Shahid m Arabic, UrduMeans
"witness" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الشاهد (al-Shahid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Shaima f ArabicPossibly means
"beauty marks" in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of
Halimah, the foster mother of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Shakira f ArabicFeminine form of
Shakir. A famous bearer is the Colombian singer Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (1977-), known simply as Shakira.
Shakur m ArabicMeans
"thankful" in Arabic, from the root
شكر (shakara) meaning "to thank". In Islamic tradition
الشكور (al-Shakur) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Shams ad-Din m ArabicMeans
"sun of the religion", from Arabic
شمس (shams) meaning "sun" and
دين (din) meaning "religion, faith". This was the given name of the 14th-century Berber explorer Ibn Battuta.
Shariah m ArabicMeans
"divine law, noble law" in Arabic, ultimately from an old Arabic word meaning "pathway".
Sherali m Uzbek, TajikFrom Uzbek and Tajik
sher meaning "lion" (of Persian origin) combined with the name
Ali 1.
Suha f ArabicMeans
"forgotten, overlooked" in Arabic.
Al-Suha (also called
Alcor) is the name of a star in the constellation Ursa Major.
Suhail m Arabic, UrduDerived from Arabic
سَهُلَ (sahula) meaning
"level, even". 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, AvarMeans
"ruler, king, sultan" in Arabic. In the Arab world this name is typically masculine, but Turkey it is given to both boys and girls.
Sumayya f ArabicMeans
"high above" in Arabic. This was the name of the first martyr for Islam.
Su'ud m ArabicMeans
"fortune, good luck" in Arabic, a plural form of
Sa'd. This name is traditionally transcribed as
Saud. It was the name of the ancestor of the Saud dynasty, the ruling family of Saudi Arabia.
Taha m ArabicFrom the Arabic letters
ط (called
ta) and
ه (called
ha). These letters begin the 20th chapter of the Quran (surah Ta Ha).
Táhirih f HistoryVariant of
Tahira. This was the title of Fatimah Baraghani (1814-1852), a Persian poet, theologian and reformer.
Talatu f HausaFrom Hausa
Talata meaning
"Tuesday" (of Arabic origin).
Talib m ArabicMeans
"seeker of knowledge, student" in Arabic. Abu Talib was an uncle of the Prophet
Muhammad who raised him after his parents and grandparents died. His name was in fact a kunya (a nickname) formed using
Abu; his real name may have been
Imran.
Tariq m Arabic, UrduMeans
"visitor, knocker at the door" in Arabic, from
طرق (taraqa) "to knock". This is the Arabic name of the morning star. Tariq ibn Ziyad was the Islamic general who conquered Spain for the Umayyad Caliphate in the 8th century.
Tawfiq m ArabicMeans
"good fortune", derived from Arabic
وفق (wafiqa) meaning "to be successful".
Thurayya f ArabicMeans
"the Pleiades" in Arabic. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus.
Tuba f Arabic, TurkishFrom the name of a type of tree that is believed to grow in heaven in Islamic tradition. It means "blessedness" in Arabic.
Umar m Arabic, Urdu, Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Indonesian, HausaMeans
"populous, flourishing", derived from Arabic
عمر ('umr) meaning "life". Umar was a companion and strong supporter of the Prophet
Muhammad who became the second caliph of the Muslims. He is considered to be one of the great founders of the Muslim state. The name was also borne by a 12th-century poet from Persia, Umar Khayyam.
Umm f ArabicMeans
"mother" in Arabic. This is often used in a kunya, a type of Arabic nickname (see the masculine counterpart
Abu).
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.
Wadud m ArabicMeans
"lover, affectionate" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الودود (al-Wadud) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Wafi m ArabicMeans
"trustworthy, reliable, loyal, perfect" in Arabic.
Wahid m ArabicMeans
"peerless, unique" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الوحيد (al-Wahid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Wail m ArabicPossibly means
"refuge, shelter" in Arabic.
Walid m ArabicMeans
"newborn", derived from Arabic
ولد (walada) meaning "to give birth". This was the name of the Umayyad caliph who conquered Spain in the 8th century.
Warda f ArabicMeans
"rose" in Arabic, ultimately a borrowing from an Iranian language.
