Arabic name

Arabic names were historically based on a long naming system; most Arabs did not have given/middle/family names, but a full chain of names. This system was mainly in use throughout Arabia and part of the Levant.

Structure

Ism

The ism (اسم) is the personal name (e.g. "Ahmad" or "Fatimah"). Most names are Arabic words with a meaning, usually signaling the hoped-for character of the person. Such words are employed as adjectives and nouns in regular language.

Muhammad means "Praiseworthy"
Ali means "Exalted, High".

Generally, the context and grammar differentiate between names and adjectives, but Arab newspapers sometimes try to avoid confusion by placing names in brackets or quotation marks.

A very common name is Muhammad, used throughout the Muslim world, including parts of Africa, Arabia, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. The name may be abbreviated to Md., Mohd., Muhd., or simply M. in many cases, in which case the second given name is the one most commonly used. This can be seen in many names in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Muslim practices

A common form of Muslim Arab names is the combination of ʿAbd ("servant", fem. ʿAmah) followed by a description of God. A particularly common masculine example is Abdullah (عبد الله "servant of God").

In deference to God, ʿAbd is usually not used in conjunction with prophets' names.[1] Nonetheless such names are accepted in some areas.

This practice is not exclusive to Muslims in the Arab world. For example, in Lebanon and Egypt, Abdel-Massih ("servant of Christ") is commonly used as a Christian last name.

The non-Muslims Amir Suri and his son Muhammad ibn Suri of the Persian Ghurid dynasty used Muslim names even though they were non-Muslims.

Muslim names like Muhammad are used by non-Muslims such as the Kalash people.[2][3]

Non-Muslim converts to Islam are permitted to continue using their native language non-Arabic non-Islamic names if they do not carry any polytheistic connotations or meaning.

Arab Christian practices

To an extent, most Christian Arabs have names indistinguishable from Muslims, except that they almost never use explicitly Islamic names, e.g. Muhammad. Some common Christian names are:

Abd al-Yasuʿ (masc. ) / Amat al-Yasuʿ (fem.) ("slave of Jesus")
Abd al-Maseeḥ (masc.) / Amat al-Maseeḥ (fem.) ("slave of the Messiah")
Derivations of Maseeḥ ("Christ"): Masūḥun ("most anointed"), Amsāḥ ("more anointed"), Mamsūḥ ("anointed") and Musayḥ ("infant Christ"). The root, M-S-Ḥ, literally means "to anoint" (as in Masah) and is cognate to the Hebrew Mashiah.

Laqab

The laqab (لقب  "cognomen" / "surname") is intended as a description of the person.

For example, the Abbasid Caliph Haroun al-Rasheed (of One Thousand and One Nights fame). Haroun is the Arabic form for Aaron and al-Rasheed means "the rightly-guided".

The laqab was very popular in ancient Arab societies. Today, the laqab is only used if it is actually a person's birth surname/family name.

Nasab

The nasab (نسب) is a patronymic or series of patronymics. It indicates the person's heritage by the word ibn (ابن "son", colloquially bin) or ibnat ( "daughter", also بنت bint, abbreviated bte.).

Ibn Khaldun (ابن خلدون) means "son of Khaldun". Khaldun is the father's personal name or, in this particular case, the name of a remote ancestor.

Several nasab names can follow in a chain to trace a person's ancestry backwards in time, as was important in the tribally based society of the ancient Arabs, both for purposes of identification and for socio-political interactions. Today, however, ibn or bint is no longer used (unless it is the official naming style in a country, region, etc.: Adnen bin Abdallah). The plural is 'Abnā for males and Banāt for females. However, Banu or Bani is tribal and encompasses both sexes.

Nisbah

The nisbah (نسبة) surname could be an everyday name, but is mostly the name of the ancestral tribe, city, country, or any other term used to show relevance. It follows a family through several generations.

The laqab and nisbah are similar in use, thus, a name rarely contains both.

Kunya

A kunya (Arabic: كنية, kunyah)[4] is a teknonym in Arabic names, the name of an adult derived from his or her eldest child.

A kunya is a component of an Arabic name, a type of epithet, in theory referring to the bearer's first-born son or daughter. By extension, it may also have hypothetical or metaphorical references, e.g. in a nom de guerre or a nickname, without literally referring to a son or a daughter.[5] Use of a kunya implies a familiar but respectful setting.

