Aaliyah عالية f Arabic, English (Modern), African American (Modern)Feminine form of
Aali. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by the singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001), who was known simply as Aaliyah. This name received a boost in popularity after she released her debut album in 1994, and also in 2001 after her untimely death in an airplane crash.
Abir عبير f ArabicMeans
"scent, fragrance" in Arabic.
Abla عبلة f ArabicMeans
"full-figured" in Arabic. The 7th-century Arab poet Antara dedicated much of his poetry to a woman named Abla.
Abrar أبرار f & m Arabic, Urdu, BengaliMeans
"virtuous" in Arabic. It is typically feminine in the Arab world, and typically masculine in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
Afaf عفاف f ArabicMeans
"chastity" in Arabic, from the root
عفّ (ʿaffa) meaning "to refrain, to be chaste".
Afnan أفنان f ArabicMeans
"tree branches" in Arabic, the plural form of
فنن (fanan). It is given in reference to verse
55:48 in the Quran.
Amal 1 أمل f & m ArabicMeans
"hope, aspiration" in Arabic, from the root
أمل (ʾamala) meaning "to hope for".
Amani أماني f ArabicMeans
"wishes" in Arabic, related to the root
منا (manā) meaning "to tempt, to put to the test".
Amina 1 آمنة f Arabic, Bosnian, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Ingush, Kazakh, Urdu, Swahili, HausaDerived from Arabic
أمن (ʾamina) meaning
"safe, secure". This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's mother, who died when he was young.
Arwa أروى f ArabicMeans
"female ibex, mountain goat" in Arabic. This name was borne by some relatives of the Prophet
Muhammad. It was also the name of a 12th-century queen of Yemen.
Ashraqat أشراقات f ArabicMeans
"brightness, splendour, dawn" in Arabic, derived from the root
شرق (sharaqa) meaning "to radiate, to shine, to rise".
Asiya آسيا, آسية f Arabic, UrduPossibly from Arabic
أسي (ʾasiya) meaning
"to be distressed, to be grieved". According to Islamic tradition this was the name of the wife of the pharaoh at the time of
Moses. She took care of the infant Moses and later accepted monotheism.
Asma أسماء, أسمى f Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, MalayMeans
"supreme, higher" in Arabic, a derivative of the root
سما (samā) meaning "to be high". This was the name of a daughter of
Abu Bakr, the first caliph of the Muslims.
Asra أسرى f ArabicMeans
"travel at night" in Arabic.
Aya 2 آية f ArabicMeans
"sign, evidence" or
"verse" in Arabic, as in one of the passages that make up the Quran.
Ayda عائدة f Arabic, Persian, TurkishMeans
"returning, visitor" in Arabic. In Turkey this is also associated with
ay meaning "moon".
Bahija بهيجة f ArabicMeans
"happy, joyous, delightful" in Arabic, from the verb
بهج (bahija) meaning "to be happy, to rejoice in".
Batul بتول f ArabicMeans
"virgin" in Arabic. This is an Arabic epithet of the Virgin
Mary.
Esmat عصمت f & m Persian, ArabicAlternate transcription of Arabic
عصمت (see
Ismat), as well as the usual Persian transcription (typically feminine).
Fajr فجر f ArabicMeans
"dawn, beginning" in Arabic. This is the name of a daily prayer that is recited in the morning by observant Muslims.
Fatiha فاتحة f Arabic (Maghrebi)Means
"opener" in Arabic, from the root
فتح (fataḥa) meaning "to open, to conquer". This is the name of the first chapter (surah al-Fatiha) of the Quran.
Fatima فاطمة f Arabic, Urdu, BosnianDerived from Arabic
فطم (faṭama) meaning
"to abstain, to wean". Fatima was a daughter of the Prophet
Muhammad and the wife of
Ali, the fourth caliph. She is regarded as the exemplary Muslim woman, especially among Shias.
Fatin 1 فاتن f ArabicMeans
"charming, seductive, fascinating" in Arabic.
Fayruz فيروز f ArabicMeans
"turquoise (gemstone)" in Arabic, ultimately of Persian origin.
