DOES IT HAVE TO BE AN ARABIC NAME?

 

Tabarakallah, Mashallah.

Here’s a short du’a we can recite asking Allah (swt) to grant you a blessed child:

رَبَّنَا ھَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّیَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْیُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِینَ إِمَامًا

Rabbana Hablana min azwaajina wadhurriy-yatina, qurrata ‘ayioni wa-jalna lil-muttaqeena Imaama
“Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us a leader [i.e., example] for the righteous.”
– Surah Al-Furqan Ayah 74 –

‘coolness to the eye’ is an old Arabic expression which from a spiritual perspective means to bring joy, peace, or happiness. Thus this is a beautiful supplication we should learn asking Allah (swt) to grant us “coolness of the eyes” among our wives, our children and all future generations.

ON THE SUBJECT OF NAMING YOUR CHILD IN ISLAM:

“A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” – Dale Carnegie

Naming your baby boy’s can seem inconsequential, a decision that can be made in a day, but know it will play a huge impact on his life. It will be a form of communication that he will have to carry with him for the rest of his life. You want it to be a strong name, one that he can love and be proud of. It also tells the world something about him, what religion he belongs to, his identity, culture, ethnicity and can either make him feel included or excluded.

When it comes to naming your child you want a name that the child will not be embarrassed by when being called by Allah (swt) on the day of judgement. The names which Allah Almighty loves most are ‘Abdullah and ‘Abdu’r-Rahman. The most truthful names are Harith and Humam. The ugliest names are Harb and Murra.” (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 814) The names most detested is Malikil-Amlak (king of kings) as this name is reserved for Allah alone (Sahih Tirmidhi Hadith 2837)

One important ruling is when naming your Child after one of Allah’s 99 names, you must include the prefix Abdul meaning “servant”. So for example, the name Majid (the glorious one, perfect power) is a name reserved only for Allah. But add the prefix Abdul and the meaning changes to ‘servant of the glorious one’ and it is now permissible.

DOES IT HAVE TO BE AN ARABIC NAME?

It’s is generally better to have an Arabic name but it’s not necessary. Like making a du’a, you can make du’a in any language but a du’a made in Arabic is better for you.

So the name can have a Persian or Urdu background, this is acceptable, as long as the name has a good meaning.

You may also want to consider how the native speakers will pronounce that name. Will they change the meaning by their pronunciation? This is something that has to be considered. We must do our due-diligence by writing the name out and asking friends and colleagues around us to pronounce it.

I am sure you want to give your child the best chance of success in social interactions and an easy life where he is not demonized or bullied based on a misunderstanding or mispronunciation in an English speaking environment.

General advice is to name your child after the Sahabah (companions of the Prophet) as this would encourage the child as they grow older to learn about the historical people that carried the same name. They will feel connected to Islam knowing the amazing role models that lived before him and may feel inclined to follow in their footsteps.

This introduction just scratches the surface of good naming practices. Inshallah you’ll have found the advice useful. Below we’ve researched 228 different Muslim boy names, some are Islamic names from the Qur’an and others are from different backgrounds like Pakistani names, or Persian boy names.

