NLENعربي
Name meanings

What does your name mean?

Find an Arabic name meaning: type the name in Arabic to see its meaning as the Arabic dictionaries give it, with a link to the source, spelled in letter biscuits.

Name stories on video

Each video tells one story of a name. Names carry many layers of stories and meanings, and Soraya loves to uncover them all. A new name story every Friday.

Arabic name meanings, from Alif to Yaa

An Arabic name list from Alif to Yaa: every name with its meaning and its source. Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits and read its other meanings.

ا

  1. : one who has the finest qualities and is praised for them. From the root ح م د, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic.
  2. : hope. From the root أ م ل, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ب

  1. : brave, a hero. From the root ب س ل, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : the full moon, named for racing the sun to rise. From the root ب د ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  3. : from Persian bandar: the place where ships anchor in a harbour, and the small town around it. As given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Almaany dictionary.
  4. : eloquence: clear, beautiful speech. From the root ب ي ن, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ت

  1. : a sweet, lilting voice in song: a person, or a dove, raising the voice in song. From the root غ ر د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : perfectly formed and strong. From the root ت م م, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ث

  1. : a tree whose fruit is ripe. From the root ث م ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : the Pleiades, a small cluster of bright stars. From the root ث ر و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.

ج

  1. : great and mighty in build. From the root ج س م, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : silver beads shaped like pearls; small pearls. From the root ج م ن, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  3. : a silver bead like a pearl, or a pearl itself; the name comes from it. From the root ج م ن, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  4. : the heaviest rain of all. From the root ج و د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ح

  1. : sweetness. From the root ح ل و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : strength and firmness: Hamza comes from ahmaz, firmer. From the root ح م ز, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  3. : tenderness and kindness. From the root ح ن ن, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

خ

  1. : lasting, ever-remaining. From the root خ ل د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : lasting, staying forever. From the root خ ل د, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic.

د

  1. : a large pearl. As given in the Almaany dictionary.
  2. : one who pushes hard. From the root د ح م, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Almaany dictionary.
  3. : steady, quiet rain with no thunder or lightning. From the root د ي م, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.

ذ

  1. : keeping something in mind, saying it and bringing it back to mind. From the root ذ ك ر, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic.
  2. : wolves. From the root ذ أ ب, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ر

  1. : the one who finds the right way. From the root ر ش د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : steadiness and dignity: a rakeen man is calm and grave, a rakeen mountain high and strong. From the root ر ك ن, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  3. : a woman of calm poise and dignity. From the root ر ز ن, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  4. : a wide, good and plentiful life. From the root ر غ د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  5. : a shimmer, a glow. From the root ر ف ف, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  6. : a long, calm gaze. From the root ر ن و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  7. : a sweet, lilting song, as doves sing. From the root ر ن م, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  8. : well-watered, never thirsty. From the root ر و ي, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  9. : the pure white gazelle. From the root ر أ م, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ز

  1. : growth and abundance. From the root ز ي د, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Almaany dictionary.
  2. : growth, abundance and giving. From the root ز ي د, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic.
  3. : a beautiful, sweet-scented tree; the name comes from it. From the root ز ن ب, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

س

  1. : free of every flaw, safe and sound. From the root س ل م, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Almaany dictionary.
  2. : good fortune. From the root س ع د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  3. : the ten stars of good fortune in the sky; the moon stops at four of them. From the root س ع د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  4. : proof and strong reason; from salit, the oil that gives light. From the root س ل ط, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  5. : the sword; its bearer is called sa'if. From the root س ي ف, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ش

  1. : from Persian: a bird of prey of the falcon family. As given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic.
  2. : a strong, sweet scent. From the root ش ذ و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  3. : honey still in its comb. From the root ش ه د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ص

  1. : good and upright, putting things right. From the root ص ل ح, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : clearness, the opposite of murkiness. From the root ص ف و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.

ض

  1. : a seasoned hunter, used to the chase. From the root ض ر و, as given in the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic.
  2. : late morning, when the sun is up and bright. From the root ض ح و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.

ط

  1. : the star that rises at night; the morning star. From the root ط ر ق, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : pure and clean. From the root ط ه ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  3. : plural of tall, the lightest, gentlest rain. From the root ط ل ل, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ظ

  1. : the victor who overcomes his rival; the winner. From the root ظ ف ر, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic.
  2. : she who wins what she seeks. From the root ظ ف ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.

