EnglishToArabic.org

A reference for English speakers

Female names

A working reference list with meanings and notes.

This is an alphabetical reference of common Arabic female names. For how Arabic naming works as a system, see how Arabic names are structured. For why "Aisha" and "Ayesha" and "Aicha" are the same name, see transliteration. Multiple common spellings are shown where they exist.

A

Aaliya / Alia — "high, exalted"
عالية ʿaaliya
Feminine of ʿaalii.
Aamina / Amina — "trustworthy, safe"
آمنة aamina
Mother of the Prophet Muhammad.
Abeer — "fragrance"
عبير ʿabiir
Aida — "visitor, returning"
عائدة ʿaa'ida
Aisha / Ayesha / Aicha — "alive, living"
عائشة ʿaa'isha
Wife of the Prophet.
Amal — "hope"
أمل amal
Amani — "wishes, aspirations"
أماني amaanii
Plural of umniya.
Amira / Ameera — "princess"
أميرة amiira
Asiya — "consoling, comforter"
آسية aasiya
The wife of Pharaoh in the Quran who raised Moses.
Asma — "exalted, noble"
أسماء asmaa'
Daughter of Abu Bakr.
Asrar — "secrets"
أسرار asraar
Ayat — "signs, verses"
آيات aayaat
Aziza — "powerful, beloved"
عزيزة ʿaziiza
Feminine of ʿaziiz.

B

Badriya — "full-mooned"
بدرية badriyya
Root b-d-r.
Bahar — "spring"
بهار bahaar
Persian-origin; common across the region.
Basma — "smile"
بسمة basma
Bushra — "good news"
بشرى bushraa

D

Dalia / Dahlia — "vine, dahlia"
داليا daaliyaa
Dunya — "world, life"
دنيا dunyaa

F

Fadia — "redeemer, ransomer"
فادية faadiya
Fadwa — "self-sacrifice"
فدوى fadwaa
Faiza — "victorious"
فائزة faa'iza
Farah — "joy"
فرح faraH
Faten — "captivating"
فاتن faatin
Fatima / Fatma / Fatimah — "weaning, abstaining"
فاطمة faaTima
Daughter of the Prophet.
Fatin — "captivating, alluring"
فاتن faatin
Fawzia — "victorious"
فوزية fawziyya
Ferial — "festive, joyful"
فريال faryaal
Firdaws / Firdous — "paradise"
فردوس firdaws
Persian-origin; the highest level of paradise in Islamic tradition.

G

Ghada — "graceful"
غادة ghaada

H

Habiba — "beloved"
حبيبة Habiiba
Hadia / Hadiya — "guide, gift"
هادية / هدية haadiya / hadiyya
Two slightly different roots and senses.
Hafsa — "young lioness"
حفصة HafSa
Wife of the Prophet.
Halima — "gentle, patient"
حليمة Haliima
Halima al-Sa'diyya, wet nurse of the Prophet.
Hana — "happiness"
هناء hanaa'
Hanan — "compassion, tenderness"
حنان Hanaan
Hanin — "longing, yearning"
حنين Haniin
Hasna — "beautiful"
حسناء Hasnaa'
Hayat — "life"
حياة Hayaat
Heba / Hiba — "gift"
هبة hiba
Hind — name of the type "Indian"
هند hind
Pre-Islamic name; also "India."
Huda / Hoda — "guidance"
هدى hudaa

I

Ibtisam — "smile"
ابتسام ibtisaam
Iman — "faith"
إيمان iimaan
Imtinan — "gratitude"
امتنان imtinaan
Inas — "friendliness"
إيناس iinaas
Iqbal — "advance, prosperity"
إقبال iqbaal
Used for both genders in some regions.
Israa — "night journey"
إسراء israa'
The Prophet's night journey.

J

Jamila — "beautiful"
جميلة jamiila
Jana — "harvest, fruit"
جنى janaa

K

Karima — "generous"
كريمة kariima
Feminine of Karim.
Khadija — "premature child" (traditional gloss)
خديجة khadiija
First wife of the Prophet.
Khawla — "gazelle"
خولة khawla

L

Lamis — "soft to the touch"
لميس lamiis
Lamya — "with dark lips"
لمياء lamyaa'
Lara — "light, sea bird" (origin debated)
لارا laaraa
Modern, possibly non-Arabic origin.
Latifa — "gentle, kind"
لطيفة laTiifa
Layla / Leila — "night"
ليلى laylaa
Layla and Majnun.
Leen — "softness"
لين liin
Lina — "tender, soft"
لينا liinaa
Lubna — "storax tree"
لبنى lubnaa