A kunya is expressed by the use of abū (father) or umm (mother) in a genitive construction, i.e. "father of" or "mother of" as an honorific in place of or alongside given names in the Arab world and the Islamic world more generally.[6]

A kunya may also be a nickname expressing the attachment of an individual to a certain thing, as in Abu Bakr, "father of the camel foal", given because of this person's kindness towards camels.

Dynastic or family "Al"

Some people, especially in Arabia region, when descendant of a famous ancestor, start their last name with آل, an arabic noun which means "family" or "clan", like the dynasty Al Saud (family of Saud) or Al ash-Sheikh (family of the Sheikh). آل is distinct from the definite article ال. If a reliably-sourced version of the Arabic spelling includes آل (as a separate graphic word), then this is not a case of the definite article, so "Al " (capitalised and followed by a space, not a hyphen) should be used. "Ahl " (similar, more global meaning) is sometimes used and should be used if the Arabic spelling is أهل. Dynasty membership alone does not necessarily imply that the dynastic آل is used - e.g. Bashar al-Assad.

Arabic meaning transcription example
ال the al- Maytham al-Tammar
آل family/clan of Al, Aal Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
أهل tribe/people of Ahl Ahl al-Bayt

Example name

محمد بن سلمان بن امین الفارسی
Muhammad ibn Salman ibn Ameen al-Farsi
muhammad ibn saʻlman ibn ʻamin l-farsi

Ism - Muhammad (proper name, lit. "praised")
Nasab - Salman (father's name, lit. "secure")
Nasab - Ameen (grandfather's name, "trustworthy")
Nisbah - al-Farsi ("the Persian", from Farsi "Persian").

"Muhammad, son of Salman, son of Ameen, the Persian"

This person would simply be referred to as "Muhammad" or by relating him to his first-born son, e.g. Abu Kareem ("father of Kareem"). To signify respect or to specify which Muhammad one is speaking about, the name could be lengthened to the extent necessary or desired.

Westernization of Arabic naming practices and names

Almost all Arabic-speaking countries (excluding for example Saudi Arabia or Bahrain) have now adopted a Westernized way of naming. This is the case for example in the Levant and Maghreb, as well as some North African countries, where French or English conventions are followed (an effect of European colonization), and it is rapidly gaining ground elsewhere.

Also, many Arabs adapt to Western conventions for practical purposes when travelling or when residing in Western countries, constructing a given name/family name model out of their full Arab name, to fit Western expectations and/or visa applications or other official forms and documents. The reverse side to this is when Westerners are asked to supply their first name, father's name, and family name in some Arab visa applications.

The Westernization of an Arab name may require transliteration. Often, one name may be transliterated in several ways (Abdul Rahman, Abdoul Rahman, Abdur Rahman, Abdurahman, Abd al-Rahman, or Abd ar-Rahman), as there is no single accepted Arabic transliteration system. A single individual may try several ways of transliterating his or her name, producing even greater inconsistency. This has resulted in confusion on the part of governments, security agencies, airlines and others: for example, especially since 9/11, persons with names written similarly to those of suspected terrorists have been detained.

Common mistakes

Non-Arabic speakers often make these mistakes:

Arab family naming convention

In Arabic culture, as in many parts of the world, a person's ancestry and family name are very important. An example is explained below.

Assume a man is called Saleh ibn Tariq ibn Khalid al-Fulan.

Hence, Saleh ibn Tariq ibn Khalid al-Fulan translates as "Saleh, son of Tariq, son of Khaled; of the family al-Fulan."

The Arabic for "daughter of" is bint. A woman with the name Fatimah bint Tariq ibn Khalid al-Goswami translates as "Fatimah, daughter of Tariq, son of Khaled; of the family al-Goswami."

In this case, ibn and bint are included in the official naming. Most Arab countries today, however, do not use 'ibn' and 'bint' in their naming system. If Saleh were an Egyptian, he would be called Saleh Tariq Khalid al-Fulan and Fatimah would be Fatimah Tariq Khalid al-Goswami.

If Saleh marries a wife (who would keep her own maiden, family, and surnames), their children will take Saleh's family name. Therefore, their son Mohammed would be called Mohammed ibn Saleh ibn Tariq al-Fulan.

However, not all Arab countries use the name in its full length, but conventionally use two- and three-word names, and sometimes four-word names in official or legal matters. Thus the first name is the personal name, the middle name is the father's name and the last name is the family name.

