Jasmine f English, FrenchFrom the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian
یاسمین (yāsamīn), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie
Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.
Javohir m UzbekMeans
"jewels" in Uzbek, ultimately from Persian.
Jessamine f English (Rare)From a variant spelling of the English word
jasmine (see
Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.
Kaveh m Persian, Persian MythologyMeaning unknown. In the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh Kaveh is a blacksmith who leads a rebellion against the evil ruler Zahhak.
Khodadad m PersianMeans
"God given" from Persian
خدا (khodā) meaning "god, lord" and
داد (dād) meaning "gave".
Khordad f & m Persian MythologyModern Persian form of
Haurvatat. From the Middle Persian era, this deity was often considered masculine. The third month of the Iranian calendar is named for her.
Kian 1 m PersianMeans
"king, foundation, symbol of pride" in Persian.
Kulap f & m ThaiMeans
"rose" in Thai (of Persian origin).
Lale f TurkishMeans
"tulip" in Turkish, of Persian origin.
Lalka f BulgarianFrom Bulgarian
лале (lale) meaning
"tulip". It is derived via Turkish from Persian
لاله (lāleh).
Mahnaz f PersianFrom Persian
مه (mah) meaning "moon" and
ناز (nāz) meaning "delight, comfort".
Mani 2 m PersianMeaning unknown, presumably of Persian origin. Mani was a 3rd-century prophet who founded the religion of Manichaeism (which is now extinct).
Manijeh f PersianMeaning uncertain, possibly of Parthian origin. This is the name of a princess in
Bijan and Manijeh, a story that forms part of the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Marzieh f PersianDerived from Arabic
مرضيّ (marḍīy) meaning
"satisfactory, pleasing", a derivative of
رضي (raḍiya) meaning "to be satisfied".
Mehr m & f Persian, Persian MythologyModern Persian form of
Mithra. As a Persian vocabulary word it means
"friendship, love, kindness". It is also the name of the seventh month of the Persian calendar. All of these derive from the same source: the Indo-Iranian root *
mitra meaning "oath, covenant, agreement".
Mehrab m Persian, Persian MythologyFrom Persian
مهر (mehr) meaning "sun" or "friendship" and
آب (āb) meaning "water". This is the name of the king of Kabul in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Mehrdad m PersianFrom Persian
مهر (mehr) meaning "sun" or "friendship" and
داد (dād) meaning "given". Since
مهر is also the Modern Persian form of
Mithra, this name can also function as a modern form of
Mithridates.
Mehrnaz f Persian, Persian MythologyFrom Persian
مهر (mehr) meaning "sun" or "friendship" and
ناز (nāz) meaning "delight, comfort". This is the name of a character in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Mithra m Persian MythologyFrom Avestan
𐬨𐬌𐬚𐬭𐬀 (mithra) meaning
"oath, covenant, agreement", derived from an Indo-Iranian root *
mitra meaning "that which binds". According Zoroastrian mythology Mithra was a god of light and friendship, the son of the supreme god
Ahura Mazda. Worship of him eventually spread outside of Persia to the Roman Empire, where it was known as Mithraism.
Mitra 2 f PersianModern variant of
Mithra used as a feminine name. The true Modern Persian form of
Mithra is in fact
Mehr.
Narine f ArmenianProbably from Persian
نار (nār) meaning
"pomegranate", considered a sacred fruit in Armenian culture. Alternately, it could be derived from Arabic
نار (nār) meaning
"fire".
Narses m Middle Persian (Hellenized)Hellenized form of the Middle Persian name
𐭭𐭥𐭮𐭧𐭩 (Narseh), which was derived from Avestan
Nairyosangha. This name was borne by a 3rd-century ruler of the Persian Sasanian Empire. It was also borne by a Byzantine general of Armenian and Parthian descent who helped restore Italy to the Roman Empire during the reign of Justinian I in the 6th century.
Naz f TurkishMeans
"coy" in Turkish, of Persian origin.
Nazerke f KazakhDerived from Persian
ناز (nāz) meaning "delight, comfort" and Kazakh
ерке (erke) meaning "naughty, spoiled, darling".
Nerses m ArmenianArmenian form of Middle Persian
Narseh (see
Narses). Saint Nerses was a 4th-century patriarch of the Armenian Church.
Nihat m TurkishPossibly from Persian
نهاد (nehād) meaning
"nature, disposition".
Nima 2 m PersianPersian name of uncertain meaning, possibly
"just, fair" or
"half moon".
Noor-Ali m PersianFrom Persian
نور (nūr) meaning "light" (of Arabic origin) combined with the name
Ali 1. Though usually transcribed into Latin characters with a dash or a space, it is not written with a space in Persian.
Nurcan f TurkishMeans
"bright soul" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light" and Persian
jān meaning "soul, life".
Nurgül f TurkishMeans
"radiant rose" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light" and Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose".
Nurten f TurkishMeans
"radiant skin" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light" and Persian
تن (tan) meaning "body".
Nurzhan m KazakhFrom Kazakh
нұр (nur) meaning "light" (of Arabic origin) and
жан (zhan) meaning "soul" (of Persian origin).
Oraz m Turkmen, KazakhMeans
"fasting, Ramadan" in Turkmen and Kazakh (of Persian origin).
Parisa f PersianMeans
"like a fairy" in Persian, derived from
پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".
