45 favourite Arabic baby names

In Arabic, the syllable 'abd' means 'servant of'.

You might notice many Arabic first names start with it, but they each take on a different meaning.

Boys' name Abdel could be translated as 'servant of God'.

Characteristics of Abdel: responsible, protective, pleasant, idealistic, perceptive.

The exact origin of the name Adam is a bit unclear because several theories clash.

But we do know that in Hebrew, it refers to humanity, as Adam was the first man on Earth in the Bible.

Characteristics of Adam: ambitious, charismatic, courageous, authoritarian.

Play video

Pregnant?

Our week-by-week PREGNANCY emails are a must for parents-to-be

Email address

Your due date

Are you the mum, dad, partner, grandparent, surrogate?

Mum Dad Partner Grandparent Surrogate

How many children do you have?

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+

I agree to Netmums processing my Sensitive Personal Data for the purpose of sending me Pregnancy Newsletters.

Please tick if you would like to receive news, offers and information from our trusted and carefully selected partners that we think you might like.

I have read and understood Netmums' Privacy Notice and Terms & Conditions

Sign up

In Arabic, Ali means 'the high, the superior, the elevated, the sublime'.

Pretty impressive, eh?

Characteristics of Ali: reckless, courageous, emotional, sensitive.

Girls' name Ambre comes directly from the Arabic word 'anbar', which means 'amber'.

It refers to the amber gemstone, but also relates to ambergris – the substance secreted by sperm whales that's used in perfumes!

Characteristics of Amber: splendid, playful, communicative, generous, spiritual.

Amina is the feminine version of Amine, which comes from the Arabic word 'amin', meaning 'faithful' and 'trustworthy'.

Characteristics of Amina: emotional, secretive, pleasant, communicative.

The masculine version is Amine, which means the same thing as Amina.

It's also one of the nicknames of the prophet Mohammed.

Characteristics of Amine: open, jolly, imaginative, sociable, endearing, warm-hearted.

In Arabic, Amir means 'prince' or 'proclaimed' but in Hebrew, the name means 'treetops'.

Characteristics of Amir: strong, independent, enterprising.

Assia means 'the one who comforts, heals and relieves' in Arabic.

It's also a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning 'resurrection' or 'rebirth'.

Characteristics of Assia: sensitive, intelligent, passionate, determined.

Girls' name Aya means 'bird of prey' in Hebrew, 'miracle, sign, or verse of the Quran' in Arabic, and 'natural beauty' in Japanese.

Characteristics of Aya: affectionate, moral, intellectual, active.

Ayoub means 'God has established' in Hebrew.

In Middle Eastern communities, the boys' name comes from the word 'ayab', which means 'he who repents' or 'he who returns to God'.

Characteristics of Ayoub: reliable, careful, upright, thoughtful, self-reliant, energetic.

Elif is a letter of the Arabic alphabet.

As a name from Turkish origin, it's known as a woman who lights up everything in her path, but the name considered unisex.

Characteristics of Elif: radiant, dreamy, imaginative, graceful.

Farah means 'happy', 'satisfied' and 'happiness' in Arabic, and 'light' in Iranian.

It's a unisex name, but is more popular for girls.

Characteristics of Farah: strong, dynamic, pleasant, serious.

Ibrahim means 'father of a multitude' in Arabic, and 'father of the nations' in Hebrew.

Characteristics of Ibrahim: attractive, comforting, enterprising, ambitious.

The boys' name Ilyas stems from Elijah, a Hebrew prophet who lived in Israel.

It means 'the lord is my god' or 'who comes from god', and can also be spelt Ilyes, Ilias, Elias or Ilies.

Characteristics of Ilyas: courageous, wise, confident, authoritative.

Inaya can mean 'care', 'attention', 'solicitude', or 'divine providence' in Arabic.

The girls' name is particularly popular in Muslim families.

Characteristics of Inaya: generous, clever, sophisticated, mischievous.

In Arabic, the girls' name Ines means 'kindness', 'caress' or 'companion'.

It's of Greek and Latin origin, stemming from the word 'agnus', which means 'lamb' or 'pure'.

Characteristics of Ines: social, natural, intelligent, subtle.

This boys' name can also be spelt Qais. It's a name from the Quran that can be translated as 'distinguished' or 'proud'.

Characteristics of Kais: helpful, caring, independent, confident, proud, active.

Kenza means 'wealth' and 'treasure' in Arabic.

In Berber mythology, which originates from north Africa, Kenza is a sun goddess.

Characteristics of Kenza: intelligent, simple, solid, charming.

The masculine version of Kenza is Kenzo. In Arabic, it comes from 'kanz', which means 'treasure' or 'wonder'.

In Japanese, the name means 'the third son'.

Characteristics of Kenzo: generous, calm, helpful, hard-working, courageous.

Kian can be a form of the Irish name Cian, but it's also an Arabic name meaning both 'generations' and 'king'.

Characteristics of Kian: powerful, tough, wealthy, problem-solver, achiever.

Lila is a shortened and westernised variation of the Arabic name Leila, which can mean 'twilight', 'companion of the night' or 'devotion'.

It symbolises the meeting of divine love. Aw, sweet!

Lila also has Latin origins from the words 'lilium', which means lily and 'lea', meaning lioness.

