Category Archives: Indonesian Names

Lakshmi, Laxmi

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  • Origin: Sanskrit लक्ष्मी
  • Kannada: ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀ
  • Malayalam: ലക്ഷ്മി
  • Marathi/Hindi: लक्ष्मी
  • Odia: ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ
  • Tamil: லட்சுமி
  • Telugu: లక్ష్మి
  • Meaning: “to perceive, observe, know, understand’ and ‘goal, aim, objective.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • LUCK-shmee

The name is derived from the Sanskrit lakṣ (लक्ष्) and lakṣa (लक्ष), meaning “to perceive, observe, know, understand’ and ‘goal, aim, objective.”

It is borne in Hinduism by the supreme goddess, wife of Vishnu, who is revered as the goddess of beauty, prosperity, luxury, contentment and among other things. She is known as Sri (the Noble One) and Akshara (imperishable), among other names. She is mentioned in the Rigveda as early as approximately 1000 BCE and is also revered in Buddhism and Jainism.

The name is mainly feminine, but is sometimes used among males in honour of the goddess in the same way that Mary, Maria, Marie has been used on males among Roman Catholics in honour of the Virgin Mary.

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Latif, Latifa

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  • Origin: Arabic لَطِيْف
  • Meaning: “gentle; kind; benevolent.”

Latif is a masculine given-name which comes directly from the Arabic word لَطِيف (gentle; kind; benevolent). In Islam, Al-Latif لطيف, (the Kind; the Benevolent) is one of the 99 names of Allah (God). It’s feminine form is Latifa.

Latif & Latifa are commonly used throughout the Islamic world.

A notable American bearer is actress & singer, Queen Latifah.

Other forms include:

  • Latıif (m), Latıifa (f) (Avar)
  • Lətif (m), Lətife (f) (Azeri)
  • Latheef, Latheefa (Dhivehi)
  • Latifah (f) (Indonesian, Malaysian)
  • Letîf (m), Letîfe (f) (Kurdish)
  • Lәtyjif (m), Lәtyjifә (f) (Tatar)
  • Letife (f) (Turkish)
  • Lateef لطیف, Lateefa(h) (Urdu)

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Priti, Pritika

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  • Origin: Sanskrit प्रीति
  • Assamese/Bengali: প্রীতি
  • Hindi/Marathi/Maithili/Nepali/Sanskrit: प्रीति, प्रीती
  • Gujurati: પ્રીતિ
  • Kannada: ಪ್ರೀತಿ
  • Malayalam: പ്രീതി
  • Punjabi: ਪ੍ਰੀਤੀ
  • Western Punjabi: پریتی
  • Tamil: பிரீத்தி
  • Telugu: ప్రీతి
  • Meaning: “love; joy; kindness; pleasure; favor; affection; sweetheart.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pronunciation: (PREE-tee; PREE-tee-kah)

The name is derived from the Sanskrit प्रीति (prīti), which means, “love; joy; kindness; pleasure; favor; affection; sweetheart.” Another form is Pritika.

It is sometimes transliterations as Preeti & Preetika.

A notable bearer is British Secretary of State for the Home Department, Priti Patel (b. 1972).

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Fuad

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  • Origin: Arabic فُؤاد
  • Meaning: “heart.”
  • Gender: masculine
  • Pronunciation: foo-AD

The name comes directly from the Arabic word for heart. It is used equally among Arab- Muslims & Christians. Among Christians, particularly Palestinians, Chaldeans and Lebanese Christians who profess Roman Catholicism, it is used in reference to the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the same way the Spanish name Corazón is used in the Spanish-speaking world, though in the Arabic case, the name is strictly masculine.

Among Muslims, the term fu’ad is used at least 5 times in the Quran. The name is used throughout the Islamic world.

It is even used among Non-Arab groups in the Middle East, such as Mizrachi Jews.

The name was borne by two Egyptian kings.

Other forms include:

  • Fuad (Amharic, Azeri, Bosnian, Indonesian)
  • Fouad (Maghrebi)
  • Fuat (Turkish)
  • Fawad (Urdu)

A feminine form is Fuada(h).

Sources

Dhruv, Dhruva

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Vishnu appears before Dhruva – A painting by Raja Ravi Varma.
  • Origin: Sanskrit
  • Meaning: “constant, immovable, fixed; polar star.”
  • Gender: masculine
  • Pronunciation: DROOV; DROO-vah

The name is derived from the Sanskrit word dhruva, meaning, “constant; immovable, fixed” and is also synonymous with the polar star.

