Nadim نديم m Arabic, UrduMeans
"drinking companion", derived from Arabic
ندم (nadima) meaning "to drink together".
Nadiyya ناديّة f ArabicMeans
"moist, tender, delicate" in Arabic.
Naila نائلة f ArabicFeminine 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.
Na'im نعيم m ArabicMeans
"tranquil, happy, at ease" in Arabic.
Naji نجيّ m ArabicMeans
"intimate friend" in Arabic. This can also be another way of transcribing the name
ناجي (see
Naaji).
Najib نجيب m ArabicMeans
"noble" or
"intelligent" in Arabic.
Nasir ناصر, نصير m ArabicMeans
"helper" in Arabic. This transcription represents two different Arabic names.
Nur ad-Din نور الدين m ArabicMeans
"light of religion", from Arabic
نور (nur) meaning "light" combined with
دين (din) meaning "religion, faith".
Omar 1 عمر m Arabic, Kazakh, Malay, English, Spanish, ItalianAlternate transcription of Arabic
عمر (see
Umar). This is the usual English spelling of the 12th-century poet Umar Khayyam's name. In his honour it has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world, notably for the American general Omar Bradley (1893-1981).
Qadir قادر, قدير m ArabicMeans
"capable, powerful, mighty" in Arabic. This transcription represents two different ways of spelling the name in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
القادر (al-Qadir) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Qasim قاسم m Arabic, UrduMeans
"one who divides goods among his people", derived from Arabic
قسم (qasama) meaning "to share" or "to divide". This was the name of a son of the Prophet
Muhammad who died while young.
Qays قيس m ArabicMeans
"measurement" in Arabic. This was the real name of Majnun, the lover of
Layla, in Nizami Ganjavi's 12th-century poem
Layla and Majnun.
Qusay قصي m ArabicPossibly derived from Arabic
قصي (qasi) meaning
"distant". This was the name of an ancestor of the Prophet
Muhammad who was in charge of a temple in Mecca.
Raabi'a رابعة f ArabicMeans
"fourth" in Arabic. This name was borne by an 8th-century Sufi mystic from Basra in Iraq.
Ra'd رعد m ArabicMeans
"thunder" in Arabic. This is the name of the 13th chapter of the Quran (surah ar-Rad).
Rais رئيس m ArabicMeans
"leader, chief" in Arabic.
Rajab رجب m ArabicFrom the name of the seventh month in the Islamic calendar, derived from Arabic
رجب (rajaba) meaning "respect, awe".
Ramadan رَمَضان m ArabicFrom the name of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
رمض (ramad) meaning "parchedness, scorchedness". Muslims traditionally fast during this month.
Rana 1 رنا f ArabicMeans
"eye-catching object" from Arabic
رنا (rana) meaning "to gaze".
Raniya رانية f ArabicMeans
"looking at", derived from Arabic
رنا (rana) meaning "to gaze".
Rashid رشيد, راشد m ArabicMeans
"rightly guided" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الرشيد (al-Rashid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
... [more] Rauf رؤوف m ArabicMeans
"compassionate" in Arabic.
Rawiya راوية f ArabicMeans
"storyteller", derived from Arabic
روى (rawa) meaning "to relate".
Rayyan ريّان m & f ArabicMeans
"watered, luxuriant" in Arabic. According to Islamic tradition this is the name of one of the gates of paradise.
Riad رياض m ArabicMeans
"meadows, gardens", from the plural of Arabic
روضة (rawdah).
Ridha رضاء m ArabicMeans
"satisfaction, contentment" in Arabic. This name was borne by Ali ar-Ridha, a 9th-century Shia imam.
Rihanna رَيحانة f ArabicAlternate transcription of Arabic
رَيحانة (see
Rayhana). This name is borne by the Barbadian singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty (1988-), known simply as Rihanna. In the United States it jumped in popularity between the years 2005 and 2008, when Rihanna was releasing her first albums. It quickly declined over the next few years.
Rim ريم f ArabicMeans
"white antelope" in Arabic.
Rubab رباب f ArabicFrom an Arabic word referring to a type of stringed musical instrument. This was the name of the wife of the Prophet
Muhammad's grandson
Husayn.
Ruqayyah رقيّة f ArabicDerived either from Arabic
رقى (ruqia) meaning
"rise, ascent" or from
رقية (ruqyah) meaning
"spell, charm, incantation". This was the name of one of the daughters of the Prophet
Muhammad. She became a wife of
Uthman, the third caliph of the Muslims.
Rusul رسل m ArabicMeans
"prophets, messengers" in Arabic.
Ruya رؤية f ArabicMeans
"vision, sight" in Arabic.
Sa'd سعد m ArabicMeans
"fortune, good luck" in Arabic. Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas was a military commander during the early years of Islam, serving under the Prophet
Muhammad and his successor
Umar.
Sadaf صدف f ArabicMeans
"seashell, mother-of-pearl" in Arabic.
