The name is derived from the Arabic لأًى (laʾan) “wild ox,” which can also have the euphemism of a shield or protector. Interestingly enough, it may share the same etymological root as the Hebrew female name, Leah.
The name is borne by Lu’ayy ibn Ghalib (3rd-century C.E.) who was the ancestor of the Islamic prophet Muhammed.
The name is derived from the Albanian verb shkëlqej, meaning “to shine, to sparkle, to gleam.”
In Albanian, the root shkël- conveys an image of radiance and excellence. Cognate words include shkëlqyer (“excellent”) and shkëlqyeshëm (“brilliant, outstanding”). This family of words is used metaphorically for moral or intellectual brilliance as much as literal light.
In modern Albanian, the phrase Ai është një njeri me shkëlqim means “He is a man of brilliance.”
Although challenging for non-Albanian speakers to pronounce, the name has a distinctly regal and poetic aura.
Notable bearers include: Shkëlqim Cani (b. 1956), Albanian economist and politician, former Minister of Finance and Governor of the Bank of Albania.; Shkëlqim Fusha (b. 1961), Albanian architect, businessman, and philanthropist; Shkëlqim Troplini (1966–2020), Albanian Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler; and Shkëlqim Doda, Kosovar poet and essayist.
A 19th-century gem and late 20th-century vampiric monikor, the name is of uncertain meaning but has its origins in Medieval Spain. It is likely of Visigothic origins, possibly derived from Gailawera or Geloyra, which stem from gails (happy) or (spear); and wers (friendly, agreeable, true).
It should be noted that Elvira (Latin: Iliberri or Iliberis) was an ancient Iberian and later Roman city located near present-day Granada, in Andalusia, southern Spain. However, in this case, it is likely derived from an Iberian source, meaning “new town.”
It was a popular female name among the royal family of Castille & León, producing two queens who bore this name, Elvira of Castile, Queen of León (965–1017) and Elvira of Castile, Queen of Sicily (c. 1100–1135).
It was later used in Mozart’s 1787 opera Don Giovanni (libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte), in which Donna Elvira is one of Don Giovanni’s former lovers. This likely popularized the name outside of the Iberian peninsula.
By the turn of the 20th-century, Elvira was not unknown in the United States, though never overly popular, it peaked at #254 in 1914, but fell out the Top 1000 by 1981, the same year Elvira, Mistress of the Dark came on the scene.
The real Halloween link began in 1981, when actress Cassandra Peterson created the camp-horror TV hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark for a Los Angeles late-night show (Movie Macabre).
Dressed in a plunging black gown with a beehive of jet hair, Elvira presented old horror movies with sardonic humor — blending Gothic sex appeal, irony, and B-movie kitsch.
The character became a pop-culture icon: Halloween TV specials, films, pinball machines, comic books, and even perfume lines immortalized her as the Queen of Halloween.
Outside the United States, this name does not have such associations. In Sweden, it has been among the top 100 girls’ since 1998 and peaked at #25 in 2014. As of 2024, it came in at #40.
It’s a popular name in the Balkans, even spinning off a male form of Elvir (Bosnian and Albanian).
Other forms include:
Elbire (Basque)
Elvíra (Czech/Slovakian)
Elviira (Estonian, Finnish)
Elvire (French)
Elwira (Polish, also an alternate Swedish spelling, Sorbian)
Elvīra (Latvian)
Elvyra (Lithuanian)
Obscure Lithuanian male forms are the Lithuanian, Elvyras; the Polish, Elwir(o), and the Italian Elviro.
Name days: August 25 (Austria), July 16 (Croatia), February 10 (Hungary), January 25 (Spain), March 1 (Sweden), November 21 (Slovakia), August 13 (Latvia).
Sources
Withycombe, E. G. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1950.
The name comes directly from the Arabic word نُعْمان (nu’man), which is a poetic term describing “blood” as in a type of blood that brings vitality and beauty. It is also the word for the colour crimson and the anemone flower. It is ultimately from the root n–ʿ–m (ن ع م), which shares the same root with Naim نعم (comfort, tranquility, luxury, ease).
Numan ibn al-Munḏir (d. 602 CE) was one of the last Lakhmid kings of al-Ḥīrah, a pre-Islamic Arab Christian kingdom in southern Iraq. He is remembered in Arabic literature for his eloquence and patronage of poets.
In early Islamic history, Numan ibn Bashir al-Ansari (d. 684 CE) was a Companion of the Prophet Muḥammad and a prominent figure in the first Islamic century.
In Islamic tradition it specifically refers to a sword with a split or notched blade—the legendary weapon given by the Prophet Muhammad to his cousin and son-in-law ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib.
It possibly comes from classical Arabic compound dhū / dhu (ذو) (possessor of; one who has), and fiqār / fiqar (فقار) (spine; vertebrae). Other sources suggest the second element may relate to the stars of Orion’s belt.
The phrase literally means “the one with the notches” or “owner of the notched spine.”
Suhail or sometimes transliterated as Suhayl, is derived from the Arabic word سَھْل (sahl) meaning “level; even; smooth, easy.” It is the Arabic name of the second brightest star known in the western world as Canopus. It’s appearance in the skies have traditionally been linked with the end of summer in the Arab world. It is the name of a few other stars.
