Ridha, Reza

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic رضاء
Meaning: “contentment.”

The name is derived from the Arabic word and virtue, riḍā, a trait discussed in Sufism and the Qu’ran. Riḍā is used to describe the kind of pleasure or contentment one feels when they are following the commands and will of God and the approval that God bestows upon the follower therein.

The name is especially common among Shi’a Muslims, usually bestowed in reference to the concept or in honour of the 8th Shi’a Iman, ‘Alī al-Riḍā, also known as Ali Reza (765-818 CE).

As of 2009, its Maghrebin form of Reda was the 287th most popular male name in France.  Other forms of the name include:

• Reda (Algerian/Berber/Moroccan/Tunisian)
• Ridha (Arabic/Malaysian)
• Riza (Azeri)
• Reza رضا  (Persian)
• Rıza (Turkish)