ع

  1. : a blend of perfumes with saffron. From the root ع ب ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  2. : patient and determined; also the lion. From the root ع ز م, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic.
  3. : high, exalted. From the root ع ل و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.

غ

  1. : a graceful, gentle young woman. From the root غ ي د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : from ghala, the opposite of cheap, whose first sense is rising high: the precious one. From the root غ ل و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  3. : rain, and the green that grows from it. From the root غ ي ث, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ف

  1. : a horseman, and anyone masterful at what he does: the name comes from it. From the root ف ر س, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : joy: a lightness in the heart. From the root ف ر ح, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  3. : the cheetah, the wild cat that hunters train for the chase. From the root ف ه د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  4. : the judge: the one who decides between right and wrong. From the root ف ص ل, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ق

  1. : far away, the distant one. From the root ق ص و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : the moon in the sky; a moonlit night is called qamraa, a night full of light. From the root ق م ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ك

  1. : a shield and shelter for all things. From the root ك ن ن, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ل

  1. : a soft darkness of the lips that the Arabs admired. From the root ل م ي, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  2. : nights. From the root ل ي ل, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  3. : strength and might; the lion; the brave one. From the root ل ي ث, as given in the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names and the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic.
  4. : gentleness and softness, the opposite of roughness. From the root ل ي ن, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.

م

  1. : noble, generous and good-natured. From the root م ج د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : the one with many praiseworthy qualities. From the root ح م د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  3. : from marw: bright white flint stones that strike fire. From the root م ر و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  4. : a place of light. From the root ن و ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  5. : wishes: the things a heart longs for. From the root م ن ي, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  6. : the white oryx of the wild, named for its whiteness; the Arabs compared beautiful eyes to hers. From the root م ه و, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ن

  1. : the helper who stands by the wronged. From the root ن ص ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : high and towering. From the root ن و ف, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  3. : the dew that falls at night. From the root ن د ي, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  4. : the ring of a word, a beautiful voice. From the root ن غ م, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  5. : towering, high above. From the root ن و ف, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  6. : light, the opposite of darkness. From the root ن و ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  7. : the white blossom: nawr and nawra mean blossom. From the root ن و ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ه

  1. : the cooing of doves. From the root ه د ل, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : a herd of a hundred camels. From the root ه ن د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  3. : the falcon, or the young of the eagle: the name comes from it. From the root ه ث م, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

و

  1. : the blossom of every tree and plant; roses grow widely in Arab lands. From the root و ر د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.
  2. : a newborn boy. From the root و ل د, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.

ي

  1. : easy-going, gentle to deal with. From the root ي س ر, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  2. : jasmine, a Persian word long at home in Arabic; the poet al-Aasha sang of it. As given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur and the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names.
  3. : from Dhu Yazan, a king of ancient Himyar; the famous Yazani spears are named after him. From the root ي ز ن, as given in Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur.

Our sources

We take each name's meaning from the Arabic dictionaries themselves and link the source under it, so you can read it yourself:

  • Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur, a dictionary written in the 13th century: the root of the name and its oldest meaning in the speech and poetry of the Arabs.
  • The Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names, from Oman: a Gulf encyclopedia made for Arab names, published by Sultan Qaboos University; it gives each name its root and its meaning.
  • The Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic, from Qatar: it follows a word's meaning through its history, from the oldest Arabic texts.
  • Almaany: for modern names the old dictionaries do not list, like Dana.

We take the meaning from the highest source in this order first; when the others give the same meaning, their links sit next to it. A name can carry several meanings. We put the one closest to Gulf heritage first, then the others. Any name whose meaning or origin the sources disagree on is left out of these lists. Names carry many layers of stories and meanings, and Thurayya loves to uncover them all.

Arabic names with meaning

Every name has a meaning, and many have a story. Every Friday a new name story comes out on video: it starts with the meaning, then tells what lies behind it. Every name on this page shows its meaning with its source.

Questions parents ask

Where do the Arabic name meanings come from?

From the Arabic dictionaries themselves, in this order: Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur for the root and the oldest meaning, then the Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia of Arab Names from Oman, then the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic from Qatar, then Almaany for modern names. Each meaning links to its source.

What does Reem mean?

Reem is the white gazelle, pure white. Watch the name story of Reem on its name page.

What does Thurayya mean?

Thurayya is the Pleiades, a small cluster of bright stars. Our biscuits are named after it.