 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH A

NAME	ARABIC	MEANING
Adam	آدم	Surface of the earth, ground, or dust
Aatif / Atif	عَاطِف	The Kind one, Affectionate
Ayyub	أَيُّوْب	To return to God. Also, name of a Prophet of Allah (swt).
Azhar	أَظْهَر‎	Shining, Luminous, Brilliant or Clear
Anwar	أَنْوَر	Most bright, most brilliant, friend, companion
Asad	أَسَد	literally meaning lion
Asad Allāh	أَسَدُ ٱلله‎	Lion of Allah
Aslam	أَسْلَم	Very safe, safeguarded, one who is protected from calamities
Asgar	أَصْغَر	Smallest, minute
Anees	أَنِيْس	One who makes acquaintances, friend, genial
Akbar	أَكْبَر	The greatest, honourable
Athar	اثار	Most pious, meticulously neat, clean, organized
Ashfaaq	اشفاق	Kindness, favours
Ameen / Amin	أمين	Trustworthy, trustee, honest. Nick name of Prophet Muhammad (saw) as he was known to the Meccans because of his nobility
Anjum	أَنْجُم	Stars
Awais	أويس	gifted, bestowed, or can mean little wolf. .Uwais / Owais – live during Prophet’s lifetime but never met him Not Sahabah, classified as Tabiun. Fought in battle alongside Ali (ra) and killed in battle
Anas	أنس	Person who brings joy and peace. Also, come from root innas (mankind) of mind.
Amaan	أمان	safety, security, protection.
Amanullah	أَمَانُ الله	God’s peace, God’s safety
Akhlaq	أَخْلاَق	morality, integrity, disposition, nature, temper, ethics, morals or manners (of a person)
Ameer / Amir	أمير	Commander, noble-person, chief, or leader.
Azmat	عَظْمَتْ	Greatness, might, or importance
Akram	أکرم‎	benevolent, most gracious
Asim	عاصم	shield, protector, guardian, a person who keeps away from sins
Arshad	ارشاد	Well-guided person, upright, or most mature.
Aahil	عَاهِل	Prince or great king (ruler or emperor)
Aalam	عَالَم	World
Aalim	عَالِم	Religious scholar, knowledgeable
Aamil	اميل	Doer, worker, striver
Aqib / Aaqib	عقيب	Final, Successor, Following, Subsequent. One of the nicknames belonging to Prophet Muhammad (saws)
Aqil / Akeel, Aaqil	عَاقِل	knowledgeable, intelligent, wise, sensible or reasonable.
Aarif	عَارِف	Knowing, aware
Ariz	عَرِض	Active, energetic
Aaryan	اريان	one who belongs to the noble people
Aashif	اشف	Bold, courageous
Aashir	أشير	Wealthy
Aasif / Asif	عاصف	An able minister, strong, stormy, and fierce
Aaus	اس	Name of a tree
Abaan	أبان	Meaning of name is not understood. An old Arabic name.
Abbas	عَبَّاس	Lion.  It is the name of many companions of Prophet Muhammad.
Adeel	عَدِيْل	Virtuous, one who acts with justice and fairness. The one who is moderate.
Adnan	عَدْنَان	One who settles for a long time in a place. Eternal settlement.
Affan	عفّان	chaste, modest, or pure.
Ashaar	أَشْعَر	Fierce like a lion.
Ahsan	أَحْسَن	the most beautiful or handsome
Ali	عليّ	Lofty, sublime, noble, superb. Common name among Muslims out of love for Ali bin Abi Talib. The cousin of Prophet Muhammad (saws).
Ahmed / Ahmad	أحمد	The one deserving most deserving of praise due to their good character. (Same meaning as Muhammad)
Aaron / Harun	هارون	high mountain. It is the name of Prophet Harun (Aaron), brother of Prophet Musa, or Moses.
Arif / Aarif	عَارِف	knowledgeable
Arsalan	ارسلان	Lion, fearless like a lion.
Ayaan	أيان	God’s gift, a gift of god, reward, or blessing.
Azan	أذان	call for worship, announcement
Afeef	عفيف	Virtuous, Chaste, Pious
Affan	عفّان	Avoider of sin, chaste, virtuous, and pure.
Aabid	عَابِد	Worshiper, the one who worships Allah (swt).
Aadil / Adil	عَادِل	Just, Upright
Aazim / Azim	عَازِم	Determined, of having firm resolve, or resolute.
Aaban	أبان	Meaning not understood, old Arabic name. Also, name of an Angel.

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH B

 

Basil	بَاسِل	brave, fearless, intrepid
Bashir	بَشِيْر	The one who brings good news
Bassam / Basam	بسام	The one who smiles, always smiling.
Badr	بَدْر	Full moon
Barak / Baraq	بَرَّاق	Radiant, dazzling, or brilliant.

