Arabic Names

Arabic names are used in the Arab world, as well as some other regions within the larger Muslim world. They are not necessarily of Arabic origin, though most in fact are. Compare also Persian names and Turkish names. See also about Arabic names.
gender
usage
Shawkat شوكت m Arabic, Bengali
Derived from Arabic شوكة (shawkah) meaning "power, greatness, bravery".
Shayma شيماء f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic شيماء (see Shaima).
Shazi شذيّ f Arabic
Means "fragrant" in Arabic.
Sherif شريف m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic شريف (see Sharif).
Shihab شهاب m Arabic
Means "shooting star, meteor" in Arabic.
Shukri شكريّ m Arabic
Means "thanking" in Arabic.
Shukriya شكريّة f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic شكريّة (see Shukriyya).
Shukriyya شكريّة f Arabic
Feminine form of Shukri.
Shula شعلة f Arabic
Means "flame" in Arabic.
Siddiq صدّيق m Arabic, Urdu
Means "honest, truthful" in Arabic, derived from the root صدق (sadaqa) meaning "to tell the truth".
Siddiqa صدّيقة f Arabic (Rare), Urdu
Feminine form of Siddiq.
Somaya سميّة f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic سميّة (see Sumayya).
Souad سعاد f Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic سعاد (see Su'ad) chiefly used in North Africa.
Su'ad سعاد f Arabic
Means "happiness, luck" in Arabic.
Suad سعاد f & m Arabic, Bosnian, Albanian
Alternate transcription of Arabic سعاد (see Su'ad). In Bosnia and Albania it is typically masculine.
Subhan سبحان m Arabic, Urdu
Means "glory, praise" in Arabic.
Suha سها f Arabic
Means "forgotten, overlooked" in Arabic. Al-Suha (also called Alcor) is the name of a star in the constellation Ursa Major.
Suhail سهيل m Arabic, Urdu
Derived 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.
Suhaila سهيلة f Arabic
Feminine form of Suhail.
Suhayl سهيل m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic سهيل (see Suhail).
Sulaiman سليمان m Arabic, Indonesian, Malay
Alternate transcription of Arabic سليمان (see Sulayman), as well as the usual Indonesian and Malay form.
Sulayman سليمان m Arabic, Kyrgyz
Arabic and Kyrgyz form of Solomon.
Sultan سلطان m & f Arabic, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Urdu, Bengali, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar
Means "ruler, king, sultan" in Arabic. In the Arab world this name is typically masculine, but Turkey it is given to both boys and girls.
Sultana سلطانة f Arabic, Urdu, Bengali
Feminine form of Sultan.
Sumaya سميّة f Arabic, Bengali
Alternate transcription of Arabic سميّة (see Sumayya) or Bengali সুমাইয়া (see Sumaiya).
Sumayya سميّة f Arabic
Means "high above" in Arabic. This was the name of the first martyr for Islam.
Suraya ثريّا, ثريّة f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ثريّا or ثريّة (see Thurayya).
Surayya ثريّا, ثريّة f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ثريّا or ثريّة (see Thurayya).
Su'ud سعود m Arabic
Means "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.
Tabassum تبسّم m & f Arabic
Means "smiling" in Arabic.
Taha طه m Arabic
From the Arabic letters ط (called ta) and ه (called ha). These letters begin the 20th chapter of the Quran (surah Ta Ha).
Taher طاهر m Persian, Arabic
Persian form of Tahir, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription.
Tahir طاهر m Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Bosnian
Means "virtuous, pure, chaste" in Arabic.
Tahira طاهرة f Arabic, Urdu
Feminine form of Tahir.
Tahmid تحميد m Arabic
Means "praising" in Arabic.
Taj تاج m Arabic
Means "crown" in Arabic.
Talaat طَلعَت m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic طَلعَت (see Tal'at).
Tal'at طَلعَت m Arabic
Possibly means "face, sight" in Arabic.
Talha طلحة m Arabic, Turkish, Urdu
Derived from Arabic طلح (talh) meaning "fruit-bearing tree". This was the name of an early companion of the Prophet Muhammad.