Arabic names and their biblical equivalent

The Arabic names listed below are used in the Arab world, as well as some other Muslim regions, with correspondent Hebrew, English, Syriac and Greek equivalents in many cases. They are not necessarily of Arabic origin, although some are. Most are derived from Syriac transliterations of the Hebrew Bible. For more information, see also Iranian, Malay, Pakistani, and Turkish names.

Arabic name Hebrew name English name Syriac name Greek name
Aabir
ʿĀbir /ʾĪbir عابر / إيبر
Éver
ʻĒḇer עֵבֶר
Eber
Alyasaa
Alyasaʿ اليسع
Elisha
Elišaʿ אֱלִישָׁע
Elisha Ἐλισσαῖος
Aamoos
ʿĀmūs عاموس
Amos
ʿĀmōs עָמוֹס
Amos Ἀμώς
Andraaoos
Andrāwus أندراوس
Andrew - Ἀνδρέας
Asif
ʾĀsif آصف
Asaph
ʾĀsaf אָסָף
Asaph
Ayoob
ʾAyyūb أيّوب
Iyov / Iov
Iyyov / Iyyôḇ איוב
Job Ἰώβ
ʾĀzar
Āzar / Taraḥ آزر / تارح
Téraḥ / Tharakh תֶּרַח / תָּרַח Terah Thara Θάρα
Azaria
Azarīyā أزريا
Azaryah עֲזַרְיָהוּ Azariah
Bartholmaos
Barthulmāwus بَرثُولَماوُس
bar-Tôlmay בר-תולמי Bartholomew - Βαρθολομαῖος
Baraka
Baraka
Bārak بارك
Barukh
Bārûḵ בָּרוּךְ
Baruch Βαρούχ
Benyamin
Binyāmīn بنيامين
Binyamin
Binyāmîn בִּנְיָמִין
Benjamin Βενιαμίν
Boulus
Būlus بولس
Paul - Παῦλος
Boutros
Butrus بطرس
Peter - Πέτρος
Daborah
Dabūrāh دبوراه
Dvora
Dəḇôrā דְּבוֹרָה
Deborah
Daniel
Dānyāl دانيال
Daniel
Dāniyyêl דָּנִיֵּאל
Daniel Δανιήλ
Dawoud / Dāwud / Dāwūd / Dāʾūd داود / داوُود / داؤود David
Davīd  דָּוִד
David Δαυΐδ, Δαβίδ
Fileeb
Fīlīb/Fīlībus فيليب / فيليبوس
Philip - Φίλιππος
Faris
Fáris فارص
Péreẓ
Páreẓ פֶּרֶץ / פָּרֶץ
Perez
Efraim
ʾIfrāym إفرايم
Efraim
Efráyim אֶפְרַיִם/אֶפְרָיִם
Ephraim Ἐφραίμ
Hubaab
Ḥūbāb حُوبَابَ
Chobab
Ḥovav חֹבָב
Hobab
Habaqooq
Ḥabaqūq حبقوق
Ḥavaqquq חֲבַקּוּק Habakkuk Ἀββακούμ
Hajjay
Ḥajjai حجاي
Ḥaggay חַגַּי Haggai Ἁγγαῖος
Aanaa
Anna آنّاه
Ḥannāh חַנָּה Anna (Bible) Ἄννα
Haroun
Hārūn هارون
Aharon אהרן Aaron Ἀαρών
Hawaa
Ḥawwāʾ حواء
Chava / Hava
Ḥavvah חַוָּה
Eve ܚܘܐ Εὔα
Hosha
Hūshaʾ هوشع
Hoshea
Hôšēăʻ הושע
Hosea Ὡσηέ
Ḥassan حسن Choshen
ẖošen חֹשֶׁן
Hassan
Hazkiel
Ḥazqiyāl حزقيال
Y'khez'qel 
Y'ḥez'qel יְחֶזְקֵאל
Ezekiel Ἰεζεκιήλ
Ibraaheem
ʾIbrāhīm إبراهيم
Avraham אַבְרָהָם Abraham Ἀβραάμ
Idrees / Akhnookh
Idrīs / Akhnūkh أخنوخ / إدريس
H̱anokh חֲנוֹךְ Enoch / Idris Ἑνώχ
Elias
ʾIlyās إلياس
Īliyā إيليا
Eliahu / Eliyahu
Eliyahu אֱלִיָּהוּ
Elijah 'Eliya Ἠλίας
Imran
ʾImrān عمرام / عمران
Amrām עַמְרָם Amram Ἀμράμ
Irmiyaa
ʾIrmiyā إرميا
Yirməyāhū יִרְמְיָהוּ Jeremiah Ἱερεμίας
Eisa / Yasoua
ʿĪsā / Yasūʿ عيسى / يسوع
Yeshua
Yešuaʿ   יֵשׁוּעַ / יֵשׁוּ
Jesus Eeshoʿ Ἰησοῦς
Ishak
ʾIsḥāq إسحاق
Yitzhak / Yitzchak
Yitsḥaq יִצְחָק
Isaac Ἰσαάκ
Isaiah
ʾIshʿiyāʾ إشعيا
Yeshayahu
Yəšạʻyā́hû יְשַׁעְיָהוּ
Isaiah Ἠσαΐας
Ismail
ʾIsmāʿīl إسماعيل
Yishmael
Yišmaʿel / Yišmāʿêl יִשְׁמָעֵאל
Ishmael Ἰσμαήλ
Israail
ʾIsrāʾīl إِسرائيل
Israel / Yisrael
Yisraʾel / Yiśrāʾēl ישראל
Israel Ἰσραήλ
Jibreel /Jibraaeel
Jibrīl / Jibraīl جِبْريل / جَبْرائيل
Gavriel
Gavriʾel גַבְרִיאֵל