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH D

 

Daniyal / Daniel	دانيال	God is my judge
Daneesh / Danish	دانش	Knowledge, intelligent, wisdom
Dawoud, Dawud, da’ud	دَاؤُوْد‎	beloved friend
Dayyan	دين	A mighty Ruler
Deen	دين	religion’, “creed”, “credo”, “way of life
Dalil	دَلِيْل	Guide, or mentor

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH E

 

Ehsan / Ihsan

إِحْسَان

Graciousness, compassion, kindness, or generosity

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH F

Fahim	فاهيم	perceptive, keen, clever, or wise
Faisal	فَيْصَل	resolute, judge, decisive ruler
Fahad	فهد	panther, leopard or cheetah
Faizan	فيضان	successful, beneficence, great grace
Farzan	فرزان	Calm, experienced, wise, or sensible.
Fakhr	فَخْر	Glory, honor, pride
Farrukh	فَرّخ	Happy, auspicious
Fawwaz	فَوّاز	person who wins, victor, or victorious
Farhan	فَرحان	Joyous, happy, rejoice, or cheerful.
Faraz	فراز	Ascent, Height
Firuz	فيروز	Triumphant, victor
Fidyan	فدیان	Person who makes sacrifice

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH G

 

Ghazi	غَازِي	Conquerer, warrior, fighter
Ghufran	غُفْران	Forgiving, to pardon
Gulab	گلاب	Rose
Ghulam	ُلَا	Slave or servant
Ghaith	غيث	Rain
Ghalib	غاليب	To overcome, to defeat

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH H

Haris	حَارِث	Ease
Haafiz	حافظ	Guardian, perserver (commit the entire Qur’an to memory to preserve it)
Habeeb	حَبِيب	Beloved, dear friend
Hasan	حسن	Pious, good, fine, beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad (saw)
Abdul-Haseeb	عَبْدُ الحَسِيْب	Servant of the Reckoner
Hussein / Husayn	حُسَيْن‎	Good, handsome, beautiful
Hamzah / Hamza	حمزة	Lion, strong, steadfast. Also the name of beloved uncle of Prophet Muhammad (saw).
Haneef	حَنِيف	Devout believer, monotheist, a person who believes in the oneness of God.
Hidayat	هدية	guidance, instruction, righteousness
Hammad	حَمَّاد	one who praises
Haris	حَارِث	Cultivator, the one who plows, farmer.
Huzaifah	حُذَيْفَة	Wise, intellectual man, ability to perceive. Also name of one of the Prophet’s (pbuh) companions

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH I

Imran	عمران	The name of the father of Maryam (may Allah be pleased with her). Name of the 3rd Surah.
Iqbal	إِقْبَال	good fortune, becoming successful
Imtiaz	امتياز	Different, unique, distinction
Imad	عماد	Pillar of strength, confidence
Idris	إدريس	studious, smart, or to learn, also the name of the Prophet of Allah (swt)
Ishaq	اسحاق‎	Arabic form of Isaac
Isaaq	إسحاق‎	honest, trustworthy
Ikhlas	إخلاص	Sincerity, also name of Surah
Isam	عِصام	Connection, promise, safeguard
Ismail	إِسْمَاعِيْل	hearer, heard by God, gift from God
Ibrahim	إبراهيم	Father of nations, name of the Prophet of Allah (swt)
Irfan	عرفان	Wisdom, knowledge

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH J

Jaabir	جابِرٌ	Consoler, comforter, the one who makes things better.
Ja’far	جَعْفَر	River, stream, canel or brook.
Jalaal / Jalal	جلال	Glory of faith
Jaleel	جليل	Great, revered
Jamaal / Jamal	جَمَال	Beauty
Junaid	جُنَيْد	Soldier, Warrior, a small army
Jawad	جواد	Bountiful, generous, liberal, magnanimous
Javed	جفيد	Eternal, perpetual

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH K

Khalid	خَلِيد	Permanent, durable, one who does not grow weak
Khateeb	خَطِيب	Orator, speaker, one who gives a speech.
Kamal	كمال‌‎	perfection, excellence, completeness
Kashif	كاشيف	discoverer, revealer, uncoverer
Kamran	كامران	Without problems, happy, blessed
Kawthar	كوثر	name of a river in paradise, also name of Surah in Qur’an
Khabib	حبيب	beloved, loved one
Khurshid	خورشيد	The sun
Kahil	خليل	Good friend
Kamil	كاميل	Perfect, the perfect one, complete
Khayr / Khair	خَيْرٌ	Excellent, best, opposite of bad.