Talib طالب m Arabic
Means "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.
Taliba طالبة f Arabic
Feminine form of Talib.
Tamid تمد m Arabic
Short form of Mu'tamid.
Tarek طارق m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic طارق (see Tariq).
Tarik طارق m Bosnian, Arabic
Bosnian form of Tariq. It is also an alternate transcription of the Arabic name.
Tariq طارق m Arabic, Urdu
Means "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.
Tasnim تسنيم f Arabic
Means "a spring in paradise" in Arabic.
Tawfiq توفيق m Arabic
Means "good fortune", derived from Arabic وفق (wafiqa) meaning "to be successful".
Tayeb طيّب m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic طيّب (see Tayyib).
Tayyib طيّب m Arabic
Means "pleasant, good-natured" in Arabic.
Tayyiba طيّبة f Arabic
Feminine form of Tayyib.
Thamina ثمينة f Arabic
Means "valuable, precious, priceless" in Arabic.
Thamir ثامر m Arabic
Means "fruitful" in Arabic.
Thana ثناء f Arabic
Means "praise" in Arabic.
Thurayya ثريّا, ثريّة f Arabic
Means "the Pleiades" in Arabic. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus.
Toufik توفيق m Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic توفيق (see Tawfiq) chiefly used in North Africa.
Tuba طوبى f Arabic, Turkish
From the name of a type of tree that is believed to grow in heaven in Islamic tradition. It means "blessedness" in Arabic.
Tufayl طفيل m Arabic
Means "small child" in Arabic.
Umar عمر m Arabic, Urdu, Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Indonesian, Hausa
Means "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 أمّ f Arabic
Means "mother" in Arabic. This is often used in a kunya, a type of Arabic nickname (see the masculine counterpart Abu).
Umm Kulthum أمّ كلثوم f Arabic
Combination of Umm and Kulthum. This was the name of a daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.
Umran عمران m Arabic
Variant of Imran.
Usama أسامة m Arabic
Means "lion" in Arabic.
Uthman عثمان m Arabic
Means "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.
Uzma عظمى f Arabic
Means "supreme, greatest" in Arabic.
Wadud ودود m Arabic
Means "lover, affectionate" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition الودود (al-Wadud) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Wael وائل m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic وائل (see Wail).
Wafai وفائي m Arabic
Means "loyalty" in Arabic.
Wafi وفي m Arabic
Means "trustworthy, reliable, loyal, perfect" in Arabic.
Wafiya وفيّة f Arabic
Feminine form of Wafi.
Waheed وحيد m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic وحيد (see Wahid).
Waheeda وحيدة f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic وحيدة (see Wahida).
Wahid وحيد m Arabic
Means "peerless, unique" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition الوحيد (al-Wahid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Wahida وحيدة f Arabic
Feminine form of Wahid.
Wail وائل m Arabic
Possibly means "refuge, shelter" in Arabic.
Waleed وليد m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic وليد (see Walid).
Walid وليد m Arabic
Means "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.
Waqar وقار m Arabic
Means "majesty, dignity" in Arabic.
Warda وردة f Arabic
Means "rose" in Arabic, ultimately a borrowing from an Iranian language.
Wardah وردة f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic وردة (see Warda).
Wasi واسع m Arabic
Means "broad-minded, liberal, learned" in Arabic.
Wasim وسيم m Arabic
Means "handsome" in Arabic.
Wassim وسيم m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic وسيم (see Wasim).
Wedad وداد f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic وداد (see Widad).
Widad وداد f Arabic
Means "love" in Arabic.
Yacoub يعقوب m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic يعقوب (see Yaqub).
Yahya يحيى m Arabic, Turkish, Persian
Arabic, Turkish and Persian form of Yochanan (see John). This name honours John the Baptist, a prophet in Islam.
Yakub يعقوب m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic يعقوب (see Yaqub).
Yaqoob يعقوب m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic يعقوب (see Yaqub).
Yaqub يعقوب m Arabic
Arabic form of Ya'aqov (see Jacob).
Yara 1 يارا f Arabic
From Persian یار (yar) meaning "friend, helper".
