- Origin: Perso-Arabic
- Gender: Unisex
- Meaning: heaven; paradise; garden
- Pronunciation: (FUR-dows)
The name comes directly from the Arabic word فردوس (firdaws), meaning “paradise,” which is ultimately from the Avestan pairidaeza “garden; enclosure.” In Islam, the term firdaws is sometimes used to refer to the highest level of Jannat or Heaven.
The name seems to be traditionally given to both males and females equally. A notable bearer was the 11th-century Persian poet, Firdowsi, who authored the historical epic, Shahnamah (Book of Kings).
Other forms of the name include:
- Fardawəs (Abkhaz, exclusively male)
- Firdovs (Chechen, exclusively female)
- Fildusa (Bosnian, exclusively female)
- Firdevsa (Bosnian, exclusively female)
- Firdusa (Bosnian, exclusively female)
- Firdaws/Firdaous (Maghrebin forms, exclusively female)
- Pardis (Persian, exclusively female)
- Fardowsa (Somali, exclusively female)
- Firdavs (Tajik & Uzbek, exclusively male)
- Firdausa (Tatar, exclusively female)
- Firdaves (Tatar, unisex)
- Firdavis (Tatar, exclusively male)
- Firdevs (Turkish, unisex)
Sources
- https://www.behindthename.com/name/firdaus
- https://www.znacenje-imena.com/imena/muslimanska
- http://www.myislamicname.com/name/Firdaus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jannah