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH L

 

Luqman	لُقْمَان	Wise man, a person named in Surah Luqman.
Lut	وط	Name of the Prophet of Allah (swt)

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH M

Muhammad	محمّد	A person who’s character is praiseworthy, commendable, laudable. Also the name of the last Prophet of Allah (swt).
Muhsin	مُحْسِن	Helper, humanitarian, doer of good deeds.
Muneeb	مُنِيْبٌ	One who returns to Allah and repents, return to God’s way.
Mustafa	مُصْطَفَى	Chosen, selected, preferred. Also one of the title’s of prophet Muhammad (saw).
Minhaaj	مِنْهَاج	road, the way, curriculum
Muhibb	مهيب	Lover
Mahboob	مَحْبُوب	Beloved, adored, cute.
Mahmood	محمود	elegant, praiseworthy, attribute of prophet muhammad (saws)
Mukhtaar	مُخْتَار	selected, chosen, exquisite. One who is chosen by Allah.
Murshad	مُرْشَد	Guided on the right path.
Mazhar	مَظْهَر	appearance, demeanor, sight, view
Muzzamil	مُزَّمِّل	one who is enwrapped
Moazzam / Moezzam	معظم	Respectable
Muslih	مُصْلِح	Reformer, good doer, improver
Muttalib	مُطَّلِب	Seeker, demander. Grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (saws)
Misbaah	مصباح	Lamp, latern, oil light
Miftaah	مِفْتَاح	Key, the one who guides others to the right path
Maqbool	مَقْبُول	Accepted or approved.
Moosa	مُوْسَى	No absolute definition. Assumed meaning, “the water” or “saved by the water”.
Mumin	مُؤْمِن	Believer
Muzaffar	مُظَفَّر	Victorious, triumphant, victor
Marwan	مَرْوَان	Solid Stone. Very strong lion or a leader.

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH N

 

Nasir	ناصر	Helper, aide, defender
Nabeel	نَبِيْل	Noble, brave, distinguished, high-born
Najam	ناجام	Morning star, star.
Naseem	نَسِيْم	a cool or gentle breeze, fragrant air
Naseer	نصير.	A helper, a friend, someone who helps people become successful or victorious
Na’eem	نَعِيم	pleasure, bounty, bliss, comfort
Abdul-Nur	نُورٌ	Divine light, prime light, the light that guides. One of Allah’s 99 attributes.
Nuh	نُوْح	name of Prophet of Allah (swt)
Nu’man / Nouman	نُعْمَان	Blood or red. Name of sahaba and also name of Abu Hanafi
Nadeem	نديم	companion, friend, confidant

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH O

 

Owais	أُوَيْس	little wolf. Also name of companion of Prophet Muhammad (saw)
Osama	أسامة	Lion
Omar / Umair / Omair	عُمر	Flourishing, long-lived
Obaid / Ubaid	عُبَيْد	Servant, or small slave

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH Q

 

Qasim	قَاسِم	Distributor, giver, the one who is generous. The name of Prophet Muhammad (saw) son.
Qamar	قَمَر	The moon

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH R

 

Rashid	راشد	Well-guided, follower of the right path, mature.
Rashad	رَشَاد	To acquire the right-guidance,  lead a righteous life.
Rafee	رافي	High-ranking, noble, exaulter, sublime
Rafeeq / Rafik / Rafiq	رفيق	A kind hearted person, good mannered, a friend.
Rayhan	ريحان	A sweet smelling plant, good scent, fragrance
Rayan	ريَّان	The gate of heaven which allows fasting people in Ramadan to enter
Ridwan	رضوان	contentment
Rizwan	رضوان	the angel in charge of maintaining Jannah or Paradise in Islam.
Rohan	روحان	spiritual, kind-hearted, compassionate