Yaser ياسر m Persian, Turkish, Arabic
Persian and Turkish form of Yasir, as well as an alternate transcription of the Arabic name.
Yasin ياسين m Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish
From the Arabic letters ي (called ya) and س (called sin). These letters begin the 36th chapter of the Quran (surah Ya Sin).
Yasir ياسر m Arabic, Urdu
Means "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.
Yasmeen ياسمين f Arabic, Urdu
Alternate transcription of Arabic ياسمين or Urdu یاسمین (see Yasmin).
Yasmin ياسمين f Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, English (Modern), Spanish (Modern), Portuguese (Modern)
Means "jasmine" in Arabic and Hebrew, derived from Persian یاسمین (yasamin). In modern times it has been used in the western world, as an Arabic-influenced variant of Jasmine.
Yasmina ياسمينة f Arabic, Spanish (Modern), French (Modern)
Variant of Yasmin.
Yasmine ياسمين f Arabic, French (Modern), English (Modern)
Alternate transcription of Arabic ياسمين (see Yasmin).
Yasser ياسر m Arabic, Persian
Alternate transcription of Arabic ياسر (see Yasir) or Persian یاسر (see Yaser).
Youcef يوسف m Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic يوسف (see Yusuf) chiefly used in Algeria.
Younes يونس m Arabic (Maghrebi), Persian
North African and Persian form of Yunus.
Yousef يوسف m Persian, Arabic
Persian form of Yusuf, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription.
Yousra يسرى, يسرا f Arabic (Maghrebi), Arabic (Egyptian)
Alternate transcription of Arabic يسرى or يسرا (see Yusra) chiefly used in North Africa.
Youssef يوسف m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic يوسف (see Yusuf).
Yuhanna يوحنّا m Arabic
Arabic form of Greek Ioannes (see John).
Yunus يونس m Arabic, Turkish
Arabic and Turkish form of Jonah.
Yusef يوسف m Persian, Arabic
Alternate transcription of Persian یوسف (see Yousef) or Arabic يوسف (see Yusuf).
Yusha يوشع m Arabic
Arabic form of Yehoshu'a (see Joshua).
Yusra يسرى, يسرا f Arabic
Means "wealth, ease" in Arabic.
Yusuf يوسف m Arabic, Turkish, Indonesian, Pashto, Tajik, Uzbek, Bengali
Arabic form of Yosef (see Joseph), as well as the form used in several other languages.
Zaahir 1 زاهر m Arabic
Means "shining, brilliant, radiant" in Arabic, derived from the root زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
Zaahir 2 ظاهر m Arabic
Means "clear, evident, manifest, outward" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition الظاهر (al-Zahir) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Zaahira زاهرة f Arabic
Feminine form of Zaahir 1.
Zafar ظفر m Arabic, Urdu
Means "victory" in Arabic.
Zaheer ظهير, زاهر, ظاهر m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ظهير or زاهر or ظاهر (see Zahir).
Zaher ظاهر m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ظاهر (see Zaahir 2).
Zahi زاهي m Arabic
Means "beautiful, brilliant" in Arabic.
Zahia زاهية f Arabic
Feminine form of Zahi.
Zahid زاهد m Arabic, Urdu
Means "pious, devout" in Arabic.
Zahida زاهدة f Arabic, Urdu
Feminine form of Zahid.
Zahir ظهير, زاهر, ظاهر m Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali
Derived from Arabic ظهير (zahir) meaning "helper, supporter". This can also be an alternate transcription of Arabic زاهر (see Zaahir 1) or ظاهر (see Zaahir 2).
Zahira ظهيرة, زاهرة f Arabic
Feminine form of Zahir.
Zahra زهراء, زهرة f Arabic, Persian
From Arabic زهراء (zahra), the feminine form of أزهر (azhar) meaning "shining, brilliant, bright". This is an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatimah.... [more]
Zahrah زهرة f Arabic
Derived from Arabic زهرة (zahrah) meaning "blooming flower", from the root زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine".
Zaid زيد m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زيد (see Zayd).
Zaida زيدة f Arabic (Rare), Spanish
Feminine 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.
