Al-Amir m Arabic (Rare)Means
"the commander, the prince" in Arabic. This was the name of a 10th-century Fatimid imam.
Asghar m Arabic, Persian, UrduMeans
"smallest, youngest" in Arabic. It is used by Shias in honour of Ali al-Asghar, a young son of
Husayn killed with his father.
Bandar m ArabicMeans
"harbour, port" in Arabic (of Persian origin).
Esmail m Persian, ArabicUsual Persian form of
Ishmael, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription. This was the name of the founder of the Safavid Empire in Iran in the early 16th century.
Furqan m Arabic, UrduMeans
"criterion between right and wrong" or
"proof" in Arabic. This is the name of the 25th chapter (surah al-Furqan) of the Quran.
Ghulam m Arabic, Urdu, PashtoMeans
"servant, boy" in Arabic. It is often used as the first part of compound names.
Haidar m ArabicMeans
"lion, warrior" in Arabic. This is a title of
Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Hakeem m ArabicAlternate transcription of Arabic
حكيم (see
Hakim). A famous bearer is Nigerian-born former basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon (1963-).
Hashim m Arabic, Urdu, MalayMeans
"crusher, breaker" in Arabic, derived from the root
هشم (hashama) meaning "to crush, to destroy". This was the nickname of a great-grandfather of the Prophet
Muhammad. He acquired this nickname because of his practice of crumbling bread and giving it to pilgrims.
Hikmat m & f ArabicMeans
"wisdom" in Arabic, related to the root
حكم (ḥakama) meaning "to pass judgement, to decide".
Hisham m Arabic, MalayMeans
"generous" in Arabic, ultimately from
هشم (hashama) meaning "to crush". The meaning derives from the traditional Arab act of crushing bread into crumbs in order to share it. This was the name of an 8th-century caliph of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain.
Husayn m ArabicDiminutive of
Hasan. Husayn ibn Ali (also commonly transliterated
Hussein) was the son of
Ali and the grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad. His older brother was named
Hasan. The massacre of Husayn and his family was a major event in the split between Shia and Sunni Muslims, which continues to this day. In more recent times this was the name of a king of Jordan (1935-1999).
Ismail m Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, Urdu, Bengali, Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Chechen, Avar, Albanian, DhivehiArabic form of
Ishmael, also used in several other languages. According to the Quran and Islamic tradition Ismail was a prophet and the founder of the Arab people.
Jabbar m ArabicMeans
"powerful" in Arabic, a derivative of
جبر (jabara) meaning "to force, to compel". In Islamic tradition
الجبّار (al-Jabbār) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Jawdat m & f ArabicMeans
"goodness, excellence" in Arabic, derived from
جاد (jāda) meaning "to be excellent, to be generous".
Jilani m ArabicFrom the Arabic surname
الجيلاني (al-Jīlānī), borne by the 12th-century Persian Sufi scholar Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (or Abdul Qadir Gilani), indicating he came from the town of Gilan near Baghdad.
Junayd m ArabicMeans
"small army", derived from Arabic
جند (jund) meaning "army, soldiers".
Kareem m ArabicAlternate transcription of Arabic
كريم (see
Karim). A famous bearer of this name is basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1947-).
Karrar m ArabicMeans
"recurring, repeating" in Arabic, derived from
كرّ (karra) meaning "to repeat".
Khaliq m Arabic, UrduMeans
"creator" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الخليق (al-Khalīq) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Khayri m ArabicMeans
"charitable, beneficent" in Arabic, a derivative of
خير (khayr) meaning "goodness, charity".
Maalik m ArabicMeans
"owner, possessor, master" in Arabic, a derivative of
ملك (malaka) meaning "to acquire, to possess".
Mahfuz m ArabicMeans
"safeguarded, preserved" in Arabic, a derivative of
حفظ (ḥafiẓa) meaning "to preserve, to protect".
Mamduh m ArabicMeans
"praised, commended, acclaimed" in Arabic, from the root
مدح (madaḥa) meaning "to praise, to commend".
Maqsud m Arabic, UrduMeans
"intention, aim" in Arabic, a derivative of
قصد (qaṣada) meaning "to intend, to aim, to seek".
Mumtaz 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).
Qismat m ArabicMeans
"fate" in Arabic, related to the root
قسم (qasama) meaning "to divide, to distribute".
Rayyan m & f ArabicMeans
"watered, luxuriant" in Arabic. According to Islamic tradition this is the name of one of the gates of paradise.
Saddam m Arabic, Urdu, BengaliMeans
"one who confronts" in Arabic. It was borne by the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (1937-2006).
Sayyid m ArabicMeans
"lord, master" in Arabic. A famous bearer was the Egyptian musician Sayyid Darwish (1892-1923).
Shaban m Arabic, AlbanianFrom the name of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
شعب (shaʿaba) meaning "scatter".
Shahid 1 m Arabic, UrduMeans
"witness" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الشاهد (al-Shāhid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Shahin m Persian, Arabic, BengaliMeans
"falcon" in Persian, referring more specifically to the Barbary falcon (species Falco pelegrinoides). The bird's name is a derivative of Persian
شاه (shāh) meaning "king".
Shakur m ArabicMeans
"thankful" in Arabic, from the root
شكر (shakara) meaning "to thank". In Islamic tradition
الشكور (al-Shakūr) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Sharia m Arabic (Rare)Means
"divine law, noble law" in Arabic, from the root
شرع (sharaʿa) meaning "to go, to enact".
Suhail m Arabic, UrduDerived from Arabic
سهل (sahl) meaning
"level, even, smooth". This is the Arabic name of the second brightest star in the sky, known in the western world as Canopus. It is also the official (IAU) name of the third brightest star in the constellation Vela.
Sultan m & f Arabic, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Urdu, Bengali, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, IndonesianMeans
"ruler, king, sultan" in Arabic. In the Arab world this name is typically masculine, but Turkey it is given to both boys and girls.
Tawfiq m ArabicMeans
"success, good fortune" in Arabic, derived from
وفق (wafiqa) meaning "to be successful".
Uthman m ArabicMeans
"baby bustard" in Arabic (a bustard is a type of large bird). Uthman was a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad who married two of his daughters. He was the third caliph of the Muslims.
Zaahir 1 m ArabicMeans
"shining, brilliant, radiant" in Arabic, derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
Zaahir 2 m ArabicMeans
"clear, evident, manifest, outward" in Arabic, a derivative of
ظهر (ẓahara) meaning "to be visible, to be clear". In Islamic tradition
الظاهر (al-Ẓāhir) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Zubair m Arabic, UrduDerived from Arabic
زبر (zubar) meaning
"pieces of iron". Zubair ibn al-Awwam was a cousin of the Prophet
Muhammad and an early Muslim military commander.
Zuhair m ArabicMeans
"small flower" in Arabic, from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine, to blossom".