Muammar معمّر m ArabicMeans
"given long life" in Arabic, from the root
عمر ('amara) meaning "to live long, to thrive". A famous bearer was the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (1942-2011).
Muhammad محمّد m Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Bengali, Tajik, Uzbek, Indonesian, Malay, AvarMeans
"praised, commendable" in Arabic, derived from the root
حمد (hamida) 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] Mumtaz ممتاز m & f Arabic, UrduMeans
"distinguished" in Arabic. The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631).
Muna منى f ArabicMeans
"wishes, desires", from the plural of Arabic
منية (munyah).
Murtada مرتضى m ArabicMeans
"chosen" in Arabic. This is an epithet of
Ali, the fourth caliph.
Mustafa مصطفى m Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian, UrduMeans
"the chosen one" in Arabic, an epithet of
Muhammad. This was the name of four Ottoman sultans. Another famous bearer was Mustafa Kemal (1881-1938), also known as Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.
Mu'tamid معتمد m ArabicMeans
"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.
Nada 1 ندى f ArabicMeans either
"generosity" or
"dew" in Arabic.
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, distinguished" 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, Bosnian, Kazakh, Malay, English, Spanish, ItalianAlternate transcription of Arabic
عمر (see
Umar). This is the usual English spelling of the name of the 12th-century poet Umar Khayyam. 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. The name was also borne by daughters of
Ali and
Husayn.
Rushd رشد m ArabicMeans
"following the right path" in Arabic, from the root
رشد (rashada) meaning "to be on the right path".
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.
Saddam صدّام m ArabicMeans
"one who confronts" in Arabic. It was borne by the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (1937-2006).
Sadiq صادق m Arabic, UrduMeans
"true, sincere, loyal" in Arabic, derived from the root
صدق (sadaqa) meaning "to tell the truth".
Safaa صفا 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 honorific; 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
سلم (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.
Samar 1 سمر f ArabicMeans
"evening conversation" in Arabic, from the root
سمر (samara) meaning "to talk in the evening".
Sanaa سناء f ArabicMeans
"brilliance, radiance, splendour" in Arabic.
Sara سارة f Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, 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), ArabicPossibly means
"noble lineage" from Persian
چهر (chehr) meaning "lineage, origin" and
آزاد (azad) meaning "free, noble". Alternatively, it might mean
"child of the city" from
شهر (shahr) meaning "city, land" combined with the suffix
زاد (zad) 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.
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
شكر (shakara) meaning "to thank". In Islamic tradition
الشكور (al-Shakur) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Shams ad-Din شَمس الدين 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 شريعة m ArabicMeans
"divine law, noble law" in Arabic, ultimately from an old Arabic word meaning "pathway".