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH S

Saajid	ساجد‎	The one who prostrate
Sajjad	سجاد	Kneeling in prayer, prostration
Saleem / Salim	سَليم	unblemished, safe, intact, undamaged, or complete.
Siraaj	سِرَاج	Lamp, light, production of light.
Sad	سعد	Prosperity, fortunate, blessedness.
Sa’eed / Said	سَعيد	Happy, auspicious, successful
Suhail	سُهَيْل	Without trouble, lenient, easy to interact with.
Saif	سَيْف	sword
Shafi	شَافِي	Mediator, curer, or helper.
Shakil / Shakeel / Shaquille	شاكيل	Handsome, good-looking, well-shaped
Shuaib / Suhayb / shoaib	صُهَيْب	Who shows the right path. Name of the prophet of Allah (swt).
Shahab	شَهَاب	shooting star, flame, brightness of flame, meteor
Shaheed	شهيد	Witness, one who gives evidence based on truth
Sadiq / Sadik	صَادِق	honesty, true-hearted, sincere, truth or loyalty
Sabur / Saboor	صَبُور	Patient, tolerant, forbearing
Sultan	سُلْطَان	Ruler, emperor, authority
Shahzad	شهزاد	Son of the king
Salman	سلمان‎	healthy, safe, pure from any illness
Sayyid / Syed	سادة	Usually an honorific title denoting accepted descendents of Prophet Muhammad (saws) and his Ali (ra)

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH T

 

Tanweer	تنوير	To illuminate, radiant, appearance of light in the morning
Tawfeeq	تَوْفِيْق	Granted a favourable situation by Allah (swt), prosperity, success.
Tameez / Tamiz	تاميز	discernment, sense, distinction
Taqi	تَقِيّ	One who fears Allah, God-conscious, God-fearing
Tayyib	طَيِّب	good, sweet, agreeable, pure, chaste
Taha	طه	Meaning of the name is unknown. It is the 20th Surah of the Qur’an titled Ta-Ha.
Tahir / Taahir	طاهر	pure, virtuous, free from sin. Also name of one of the sahaba.

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH W

 

waleed	وَلِيد	Baby, infant, new-born. Also name of sahaba.
Waseem	وسيم	Graceful, good Looking, handsome
Wazir, Wazeer	وَزير	an adviser to the counsel to the king, minister, helper
Waqaar / Waqar	وَقَار	Dignity, constancy, self-respect
Abdul-Wahab	عَبْدُ الوَهَّاب	Servant of the bestower. All names of Allah must begin with Abdul meaning servant.
Waqqas / Waqas	وَقَّاص	Soldier, warrior, combatant, breaker.
Walid / Waleed	وَلِيد	Newborn, child, baby

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH Y

 

Yasir	ياسر	To become easy.
Yaseen / Yasin	يٰسٓ‎	No official meaning, two arabic letters Yaa and Seen. Name of the 36th Surah of the Qur’an
Yaqeen	يَقِيْن	Belief, certainty, lack of doubt.
Yusuf	يُوْسُف	God increases, or god gives. Also name of the Prophet of Allah (swt).
Yunus	يونس	dove, pigeon, also name of the Prophet of Allah (swt)
Yaqub / Yaqoub	يَعْقُوْب	successor, heir, following. Also name of the Prophet of Allah (swt)

MUSLIM BOY NAMES STARTING WITH Z

 

Zaakir	ذاكر	One who constantly praises and remembers Allah (swt)
Zakaa	ذَكاء	Sharpness of mind, cleverness
Zakee / Zaki	زكيّ	Righteousness, purification, sinless
Zul-kifl	ذُوْ الكِفْل	Name of one of the Prophets of Allah (swt)
Zubair	زُبَيْر	A brave and wise person
Zaid / Zayd	زيد	Abundance, excess, growth. Name of Prophet Muhammad’s adopted son.
Zain / Zayn	زَيْن	Adornment, beauty, grace, honour, excellence