Safaa صفا, صفاء f & m ArabicMeans
"pure", from Arabic
صفا (safa). As-Safaa is the name of one of the two sacred hills near Mecca. This can also be an alternate transcription of Arabic
صفاء (see
Safaa').
Safaa' صفاء f & m ArabicMeans
"serenity, clarity" in Arabic.
Sa'id سعيد m ArabicMeans
"happy, lucky" in Arabic. This was the name of a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Sajjad سجّاد m ArabicMeans
"kneeling in prayer, prostration" in Arabic.
Sakhr صخر m ArabicMeans
"solid rock" in Arabic. This name appears in the poems of the 7th-century poetess Al-Khansa.
Salah ad-Din صلاح الدين m ArabicMeans
"righteousness of religion" from Arabic
صلاح (salah) meaning "righteousness" combined with
دين (din) meaning "religion, faith". A famous bearer of this name was the sultan Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, known in the western world as Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt in the 12th century. He recaptured Jerusalem from the crusaders and repelled the invaders of the Third Crusade. Salah ad-Din was an honourific; his birth name was
Yusuf.
Salih صالح m Arabic, Turkish, BosnianMeans
"virtuous" in Arabic. According to the Quran this was the name of an early Arabian prophet.
Salim سليم, سالم m ArabicMeans
"safe, sound, intact" in Arabic, derived from the root
سَلِمَ (salima) meaning "to be safe". This transcription represents two different Arabic names:
سليم, in which the second vowel is long, and
سالم, in which the first vowel is long.
Sanaa سناء f ArabicMeans
"brilliance, radiance, splendour" in Arabic.
Sara سارة f Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, German, French, Dutch, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Bosnian, Biblical GreekForm of
Sarah used in various languages.
Sarah سارة f English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"lady, princess, noblewoman" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of
Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with
Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally
Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see
Genesis 17:15).
... [more] Sawda سودة f ArabicPossibly means
"palm-tree garden" in Arabic. This was the name of a wife of the Prophet
Muhammad. She was said to have lived for a time in Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia and Eritrea).
Sayyid سيّد m ArabicMeans
"lord, master" in Arabic. A famous bearer was the Egyptian musician Sayyid Darwish (1892-1923).
Shaban شعبان m Arabic, AlbanianFrom the name of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
شعب (sha'aba) meaning "scatter".
Shahid شاهد m Arabic, UrduMeans
"witness" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الشاهد (al-Shahid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Shahin شاهين m Persian, ArabicMeans
"falcon" in Persian, referring more specifically to the Barbary falcon (species Falco pelegrinoides). The bird's name is a derivative of Persian
شاه (shah) meaning "king".
Shahrazad شهرزاد f Persian (Rare), ArabicMeans
"free city" from the Persian elements
شهر (shahr) meaning "city" and
آزاد (azad) meaning "free". This is the name of the fictional storyteller in
The 1001 Nights. She tells a story to her husband the king every night for 1001 nights in order to delay her execution.
Shaima شيماء f ArabicPossibly means
"beauty marks" in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of
Halimah, the foster mother of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Shakira شاكرة f ArabicFeminine form of
Shakir. A famous bearer is the Colombian singer Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (1977-), known simply as Shakira.
Shakur شكور m ArabicMeans
"thankful" in Arabic, from the root
شَكَرَ (shakara) meaning "to thank". In Islamic tradition
الشكور (al-Shakur) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Shariah شريعة m ArabicMeans
"divine law, noble law" in Arabic, ultimately from an old Arabic word meaning "pathway".
Shihab شهاب m ArabicMeans
"shooting star, meteor" in Arabic.
Suha سها f ArabicMeans
"forgotten, overlooked" in Arabic.
Al-Suha (also called
Alcor) is the name of a star in the constellation Ursa Major.
Suhail سهيل 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 سلطان m & f Arabic, Turkish, Urdu, Bengali, 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 سميّة f ArabicMeans
"high above" in Arabic. This was the name of the first martyr for Islam.
Su'ud سعود 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 طه m ArabicFrom the Arabic letters
ط (called
ta) and
ه (called
ha). These letters begin the 20th chapter of the Quran (surah Ta Ha).
Tal'at طَلعَت m ArabicPossibly means
"face, sight" in Arabic.
Talib طالب 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 طارق m ArabicMeans
"he who knocks at the door" in Arabic. 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.
Tasnim تسنيم f ArabicMeans
"a spring in paradise" in Arabic.
Tawfiq توفيق m ArabicMeans
"good fortune", derived from Arabic
وفق (wafiqa) meaning "to be successful".
Tayyib طيّب m ArabicMeans
"pleasant, good-natured" in Arabic.
Thamina ثمينة f ArabicMeans
"valuable, precious, priceless" in Arabic.
Thurayya ثريّا, ثريّة f ArabicMeans
"the Pleiades" in Arabic. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus.
Tuba طوبى 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.