Shankar sits next to 4 phonetic neighbors — Shanker, Sankar, and Shankar are the closest matches by sound. Most share Shankar's Indian-origin cluster, so the rhythm and vowel shape carry across the list.
You searched for names like
"enlightened one"
"victory of the people"
"New house or new home"
"Character from the manga and anime Tokyo Ghoul"
"one who lives near a spring or who springs"
"narrow strait, channel"
"noble, high"
"cold, icy in manner"
"part of the noble"
"noble one (from Germanic adal)"
"from the hall or manor house"
"all-powerful, omnipotent"
"frozen water, crystalline coolness"
"dear one, beloved by the pool"
"wise, skilled marksman"
Similar sound: These names share phonetic patterns with Shankar — similar vowel sounds, consonant clusters, or rhythm.
Rhythm: Shankar is a 2-syllable name. Names with the same syllable count tend to feel interchangeable when you're narrowing your list.