Gabriel Γαβριήλ
Jad / Gad
Ǧād / Jād جاد
Gad גָּד Gad Γάδ
Jalut / Galut
Ǧālūt / Jālūt / Julyāt جالوت / جليات
Golyāṯ גָּלְיָת Goliath Γολιάθ
Jasham / Gushaam
Jašam / Ǧūšām جشم / جوشام
Geshem גֶשֶׁם Geshem (Bible) Gashmu
Jorj
Jūrj / Jirjis / Jurj / Jurayj جيرجس
George (given name) Γεώργιος
Kabeel
Kābīl (?)
Kalev כָּלֵב Caleb
Lawi
Lāwī لاوي
Lēwî לֵּוִי Levi Λευΐ
Leya
Layā'ليا
Leah לֵאָה Leah Λεία
Madyan
Madyān مدين
Midian מִדְיָן Midian Μαδιάμ
Majdala
Majdalā مجدلية
Migdal Magdalene Magdala Μαγδαληνή
Malikisadiq
Māliki-Ṣadiq ملكي صادق
malḵi-ṣédeq מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶֿק Melchizedek Μελχισεδέκ
Maliki
Malākhī ملاخي
Mal'akhi מַלְאָכִי Malachi Μαλαχίας
Maryam / Miriam
Maryam   مريم
Miriam / Miryam
Miryam מרים
Mary ܡܪܝܡ Μαρία
Methuselah
Mattūshalakh مَتُّوشَلَخَ
Mətušélaḥ
Mətušálaḥ מְתֿוּשָלַח
Methuselah Μαθουσάλα
Matta
Mattā
Amittai אֲמִתַּי Amittai
Matta
Mattā / Matatiyā متى / متتيا
Matatiahu / Matatyahu
Matatyahu מַתִּתְיָהוּ
Matthew Mattai Ματθαῖος
Mikhail
 / Mikhāʼīl ميخائيل
Michael / Mikhael
Miḵaʾel מִיכָאֵל
Michael Μιχαήλ
Moussa
Mūsā موسى
Moshe
Mošé מֹשֶׁה
Moses Μωϋσῆς
Nehemiaa
Nahamiyyā نحميا
Nekhemyah נְחֶמְיָה Nehemiah Νεεμίας
Nouh
Nūḥ نُوح
Noach / Noah
Nóaḥ נוֹחַ
Noah Νῶε
Qaroon / Qoorah
Qarūn / Qūraḥ قارون / قورح
Kórakh
Qōraḥ קֹרַח
Korah
Raaheel
Rāḥīl راحيل
Rakhél
Raḥel רָחֵל
Rachel Ραχήλ
Safniyaa
Ṣafnīyā صفنيا
Tzfanya  / Ṣəp̄anyā
Tsfanya צְפַנְיָה
Zephaniah Σωφονίας
Safurah
Ṣaffūrah صفورة
Tzipora  / Tsippora
Ṣippôrā צִפוֹרָה
Zipporah
Sem
Sām سام
Shem שֵם Shem Σήμ
Samiri
Sāmirī سامري
Zimri זִמְרִי Zimri Zamri
Samuel
Ṣamu’īl / Ṣamawāl صموئيل / صموال
Shmu'el / Šəmûʼēl
Shmu'el שְׁמוּאֶל
Samuel Σαμουήλ
Sara
Sārah سارة
Sara / Sarah
Sarā שָׂרָה
Sarah / Sara Σάρα
Shamshoon
Shamshūn شمشون
Shimshon / Šimšôn
Shimshon שִׁמְשׁוֹן
Samson Σαμψών
Suleiman
Sulaymān /  سليمان
Shlomo
Šlomo שְׁלֹמֹה
Solomon Σολομών
Saul
Ṭālūt / Sāwul طالوت / شاول
Sha'ul
Šāʼûl שָׁאוּל
Saul Σαούλ
Tomas
Ṭūmās/Tūmā طوماس / توما
Thomas (name) te'oma Θωμᾶς
Obaidullah
ʿUbaydallāh / 'Ubaydīyā عبيد الله / عبيدييا
Ovadia
Ovádyah / Ovádyah עבדיה
Obadiah Ὁβαδίας, Ἀβδιού
Umri
ʾAmri عمري
Omri
Omri עמרי
Omri
ʿUzair
ʿUzāir عُزَيْرٌ
Ezra
Ezrá עזרא
Ezra
Yaakoub
Yaʿqūb يَعْقُوب
Yaakov
Yaʿaqov יַעֲקֹב
Jacob, (James) Ἰακώβ
Yahia / Yehia / Youhanna
Yaḥyā /  / Yūḥannā** يحيى / يوحنا
Yochanan / Yohanan
Yôḥānnān יוחנן
John Ἰωάννης
Yahwah
Yahwah يهوه
YHWH
Yahweh יְהֹוָה
Jehovah
Yessa
Yashshā يَسَّى
Yishay יִשַׁי Jesse Ἰεσσαί
Yathrun (?)
Yathrun / Shu'ayb / شعيب
Yitro
Yiṯrô יִתְרוֹ
Jethro
You'il
Yūʾīl يوئيل
Yoel יואל) Joel Ἰωήλ
Younos / Younes
 / Yūnus يونس
Yona / Yonah
Yônā יוֹנָה
Jonah Yuna Ἰωνάς
Youssof / Youssef
Yūsuf /  يوسف
Yosef יוֹסֵף Joseph Ἰωσήφ
Youshaʿ
Yūshaʿ / Yashūʿ يُوشَعُ / يَشُوعُ
Yĕhôshúa
Yôshúa יְהוֹשֻׁעַ
Joshua Ἰησοῦς
Zakaria
Zakariyyā / Zakarīyā زَكَرِيَّا
Zecharia /Zekharia
Zeḵaryah זְכַרְיָה
Zachary or Zechariah Ζαχαρίας

