Malay
names are used in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, and Thailand.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ABDUL HADI m Arabic, MalayMeans "servant of the guide" from Arabic عبد ال
('abd al) meaning "servant of the" and هادي
(hādi) "guide, leader".
ADLAN m Chechen, MalayDerived from Arabic عَدَلَ
(ʿadala) meaning "to act justly" or "justice, fairness".
AZAN m Malay, Indonesian, UrduDerived from Arabic أَذَان
(ʾadhan) which refers to the Islamic call to prayer, called
adhan or
azan. The word itself is derived from أَذِنَ
(ʾaḏina) "to listen" or أُذُن
(ʾuḏun) "ear".
AZMAN m MalayMeaning uncertain, possibly derived from Arabic أَزْمَان
(ʾazmān) meaning "times, periods, ages", the plural of زَمَن
(zaman).
AZWAN m MalayMeaning unknown, possibly of Arabic origin.
BONGSU m & f MalayMeans "the youngest" in Malay, used for the last born child.
DANANG m MalayNo one knows this name means, but this was the name of the Bendahara (Grand Vizier) of the royal Court of Johor Sultanate who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries.
DAYANG f MalayMeans "young lady, lady-in-waiting" in Malay.
DEMANG m MalayIt means "chief" in both Malay and Indonesian.
DIYANAH f MalayDerived from Arabic دِيَانَة
(diyāna) meaning "religion, creed".
EMBUN f MalayMalay feminine name derived from the word
embun meaning "dew".
EZLYNN f Sinhalese (Rare), Malaysian (Rare)A famous bearer is Ezlynn Deraniyagala (1908-1973), the first female barrister of Sri Lanka, who was also a founding member of the country's feminist movement.
FAJAR m & f Indonesian, MalayDerived from Arabic فَجْر
(fajr) meaning "dawn, daybreak". In Indonesia, it is exclusively a masculine name, while it is primarily masculine and occasionally feminine in Malaysia.
HALIMAH f Malay, MuslimMalay variant of
Halima. A notable bearer is Halimah binti Yacob (1954-), the first female President of Singapore.
HAMDAN m Arabic, Indonesian, MalayMeans "the praised one" in Arabic. A famous bearer is (Sheikh) Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai (1982-).
IZZAH f MalayMost likely derived from Arabic عزّ
(ʿizz) meaning "glory, power".
JATI m MalayIt means "teak" in Malay. Teak wood is strong and thus symbolises a powerful man.
KHAIRUL m Malay, Indonesian, BengaliFirst part of compound Arabic names beginning with خير ال
(ḵayr al) meaning "goodness of" (such as خير الله
(Khayr Allah) "goodness of Allah").
KHAIRUNNISA f Indonesian, MalayMeans "best of women", from Arabic خير
(khair) "good" and نِسَاء
(nisa) "women" (see
Nisa). This is an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad's wife
Khadija. It was borne by Khair-un-Nissa Begum, the Hyderabadi wife of James Achilles Kirkpatrick (1764-1805), British Resident at Hyderabad from 1798 to 1805.
LIYANA f MalayDerived from Arabic لَيِّن
(layyin) meaning "soft, tender, delicate".
MAHSURI f Malay, FolkloreFrom Malay
maha "great" and
suri "queen". This is the name of a figure of folklore on the Malaysian island of Langkawi.
MASAYU f Malay, IndonesianMalay feminine name derived from the words
mas meaning "gold" and
ayu meaning "pretty, beautiful".
MEGAT m MalayDerived from Sanskrit महत्
(mahát) meaning "great, large".
MUHYIDDIN m Malay, IndonesianMalay and Indonesian form of
Mohy al-Din. A notable bearer is Muhyiddin Yassin (1947-), a Malaysian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2009-2015.
MURNI f MalayMeans "pure, genuine, chaste, precious" in Malay.
PERAK m MalayIt means "silver". It was the fifth and most famous bendahara of the Sultanate of Malacca, Tun Perak, who served under four sultans from 1456 to 1498.
RAZIF m MalayMeaning unknown, most likely of Arabic origin.
SABRE m Malay, MalaysianBorrowing from French sabre, where the sabre is an alteration of sable, which was in turn loaned from German Säbel, Sabel in the 1630s. The German word is on record from the 15th century, loaned from Polish szabla, which was itself adopted from Hungarian szabla (14th century, later szablya)...
[more] SAYANG f MalayMeans "love, affection, darling, dear, kind, beloved" in Malay.
SHAFIE m MalayDerived from Arabic شَافِعِيّ
(šāfiʿiyy) which refers to one of the four schools (madhhab) of Sunni Islam, the Shafi'i or Shafii. The sect was named in honour of its founder, Arab scholar Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i.
SURIA f & m Malay, IndianMeans "sun" in Malay, ultimately from Sanskrit सूर्य
(sū́rya) (see
Surya). It is also used as a masculine name among Malaysian Indians.
TERATAI f MalayDerived from Malay
teratai meaning "waterlily".
TUAH m MalayMeans "good luck" in Malay. A famous bearer is Hang Tuah, a Malay hero.
WAHAB m Arabic, Urdu, MalayMeans "giver, bestower" derived from Arabic وَهَبَ
(wahaba) meaning "to give, to present, to bestow". In Islamic tradition الوهاب
(al-Wahāb) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
WALIYUDDIN m Arabic (Rare), MalayMeans "ally / friend of the faith", which means a supporter of Islam. Mainly found among Muslims in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
YAZID m Arabic (Maghrebi), MalayMeans "increasing, adding more" derived from Arabic زَادَ
(zāda) meaning "to add, to increase". This name was borne by three Umayyad caliphs.
YUSOF m MalayMalay form of
Yusuf. A notable bearer was Yusof bin
Ishak (1910-1970), the first President of Singapore.