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.
Abd Allah عبد الله m ArabicMeans
"servant of Allah" from Arabic
عبد (ʿabd) meaning "servant" combined with
الله (Allah). This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's father. He died before his son's birth.
Abu Bakr أبو بكر m ArabicCombination of
Abu and
Bakr. Abu Bakr was a companion and father-in-law of the Prophet
Muhammad and the first caliph of the Muslim world. His name was in fact a kunya (a nickname) formed using
Abu; his real name was
Abd Allah. Shia Muslims hold a more negative view of Abu Bakr, hence this name is more widely used among Sunnis.
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.
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.
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".
Esmail إسماعيل 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.
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.
Hadia 1 هديّة f ArabicMeans
"gift" in Arabic, ultimately a derivative of
هدى (hadā) meaning "to lead the right way, to guide".
Haniyya هنيّة f ArabicFrom Arabic
هنيء (hanīʾ) meaning
"pleasant, beneficial", from the root
هنأ (hanaʾa) meaning "to gladden, to enjoy".
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.
Ibrahim إبراهيم m Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, Pashto, Urdu, Kazakh, Tatar, Bashkir, Avar, Bosnian, Dhivehi, Albanian, Hausa, SwahiliArabic form of
Abraham, also used in several other languages. This form appears in the Quran.
Ibtihaj ابتهاج f ArabicMeans
"joy" in Arabic, from the root
بهج (bahija) meaning "to be happy, to rejoice in".
Ismail إسماعيل 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.
Izdihar ازدهار f ArabicMeans
"blossoming, prospering" in Arabic, a derivative of
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine, to bloom".
Izz ad-Din عزّ الدين m ArabicMeans
"glory of religion", derived from Arabic
عزّ (ʿizz) meaning "glory, honour, power" and
دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith". In the 13th century Izz ad-Din Aybak became the first Mamluk ruler of Egypt. The Mamluks were a warrior caste who were originally slaves.
Jawahir جواهر f ArabicMeans
"jewels" in Arabic, ultimately from Persian
گوهر (gōhar) meaning "jewel, essence".
Jilani جيلاني 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.
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.
Khalifa خليفة m ArabicMeans
"successor, caliph" in Arabic. The title
caliph was given to the successors of the Prophet
Muhammad, originally elected by the Islamic populace.
Khayr ad-Din خير الدين m ArabicMeans
"goodness of religion", from Arabic
خير (khayr) meaning "goodness, charity" combined with
دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith". This name was borne by a 16th-century Ottoman admiral who came to rule over the region around Algiers.
Lamia 1 لامعة f ArabicMeans
"shining, radiant" in Arabic, derived from the root
لمع (lamaʿa) meaning "to shine, to gleam".
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".
Muammar معمّر m ArabicMeans
"given long life" in Arabic, from the root
عمر (ʿamara) meaning "to live long, to thrive". A famous bearer was the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (1942-2011).
Mubarak مبارك m ArabicMeans
"blessed" in Arabic, from the root
برك (baraka) meaning "to kneel down, to be blessed".
Mufaddal مفضّل m ArabicMeans
"preferred" in Arabic, ultimately a derivative of
فضل (faḍala) meaning "to be in excess, to excel, to be gracious".
Muhammad محمّد m Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Bengali, Tajik, Uzbek, Indonesian, Malay, AvarMeans
"praised, commendable" in Arabic, derived from the root
حمد (ḥamida) meaning "to praise". This was the name of the prophet who founded the Islamic religion in the 7th century. According to Islamic belief, at age 40 Muhammad was visited by the angel
Gabriel, who provided him with the first verses of the Quran. Approximately 20 years later he conquered Mecca, the city of his birth, and his followers controlled most of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of his death in 632.
... [more] Murtada مرتضى m ArabicMeans
"chosen" in Arabic. This is an epithet of
Ali, the fourth caliph.
Mu'tamid معتمد m Arabic (Rare)Means
"relying on, leaning on" in Arabic. Al-Mu'tamid was a 9th-century Abbasid caliph. This was also the name of an 11th-century Abbadid ruler of Seville, who was a patron of the arts and a poet.
Mutasim معتصم m ArabicMeans
"holding fast, adhering to" in Arabic.
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.
Nur ad-Din نور الدين m ArabicMeans
"light of religion", from Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light" combined with
دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith".
Raabi'a رابعة f ArabicMeans
"fourth" in Arabic, a derivative of
أربعة (ʾarbaʿa) meaning "four". This name was borne by an 8th-century Sufi mystic from Basra in Iraq.
Rajiya رجية f ArabicMeans
"hope" in Arabic, derived from
رجا (rajā) meaning "to hope, to anticipate".
Ramadan رمضان m ArabicFrom the name of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
رمض (ramaḍ) meaning "parchedness, scorchedness". Muslims traditionally fast during this month.
Raniya رانية f ArabicPossibly related to the Arabic root
رنا (ranā) meaning
"to gaze, to look intently".
Rawiya راوية f ArabicMeans
"storyteller" in Arabic, derived from
روى (rawā) meaning "to relate, to tell".
Rihanna ريحانة f ArabicAlternate transcription of Arabic
ريحانة (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.
Ruqayya رقيّة f ArabicDerived either from Arabic
رقيّ (ruqīy) meaning
"rise, ascent" or from
رقية (ruqya) meaning
"spell, charm, incantation". Both of these words are derived from the Arabic root
رقي (raqiya) meaning "to rise". 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. The name was also borne by daughters of
Ali and
Husayn.
Saada سعادة f ArabicMeans
"happiness, luck" in Arabic, a derivative of
سعد (saʿida) meaning "to be happy, to be lucky".
Shahrazad شهرزاد f Persian (Rare), ArabicPossibly means
"noble lineage" from Persian
چهر (chehr) meaning "lineage, origin" and
آزاد (āzād) meaning "free, noble". Alternatively, it might mean
"child of the city" from
شهر (shahr) meaning "city, land" combined with the suffix
زاد (zād) meaning "child of". 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.
Shakira شاكرة f ArabicFeminine form of
Shakir. A famous bearer is the Colombian singer Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (1977-), known simply as Shakira.
Shams ad-Din شمس الدين m ArabicMeans
"sun of the religion", from Arabic
شمس (shams) meaning "sun" and
دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith". This was the given name of the 14th-century Berber explorer Ibn Battuta.
Sharia شريعة m Arabic (Rare)Means
"divine law, noble law" in Arabic, from the root
شرع (sharaʿa) meaning "to go, to enact".
Sumayya سميّة f ArabicMeans
"high, elevated, lofty" in Arabic, derived from
سما (samā) meaning "to be high". This was the name of the first martyr for Islam.
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.
Wafai وفائي m ArabicMeans
"loyalty, faithfulness" in Arabic, derived from
وفى (wafā) meaning "to fulfill, to live up to a promise".