Wasi m ArabicMeans
"broad-minded, liberal, learned" in Arabic.
Yasin m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, TurkishFrom the Arabic letters
ي (called
ya) and
س (called
sin). These letters begin the 36th chapter of the Quran (surah Ya Sin).
Yasir m Arabic, UrduMeans
"to be rich", derived from Arabic
يسر (yasira) meaning "to become easy". This was the name of an early Islamic martyr. It was also borne by Yasir Arafat (1929-2004), a leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
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. In Islamic tradition
الظاهر (al-Zahir) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Zahi m ArabicMeans
"beautiful, brilliant" in Arabic.
Zaida f Arabic (Rare), SpanishFeminine form of
Zayd. This was the name of a Muslim princess who took refuge at the court of (and perhaps married) Alfonso VI of León and Castile in the 11th century.
Zaira f Italian, SpanishItalian and Spanish form of
Zaïre. It was used by Vincenzo Bellini for the heroine of his opera
Zaira (1829), which was based on Voltaire's 1732 play
Zaïre.
Zaïre f LiteratureUsed by Voltaire for the heroine of his tragic play
Zaïre (1732), about an enslaved Christian woman who is due to marry the Sultan. She is named
Zara in many English adaptations. The name was earlier used by Jean Racine for a minor character (also a slave girl) in his play
Bajazet (1672). It is likely based on the Arabic name
Zahra.
Zara 1 f Literature, EnglishUsed by William Congreve for a character in his tragedy
The Mourning Bride (1697), where it belongs to a captive North African queen. Congreve may have based it on the Arabic name
Zahra. In 1736 the English writer Aaron Hill used it to translate
Zaïre for his popular adaptation of Voltaire's French play
Zaïre (1732).
... [more] Zayd m ArabicDerived from Arabic
زاد (zada) meaning
"to increase". This was the name of a slave who became the adopted son of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Zayn m ArabicMeans
"beauty, grace" in Arabic. This was the name of a son of
Husayn ibn Ali. Shia Muslims consider him to be the fourth imam.
... [more] Zaynab f ArabicMeaning uncertain. It is possibly related to Arabic
زين (zayn) meaning "beauty"; it could be from the name of a fragrant flowering tree; or it could be an Arabic form of
Zenobia, a name borne by a pre-Islamic queen of Palmyra. Zaynab was the name of a daughter, a granddaughter, and two wives of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Ziya m Arabic, TurkishDerived from Arabic
ضياء (diya) meaning
"splendour, light, glow". This was the name of a 14th-century Islamic Indian historian.
Ziya ad-Din m ArabicMeans
"splendour of religion" from Arabic
ضياء (diya) meaning "splendour, light, glow" combined with
دين (din) meaning "religion, faith".
Zohreh f PersianMeans
"Venus (planet)" in Persian, borrowed from Arabic
الزهرة (al-Zuharah), derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
Zubaida f Arabic, UrduMeans
"elite, prime, cream" in Arabic. This was the name of a 9th-century wife of Harun ar-Rashid, the Abbasid caliph featured in the stories of
The 1001 Nights.
Zubair m Arabic, UrduDerived from Arabic
زبر (zubar) meaning
"iron". Zubair ibn al-Awwam was a cousin of the Prophet
Muhammad and an early Muslim military commander.
Zuhra 2 f Arabic (Rare)Means
"brilliancy, light" in Arabic, derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine". This name is written identically to the related name
Zahrah, though it is pronounced differently.
Zuhura f Swahili, DhivehiMeans
"Venus (planet)" in Swahili and Dhivehi. Both are borrowed from Arabic
الزهرة (al-Zuharah), derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
Zuleika f LiteratureMeaning uncertain, possibly of Arabic origin. According to medieval tradition, notably related by the 15th-century Persian poet Jami, this was the name of the biblical Potiphar's wife. She has been a frequent subject of poems and tales.
Zulfiqar m Arabic, UrduFrom Arabic
ذو الفقار (Dhu al-Faqar) interpreted as meaning
"cleaver of the spine", derived from
ذو (dhu) meaning "possessor, holder" and
فقار (faqar) meaning "spine, vertebra". This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's sword, also used by his son-in-law
Ali.