Parvin f & m Persian, Urdu, HindiMeans
"the Pleiades" in Persian. The Pleiades are a group of stars in the constellation Taurus. This name is typically feminine in Iran, but unisex in India.
Patigül f UyghurUyghur elaboration of
Patime using the suffix
گۈل (gül) meaning "flower, rose" (of Persian origin).
Pridon m GeorgianGeorgian form of
Fereydoun. It appears in the 12th-century Georgian epic poem
The Knight in the Panther's Skin, in which Pridon (fully Nuradin-Pridon) is a friend of
Avtandil and
Tariel.
Raman 2 m Persian MythologyMeans
"peace" in Avestan. In Zoroastrianism, this is the name of a Yazata (a holy being) who presides over joy.
Ramin m Persian, AzerbaijaniDerived from Middle Persian
𐭥𐭠𐭬 (rʾm) meaning
"peace, joy". This is the name of a character in the Persian epic
Vis and Ramin, written by the 11th-century poet Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani.
Rashn m Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
𐬭𐬀𐬱𐬥𐬎 (Rashnu) meaning
"just, straight". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a Yazata who judged the souls of the dead.
Roshni f Marathi, HindiFrom Hindi and Marathi
रौशनी (raushanī) meaning
"light, brightness", ultimately of Persian origin.
Rostam m Persian, Persian MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly from Iranian roots *
rautas "river" and *
taxma "strong". Rostam was a warrior hero in Persian legend. The 10th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi recorded his tale in the
Shahnameh.
Rouzbeh m PersianMeans
"fortunate, prosperous" in Persian, from
روز (rūz) meaning "day" and
به (beh) meaning "good, excellent".
Roxana f English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latin form of
Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxane), the Greek form of an Old Persian or Bactrian name, from Old Iranian *
rauxšnā meaning
"bright, shining". This was the name of Alexander the Great's first wife, a daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes. In the modern era it came into use during the 17th century. In the English-speaking world it was popularized by Daniel Defoe, who used it in his novel
Roxana (1724).
Roxane f French, EnglishFrench and English form of
Roxana. This is the name of Cyrano's love interest in the play
Cyrano de Bergerac (1897).
Sam 2 m Persian, Persian MythologyMeans
"fire" in Persian (from an earlier Iranian root meaning "black"). This is the name of a hero in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Sardar m Persian, Urdu, PashtoFrom a title meaning
"chief, leader", derived from Persian
سر (sar) meaning "head, authority" and the suffix
دار (dār) meaning "possessor".
Selbi f TurkmenMeans
"cypress" in Turkmen (derived from Persian, ultimately from Sumerian).
Selvi f TurkishMeans
"cypress" in Turkish (derived from Persian, ultimately from Sumerian).
Serhan m TurkishDerived from Turkish
ser meaning "head, top" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
Serkan m TurkishMeans
"leader, chief" from Turkish
ser "head, top" and
kan "blood".
Shahin m Persian, Arabic, BengaliMeans
"falcon" in Persian, referring more specifically to the Barbary falcon (species Falco pelegrinoides). The bird's name is a derivative of Persian
شاه (shāh) meaning "king".
Shahjahan m UrduMeans
"king of the world" from Persian
شاه (shāh) meaning "king" and
جهان (jahān) meaning "world". This was the name of the 17th-century Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal.
Shahrazad 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.
Shahrivar m Persian MythologyPersian form of Avestan
𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬚𐬭𐬀⸱𐬬𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (Xshathra Vairiia) meaning
"desirable power". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with the creation of metals. The sixth month of the Iranian calendar is named for him.
Shahrokh m PersianMeans
"royal face" in Persian, from
شاه (shāh) meaning "king" and
رخ (rokh) meaning "face". This was the name of a 15th-century ruler of the Timurid Empire (a son of
Timur).
Shahrukh m Urdu, HindiUrdu and Hindi form of
Shahrokh. A notable bearer is the Indian actor Shahrukh Khan (1965-), normally called Shah Rukh Khan.
Shapur m History, PersianFrom Middle Persian
𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 (Shahpuhr) meaning
"son of the king". This was the name of three Sasanian emperors.
Sher m Urdu, PashtoMeans
"lion" in Persian. A famous bearer of this name was Sher Shah, a 16th-century Mughal ruler.
Sherali m Uzbek, TajikFrom Uzbek and Tajik
sher meaning "lion" (of Persian origin) combined with the name
Ali 1.
Shirin f PersianMeans
"sweet" in Persian. This was the name of a character in Persian and Turkish legend.
Siavash m Persian, Persian MythologyPersian form of Avestan
𐬯𐬌𐬌𐬁𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬱𐬀𐬥 (Siiāuuarshan) meaning
"possessing black stallions". This was the name of a virtuous prince in Iranian mythology. He appears briefly in the
Avesta, with a longer account recorded in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Sina m PersianFrom the Persian name for Mount Sinai or the Sinai Peninsula.
Sitara f UrduMeans
"star" in Urdu, ultimately from Persian.
Sohrab m Persian, Persian MythologyFrom Persian
سهر (sohr) meaning "red" and
آب (āb) meaning "water". In the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh this is the name of the son of the hero
Rostam. He was tragically slain in battle by his father, who was unaware he was fighting his own son.
Songül f TurkishFrom Turkish
son meaning "last, final" and
gül meaning "rose".