Hadia 1 هديّة f ArabicMeans
"gift" in Arabic, ultimately a derivative of
هدى (hadā) meaning "to lead the right way, to guide".
Hadil هديل f ArabicMeans
"cooing (of a pigeon)" in Arabic.
Hafsa حفصة f Arabic, Urdu, TurkishMeans
"gathering" in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of
Umar, the second caliph, and a wife of
Muhammad. It was also borne by the influential mother of
Süleyman the Magnificent.
Hajar هاجر f Arabic, PersianArabic form of
Hagar. According to Islamic tradition she was a daughter of the king of Egypt, who became the second wife of
Ibrahim and the mother of
Ismail.
Hala هالة f ArabicMeans
"halo around the moon" in Arabic. This was the name of a sister-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Hanan 2 حنان f ArabicMeans
"mercy, compassion" in Arabic, derived from the root
حنّ (ḥanna) meaning "to sympathize, to pity".
Haniyya هنيّة f ArabicFrom Arabic
هنيء (hanīʾ) meaning
"pleasant, beneficial", from the root
هنأ (hanaʾa) meaning "to gladden, to enjoy".
Hanna 1 حنّة f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German, Dutch, Icelandic, Hungarian, Arabic, HebrewForm of
Ḥanna (see
Hannah) in several languages.
Hasna حسناء f ArabicMeans
"beauty" in Arabic, a derivative of
حسن (ḥasuna) meaning "to be beautiful, to be good".
Haya هيا f ArabicMeans
"hurry, come quickly" in Arabic.
Hayat حية f & m Arabic, Persian, UrduMeans
"life" in Arabic, from
حيي (ḥayiya) meaning "to live". In Arabic and Persian it is a feminine name, while in Urdu it is masculine.
Hikmat حكمة m & f ArabicMeans
"wisdom" in Arabic, related to the root
حكم (ḥakama) meaning "to pass judgement, to decide".
Hind هند f ArabicPossibly means
"group of camels" in Arabic. Hind bint Abi Umayyah, also known as Umm Salama, was one of the wives of the Prophet
Muhammad. This is also the Arabic name for the country of India.
Huda هدى f ArabicMeans
"right guidance" in Arabic, from the root
هدى (hadā) meaning "to lead the right way, to guide".
Huriya حوريّة f Arabic (Rare)Means
"nymph, heavenly maiden" in Arabic, referring to the houris, who are beautiful maidens who dwell in the Islamic afterlife.
Ibtihaj ابتهاج f ArabicMeans
"joy" in Arabic, from the root
بهج (bahija) meaning "to be happy, to rejoice in".
Inam إنعام f ArabicMeans
"giving, bestowal, act of kindness" in Arabic, ultimately related to
نعم (naʿima) meaning "to live in comfort, to be delighted".
Inas إيناس f ArabicMeans
"friendliness" in Arabic, from the root
أنس (ʾanisa) meaning "to be friendly".
Isra إسراء f ArabicMeans
"nocturnal journey" in Arabic, derived from
سرى (sarā) meaning "to travel by night". According to Islamic tradition, the
Isra was a miraculous journey undertaken by the Prophet
Muhammad.
Izdihar ازدهار f ArabicMeans
"blossoming, prospering" in Arabic, a derivative of
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine, to bloom".
Janan جنان f ArabicMeans
"heart" or
"soul" in Arabic, a derivative of
جنّ (janna) meaning "to cover, to hide".
Jawahir جواهر f ArabicMeans
"jewels" in Arabic, ultimately from Persian
گوهر (gōhar) meaning "jewel, essence".
Jawdat جودت m & f ArabicMeans
"goodness, excellence" in Arabic, derived from
جاد (jāda) meaning "to be excellent, to be generous".
Jinan جنان m & f ArabicMeans
"garden" or
"paradise" in Arabic, ultimately from the root
جنّ (janna) meaning "to cover, to hide".
Karam كرم m & f ArabicMeans
"nobility, generosity" in Arabic, derived from
كرم (karuma) meaning "to be generous".