Indexing

According to the Chicago Manual of Style, Arabic names are indexed by their surnames. Names may be alphabetized under Abu Abd and ibn, while names are not alphabetized under al- and el- and are instead alphabetized under the following element.[7]

See also

References

  1. Metcalf, Barbara D. (2009-09-08). Islam in South Asia in Practice. Princeton University Press. p. 344. ISBN 1-4008-3138-5. One must avoid names whose ambiguity suggests something unlawful. It is for this reason that the scholars forbid having names like 'Abd al-Nabi (Slave of the Prophet).
  2. https://www.wsj.com/articles/modernity-and-muslims-encroach-on-unique-tribe-in-pakistan-1433370643
  3. https://www.wsj.com/documents/print/WSJ_-A016-20150604.pdf
  4. Shahpurshah Hormasji Hodivala, Historical Studies in Mug̲h̲al Numismatics, Numismatic Society of India, 1976 (Reprint of the 1923 ed.)
  5. Pedzisai Mashiri, "Terms of Address in Shona: A Sociolinguistic Approach", Zambezia, XXVI (i), pp. 93–110, 1999
  6. Annemarie Schimmel, Islamic Names: An Introduction, Edinburgh University Press, 1989, ISBN 0-85224-563-7, ISBN 978-0-85224-563-7
  7. "Indexes: A Chapter from The Chicago Manual of Style" (Archive). Chicago Manual of Style. Retrieved on December 23, 2014. p. 25 (PDF document p. 27/56).
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