M

Maha — "wild cow, gazelle"
مها mahaa
Used for "beautiful eyes."
Maisa — "graceful walker"
ميساء maysaa'
Malak — "angel"
ملاك malak
Malika — "queen"
ملكة malika
Manal — "attainment, achievement"
منال manaal
Mariam / Maryam — "Mary"
مريم maryam
The Virgin Mary; very common across Christian and Muslim Arabs.
May — "stately walk"
مي mayy
Maysoon / Maysoun — "of beautiful face and stature"
ميسون maysuun
Mona / Muna — "wishes, hopes"
منى munaa
Plural of umniya.

N

Nada — "morning dew, generosity"
ندى nadaa
Nadia — "caller, herald"
نادية naadiya
Nadira — "rare, precious"
نادرة naadira
Nahla — "drink of water, bee"
نهلة nahla
Naila — "achiever"
نائلة naa'ila
Najla — "wide-eyed"
نجلاء najlaa'
Najwa — "confidential talk"
نجوى najwaa
Nawal — "gift"
نوال nawaal
Nesma / Nasma — "breeze"
نسمة nasma
Nidal — "struggle"
نضال niDaal
Also used as a male name.
Nisrin — "wild rose"
نسرين nisriin
Persian-origin.
Noor / Nour — "light"
نور nuur
Also used as a male name in some regions.
Nora — "light"
نورة nuura
Common in the Gulf.
Nuha — "intelligence, wisdom"
نهى nuhaa

R

Rabia — "spring, fourth"
رابعة raabiʿa
Rabia al-Adawiyya, 8th-c. mystic.
Rahma — "mercy"
رحمة raHma
Raja — "hope"
رجاء rajaa'
Rana — "to gaze at"
رنا ranaa
Rania — "queen-like, gazing"
رانية raaniya
Rasha — "young gazelle"
رشا rashaa
Reem / Rim — "white antelope"
ريم riim
Rola — "diminutive form"
رولا roolaa
Ruba — "hills, heights"
ربى rubaa

S

Saadia — "happy, fortunate"
سعدية saʿdiyya
Sabah — "morning"
صباح SabaaH
Safiya — "pure, chosen"
صفية Safiyya
Wife of the Prophet.
Sahar — "dawn, before dawn"
سحر saHar
Salma — "safe, peaceful"
سلمى salmaa
Salwa — "consolation, solace"
سلوى salwaa
Samah — "generosity, forgiveness"
سماح samaaH
Samar — "evening conversation"
سمر samar
Samia / Samiya — "elevated"
سامية saamiya
Samira — "evening companion"
سميرة samiira
Feminine of Samir.
Sara / Sarah — "Sarah"
سارة saara
The biblical Sarah.
Sawsan — "lily"
سوسن sawsan
Shahd — "honey"
شهد shahd
Shahrazad / Scheherazade — "of noble lineage"
شهرزاد shahrazaad
Of One Thousand and One Nights; Persian origin.
Shaima — "with a beauty mark"
شيماء shaymaa'
Shams — "sun"
شمس shams
Sherine / Shireen — "sweet"
شيرين shiiriin
Persian origin.
Soraya / Suraya — "Pleiades"
ثريّا thurayyaa
Suha — "name of a faint star"
سهى suhaa
Sumaya / Sumaiya — "highly placed, sublime"
سمية sumayya
Sumayya bint Khayyat, first martyr of Islam.

T

Tahani — "congratulations"
تهاني tahaanii
Taghreed — "warbling, birdsong"
تغريد taghriid

W

Wafa — "loyalty, faithfulness"
وفاء wafaa'
Walaa — "loyalty, devotion"
ولاء walaa'
Wardah — "rose"
وردة warda
Widad — "love, friendship"
وداد widaad

Y

Yasmin / Yasmeen / Jasmine — "jasmine"
ياسمين yaasmiin
Persian origin.
Yumna — "right-side, fortunate"
يمنى yumnaa

Z

Zahra — "shining, flower"
زهراء zahraa'
Epithet of Fatima al-Zahra.
Zaina / Zayna — "beautiful"
زينة zayna
Zaynab / Zainab — "ornamented tree"
زينب zaynab
Daughter and granddaughter of the Prophet, both named Zaynab.
Zubaida — "essence, prime"
زبيدة zubayda
Wife of Harun al-Rashid.

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