Zain زين m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زين (see Zayn).
Zaina زينة f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زينة (see Zayna).
Zainab زينب f Arabic, Urdu
Alternate transcription of Arabic زينب (see Zaynab), as well as the usual Urdu transcription.
Zainuddin زين الدين m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زين الدين (see Zayn ad-Din).
Zakaria زَكَرِيّا m Georgian, Malay, Indonesian, Arabic
Georgian, Malay and Indonesian form of Zechariah and Zacharias, as well as an alternate transcription of Arabic زَكَرِيّا (see Zakariyya).
Zakariya زَكَرِيّا m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زَكَرِيّا (see Zakariyya).
Zakariyya زَكَرِيّا m Arabic
Arabic form of Zechariah and Zacharias.
Zaki زكيّ m Arabic
Means "pure" in Arabic.
Zakiah زكيّة f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زكيّة (see Zakiyya).
Zakiya زكيّة f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زكيّة (see Zakiyya).
Zakiyya زكيّة f Arabic
Feminine form of Zaki.
Zaman زمان m Arabic, Urdu
Means "time, age, era" in Arabic.
Zamir ضمير m Arabic, Urdu, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik
Means "mind, heart, conscience" in Arabic.
Zarifa ظريفة f Arabic
From Arabic ظريف (zarif) meaning "elegant, graceful, charming".
Zawar زوار m Arabic, Urdu
Means "pilgrim, visitor" in Arabic.
Zayd زيد m Arabic
Derived from Arabic زاد (zada) meaning "to increase". This was the name of a slave who became the adopted son of the Prophet Muhammad.
Zayn زين m Arabic
Means "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]
Zayna زينة f Arabic
Feminine form of Zayn.
Zaynab زينب f Arabic
Meaning 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.
Zayn ad-Din زين الدين m Arabic
Means "beauty of religion", from Arabic زين (zayn) meaning "beauty" combined with دين (din) meaning "religion, faith".
Zia ضياء m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ضياء (see Ziya).
Ziad زياد m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زياد (see Ziyad).
Ziauddin ضياء الدين m Arabic, Urdu
Alternate transcription of Arabic ضياء الدين (see Ziya ad-Din), as well as the usual Urdu transcription.
Zinedine زين الدين m Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic زين الدين (see Zayn ad-Din) chiefly used in North Africa. A famous bearer is the French soccer player Zinedine Zidane (1972-), who was born to Algerian parents.
Ziya ضياء m Arabic, Turkish
Derived from Arabic ضياء (diya) meaning "splendour, light, glow". This was the name of a 14th-century Islamic Indian historian.
Ziya ad-Din ضياء الدين m Arabic
Means "splendour of religion" from Arabic ضياء (diya) meaning "splendour, light, glow" combined with دين (din) meaning "religion, faith".
Ziya al-Din ضياء الدين m Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ضياء الدين (see Ziya ad-Din).
Ziyad زياد m Arabic
Means "growth" in Arabic.
Ziya ur-Rahman ضياء الرحمٰن m Arabic
Means "splendour of the merciful" from Arabic ضياء (diya) meaning "splendour, light, glow" combined with رحمن (rahman) meaning "merciful".
Zohra زهرة f Urdu, Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Urdu زہرہ (see Zuhra 1) or Arabic زهرة (see Zuhra 2).
Zoubida زبيدة f Arabic (Maghrebi)
Form of Zubaida chiefly used in North Africa (using French-influenced orthography).
Zubaida زبيدة f Arabic, Urdu
Means "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 زبير m Arabic, Urdu
Derived 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 زهرة 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.
Zulaykha زليخا f Arabic (Rare)
Arabic form of Zuleika.
Zulekha زليخا f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زليخا (see Zulaykha).
Zulfaqar ذو الفقار m Arabic, Urdu
Variant of Zulfiqar.
Zulfikar ذو الفقار m Arabic, Urdu, Indonesian
Alternate transcription of Arabic/Urdu ذو الفقار (see Zulfiqar), as well as the Indonesian form.
Zulfiqar ذو الفقار m Arabic, Urdu
From 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.