Kawthar كوثر f ArabicMeans
"abundance" in Arabic. This is the name of the 108th chapter (surah al-Kawthar) of the Quran.
Khadija خديجة f Arabic, Urdu, BengaliMeans
"premature child" in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's first wife and the mother of all of his children, with the exception of one. She was a wealthy merchant and a widow when they married in the year 595. Muhammad received his first revelation 15 years after their marriage, and she was the first person to convert to Islam.
Khayra خيرة f ArabicMeans
"good deed" in Arabic, a derivative of
خير (khayr) meaning "goodness, charity".
Khulud خلد f ArabicMeans
"infinite, endless" in Arabic, a derivative of
خلد (khalada) meaning "to last forever".
Lamia 1 لامعة f ArabicMeans
"shining, radiant" in Arabic, derived from the root
لمع (lamaʿa) meaning "to shine, to gleam".
Lamya لمياء f ArabicDerived from the poetic Arabic word
لمى (lamā) meaning
"dark red lips".
Layan ليان f ArabicMeans
"soft, delicate" in Arabic, from the root
لان (lāna) meaning "to be soft".
Layla ليلى f Arabic, EnglishMeans
"night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet
Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem
Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song
Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.
Lina 1 لينا f ArabicMeans
"soft, tender" in Arabic, derived from
لان (lāna) meaning "to be soft". It can also be from Arabic
لينة (līna), a type of palm tree, likely derived from the same root.
Lubna لبنى f Arabic, Urdu, BengaliMeans
"storax tree" in Arabic. According to a 7th-century Arabic tale Lubna and Qays were a couple forced to divorce by Qays's father.
Maha مها f ArabicMeans
"oryx" in Arabic. The oryx is a variety of antelope that is said to represent beauty.
Mai 4 مي f ArabicMeans
"water" in Arabic, a dialectal variant of
ماء (māʾ).
Manal منال f ArabicMeans
"achievement, attainment" in Arabic, from the root
نال (nāla) meaning "to get, to reach".
Marwa مروة f ArabicFrom the Arabic name of a fragrant plant. Al-Marwa is the name of one of the two sacred hills near Mecca.
Maryam مريم f Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Indonesian, Bashkir, TatarArabic form of
Miryam (see
Mary) appearing in the Quran. It is also the form used in several other languages. In Iran it is also the name of a flower, the tuberose, which is named after the Virgin Mary.
Masuma معصومة f Arabic, Pashto, UrduMeans
"innocent, sinless" in Arabic, derived from the root
عصم (ʿaṣama) meaning "to protect". After her death, this name was applied to Fatima, a daughter of the 9th-century Shia imam Musa al-Kazim.
Maymuna ميمونة f Arabic (Rare)Means
"auspicious, blessed, favourable" in Arabic, from the root
يمن (yamana) meaning "to be lucky, to go to the right".
Mumtaz ممتاز m & f Arabic, UrduMeans
"distinguished, outstanding" in Arabic, derived from
امتاز (imtāza) meaning "to be distinguished". The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631).
Munya منية f ArabicMeans
"wish, desire" in Arabic, related to the root
منا (manā) meaning "to tempt, to put to the test".
Nada 1 ندى f ArabicFrom Arabic
نَدًى (nadan) meaning
"dew, moisture, generosity", a derivative of
ندي (nadiya) meaning "to be moist, to be damp".
Nadiyya ناديّة f ArabicMeans
"announcement, call" in Arabic, derived from
نادى (nādā) meaning "to call, to announce, to invite".
Nafisa نفيسة f ArabicFrom Arabic
نفيس (nafīs) meaning
"precious, valuable", from the root
نفس (nafusa) meaning "to be precious".
Naila نائلة f Arabic, UrduFeminine form of
Nail. This was the name of the wife of
Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims. She tried in vain to prevent a mob from murdering her husband, and had several fingers cut off in the process.
Najwa نجوى f ArabicMeans
"secret, whisper, confidential talk" in Arabic, from the root
نجا (najā) meaning "to save, to entrust, to confide in".