It was also borne by one of the contemporaries of the Prophet Mohammed, known as Suhayl ibn ʿAmr (6th-century C.E).
Suhail appeared in the U.K. Top 1000 between 1996-2002, peaking at #694 in 1997. Its Urdu form of Sohail appeared in the U.K. Top 1000 between 1996-2007 and peaked at #305 in 1997.
Both come from the Greek, θεός (theos) meaning “god” and δόσις (dosis) meaning “giving.” Both the male and female form were borne by several Christian saints and Medieval rulers. In the English-speaking world, a notable bearer was Theodosia Alston Burr (1783-1813), the daughter of Aaron Burr and an American socialite who mysteriously disappeared in a ship-wreck. Her fate has been a source of speculation for two centuries, but she most likely died in the wreck. She is also the subject of the Broadway opera song from Hamilton, My Theodosia.
It’s female version has experienced usage in the English-speaking world since the 15th-century. It has spun off several diminutive off-shoots, which later became independent names, such as Docie/Dosey, Doshie, Dosha, Docia and Theda.
Theodosia appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Female Names between 1880-1895, it peaked at number #547 in 1880. It’s offshoot of Doshie appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1905 and peaked at #640 in 1884 whereas Doshia peaked at #582 in 1881 and Docia at #317 in 1880.
Theda (THEE-dah) was the name of silent film actress, Theda Bara (born Theodosia Burr Goodman, 1885-1955). Theda appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1880-1948 and peaked at #350 in 1916. Theda Bara may have helped sustain the usage of the name in the United States, but it seems to have been common enough long before she graced the silver screen.
In the 1988 movie For Keeps, starring Molly Ringwald, a teen couple are faced with an unexpected pregnancy, in which they name their daughter Theodosia, short form Thea, it is a last minute decision decided by the father who gets the name from his deceased grandmother of the same name.
It is the name of the main character of the R. L. LaFevers 2007 children’s novel, Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, which spun off a tv series.
Its pronunciation in the English-speaking world fluctuates depending on the region and personal preference, from THEE-oh-DOH-see-uh, to THEE-oh-DOH-shuh and THEE-oh-DOH-zhuh, the sky’s the limits.
Its masculine form has always been prevalent in eastern Christian countries but did not pick up the same momentum in the English-speaking world as its feminine counterpart did.
Female forms
Tayodosiya ታዮዶሲዮስ (Amharic)
Thudusya ثيودوسيا (Arabic, used by Arab Christians)
Ayman is derived from the Arabic word يمين (yamin) meaning “right,” referring to the right hand. The word is ultimately derived from a Semitic root ي م ن (right). The Arabic root word is y-m-n (ي-م-ن), which can mean “right hand,” “right side,” “favor,” “blessing,” “prosperity,” “ease,” or “success.” It shares the same root as the Hebrew מִין (yamin) meaning, “right hand; south,” which forms a basis of the name Benjamin. The country of Yemen also gets its name from the same root word.
The name was borne by a companion of the Prophet Mohammed, known as Ayman Ibn Abayd.
Ayman is a traditional male name in the Arabic-speaking world, but has been commonly used on females in Pakistan, possibly in reference to the kunya of Umm Ayman (meaning “mother of Ayman”, the mother of Ayman Ibn Abayd, or perhaps due to it sounding more feminine in the Urdu language.
Its traditional Arabic feminine form is Yamina يمينة which is a popular female name in Maghrebi countries but is used in other predominate Islamic countries. Another feminine form is Yumna يُمْنَى, which is currently the 983rd most popular female name in the United States (2021).
A more unusual feminine form is Yumnaat يُمْنَات.
Ayamin أَيامِن which is a plural form يمين (yamin) is occasionally used as a unisex name.
Ayman currently ranks as the 96th most popular male name in Catalonia, Spain (2021).
Its current rankings in other countries are as follows:
#407 (England & Wales, 2021).
#477 (France)
Its Turkish form of Eymen is the 5th most popular male name in Turkey (2021). In the Netherlands it ranks in at #344 (2022) and in France at #440 (2021).
Usage: Arabic-Speaking countries, India and Pakistani among Muslim communities
Azraq أَزْرَق is from the masculine Arabic noun from the word for blue. The name has occasional use in Arabic-speaking North Africa and the Levant.
It’s feminine form of Zarqaa زرقاء is the Arabic feminine version of the word for blue زرقاء. It is transliterated as Zerqa or Zerka in Maghrebi Arab countries. Zerka can also be the Bosnian or Albanian form. This name has occasional use across the Islamic world.
Zaraq زرق is an Arabic unisex name derived from the neuter Arabic noun meaning “greenish-blue,” roughly translating to the color of turquoise (not the gemstone which in Arabic is Fairuz فيروز). Zaraq is mainly used as a masculine name in Southeast Asian countries such as Pakistan and India, but is considered unisex in the Arabic-Speaking world.
All three names derive from the Arabic root word z-r-q (ز-ر-ق), which means “blue.”
Other transliterations of the feminine form are Zurqa and Zurqa.’
