyaan, sparsh, bandhan, sanghatna, varna, gandh, rasa, sparsh, anupurvi, pratyeka, sadharan, sthiti, pratishtha, pradesha, upaghata, paraghata, atap, uddyota, agurulaghu, and similar sharirik (physical) guno ko nirdharit karta hai. Arthaat, aatma ko kaunsa sharir milega, kaunsi indriyaan hongi, kaisa rang, kaisi gandh, kaunsi jaati, yeh sab naam karma se nirdharit hota hai.

Isliye, Jain darshan ke anusar, "naam" ek karma padaarth hai jo aatma par bandhta hai aur uski sharirik aur bhautik visheshtaaon ko nirdharit karta hai.