Characteristics of Lila: adaptable, sentimental, daring.

The unisex name Lina is multicultural, although in Arabic, it means 'flexible' or 'tender'.

It also means 'precious beauty' or 'jasmine flower' in Chinese, 'messenger' in Greek, and 'concentrated' in Sanskrit.

Characteristics of Lina: charming, graceful, secretive.

Maissa means 'the one whose walk is graceful and proud' in Arabic.

This feminine version derives from the Arabic boys' name Maysan, which means 'shining star'.

Characteristics of Maissa: dreamy, intuitive, imaginative, emotional.

Maryam is the Arabic and Persian form of Miriam, Mary or Maria.

In Islam, Maryam is a reference to the Virgin Mary and is mentioned more times in the Quran than in the New Testament.

The name is a popular pick, making it into the most recent top 100 girls' names list .

Characteristics of Maryam: powerful, tough, wealthy, achiever.

Of Hebrew, Greek, Spanish and Arabic origin, Maya means 'water' or 'river'.

Characteristics of Maya: protective, determined, radiant, active, generous.

Muhammad is spelt in many different ways, but they all relate to the Muslim prophet, who was Allah's messenger. It means 'praiseworthy'.

Spelt this way, it was the 8th most popular boys' name in England and Wales, in 2018.

Characteristics of Muhammad: multi-talented, oneness, idealistic, independent, perfection.

Nael means 'the one whose work is fruitful' in Arabic.

The boys' name also derives from Nathanael, from the Hebrew phrase 'netha et el', which means 'God has given'.

Characteristics of Nael: generous, energetic, purposeful, sociable, romantic, dreamy.

Boys' Naim means 'delicious', 'sweetness' and 'pleasure' in Arabic.

It's also the name of a garden of paradise in the Quran.

Characteristics of Naim: courageous, outspoken, loyal, energetic.

In Arabic, the name Noam refers to all things sweet and pleasant, so it's pretty similar to Naim.

Characteristics of Naim: affectionate, creative, elegant, charming, perfectionist, responsible.

Nora comes from the Arabic word 'ellinor', which means 'God is my light', and from the Hebrew word 'elinora', which means 'God is on fire'.

But it's also a diminutive of the English name Eleanora.

Characteristics of Nora: sparkling, communicative, sociable, friendly, honest, sympathetic.

Unisex name Nour, which can also be spelt Noor, means 'light' in Arabic.

Characteristics of Nour: strong, helpful, loyal, sensitive.

In Hebrew, the name translates to 'talkative'.

Omar, also spelt Umar, means 'flourishing' and 'long-lived' from its Arabic origin.

Characteristics of Omar: considerate, compassionate, patient, loving, kind.

Rabia means 'fourth daughter of the family' from its Iraqi origin, and 'spring' or 'garden' in Arabic.

Characteristics of Rabia: passionate, communicative, curious, lively, intuitive.

Rayan means 'quenched', 'beautiful' or 'fulfilled' in Arabic.

The unisex name also refers to eternity, as it's connected to one of the gates of paradise in Islam.

Characteristics of Rayan: brilliant, persevering, dynamic, creative, intuitive.

Salma comes from the Arabic name Salim, which means 'flawless' or 'perfectly intact and healthy'.

Characteristics of Salma: patient, willing, independent, fair, beautiful.

The name Sara derives from Sarah, which means 'princess' and 'sovereign' from Hebrew origin.

Characteristics of Sara: generous, devoted, sympathetic, curious.

Selma comes from the Arabic word 'sélèm', which means 'peace'.

It also has origins in German culture, as a version of the name Anselme, which means 'divine protection'.

Characteristics of Selma: delicate, active, charming, tidy.

Sirine is an Arabic name that stems from the Persian name Sirin, and means 'happy', 'pleasant' or 'satiated'.

Characteristics of Sirine: ambitious, hard-working, dynamic, disciplined, calm.

Soan comes from the Hebrew name Yohanân, which means 'God has given grace'.

In Arabic, the boys' name can also refer to a 'star', and in Sanskrit 'beautiful'.

Characteristics of Soan: faithful, funny, curious, committed.

In Arabic, Sofia comes from the word 'sûfiyya', which means 'who has been purified'.

From Greek and Latin origin, Sophia means 'wisdom'. It's kept its popularity over the years, landing in the top 30 girls' names in 2018.

Characteristics of Sofia: faithful, loyal, sensitive, communicative.

The boys' name Wassim means 'distinguished by beauty, elegance' in Arabic.

Characteristics of Wassim: curious, lively, persuasive, sensitive, charming, passionate.

Yasmine is derived from the Old Persian word 'yasamen', relating to the Jasmine flower.

Characteristics of Yasmine: adventurous, intellectual, easy going.

Younes means 'close to God' in Arabic.

In Hebrew, the boys' name means 'dove'.

Characteristics of Younes: cheerful, sympathetic, friendly, warm, enthusiastic, intelligent.

From the Hebrew word 'yôsephyâh', Youssef means 'may God add'.

Characteristics of Youssef: thoughtful, wise, original, emotional.

The name Zahra means 'flower' or 'bright', 'luminous' and 'dazzling' in Arabic.

Zehra is the Turkish equivalent.

Characteristics of Zahra: passionate, lively, sparkling, generous, enthusiastic.