Dhruva appears in the Hindu text, Vishnu Parana as the name of the son of Uttānapāda’s second and less favored wife. Dhruva wants to sit on his father’s lap like his older brother, but is thrown off as he is the son of a second wife. Dhruva is heartbroken and is consoled by his mother to contemplate his fate in life and advises him to work hard for what he wants. Dhruva goes into the woods and prays to Vishnu, who eventually transform him into the polar star.

Other forms include:

  • Druwa (Indonesian/Javanese)

Dhruv entered the U.S. Top 1000 Male Names in 2019 and ranks in at #997

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Rumaysah, Romaïssa

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رُمَيْسَة
Photo by Rhyan Stark on Pexels.com

The name seems to be of disputed etymology, but is Arabic in origin. It was the name of Rumaysah bint Milhan known as Umm Sulaym, one of the first women to convert to Islam. Her son was Anas ibn Malik who was one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammed.

The name itself seems to have several meanings attached to it, according to QuranicNames.com, it possibly derives from رُمَيْسَة and mean “wind that scatters like dust.” If spelled رُمَيْثَة (transliterated as Rumaithah) it is the name of a place. It may also be linked with the Arabic root R-M-TH, which can mean “increasing.” Another association is that it is a feminine form of the Arabic male name Rams/Ramth meaning, “raft.”

Other sources have listed it as meaning “bouquet,” but I could not verify this information. If anyone has anymore information regarding the etymology of this name, it would be much appreciated.

Romaïssa (hro-MY-sah) is a North African variation that has been very popular in the Maghreb and in the Maghrebi Diaspora. 

It’s Turkish form of Rümeysa is the 94th most popular female name in Turkey (2019)/

Other transliterated forms include:

  • Romaysa(h)
  • Romeysa
  • Rumaila
  • Rumaisa(h)
  • Rumaitha
  • Rumaysah

Other forms include:

  • Rumejsa (Albanian/Bosnian)
  • Rusejma (Bosnian)
  • Rümeysa (Turkish)
  • Rumeysa (Turkish)
  • Romeesa (Urdu)

Sources

  1. https://quranicnames.com/rumaisah-
  2. https://www.behindthename.com/name/romaissa/submitted
  3. https://www.babynames.co.uk/names/rumaysa/
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umm_Sulaym_bint_Milhan
  5. https://www.names.org/n/rumaisah/about#pronunciation
  6. https://muslimnames.com/rumaisah
  7. https://hamariweb.com/names/muslim/arabic/girl/rumaisa-meaning_5822
  8. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umm_Sulaim_bint_Milh%C4%81n
  9. https://www.knjigaimena.com/?znacenje-imena-Rumejsa
  10. http://www.turkstat.gov.tr/PreTablo.do?alt_id=1059

Sawda

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Sawdah

By Omaislam – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41784804

  • Origin: Arabic سودة
  • Meaning: uncertain
  • Gender: feminine
  • (SOW-dah)

The name is of uncertain meaning but is believed to be from the Arabic root S-W-D which can mean “blackness” or “large number of palm trees.”

The name was borne by one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammed known as Sawda bint Zama, considered one of the Mothers of Believers. Sawda bint Zama was a widow who married Prophet Muhammed at around the age of 50 to help care for his children.

Other transliterations are Sauda & Saudah.

Other forms include:

  • Seuda (Albanian)
  • Säüdä, Säüzä, Savda Сәүҙә (Bashkir)
  • Sevda (Bosnian)
  • Sawda Савда (Avar)
  • Sawdat Савдат (Chechen)
  • Saudah (Indonesian, Malaysian)
  • Sauda Сауда (Kazakh)
  • Sevde (Turkish)

Sources

Sephora, Zipporah

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Zipporah

Zipporah is derived from the Hebrew צִפוֹרָה, Tsippōrāh, “bird.” It is the name of the wife of Moses in the Book of Exodus. The name was often transliterated from the Greek as Sephora.

Pronounced ZIP-pe-ruh in English (kind of rhymes with Deborah), it was first used by Protestant non-Jews in the English speaking world in the 16th-century. Both Zipporah but more often Sephora were occasionally used in 16th-century England and Colonial America.

Zipporah has always been a popular name in the Jewish diaspora, which has spun-off some colourful offshoots. A favorite among Ashkenazi Jews since Medieval Times, it is the inspiration of the Yiddish name, Faigel, which is from the Yiddish פֿויגל (foigl) meaning “bird.” Pre-Yiddish Knaanic Jews of Slavic lands, particularly in Poland used Sójka (blue jay) as a vernacular form. Due to its similar sound, European-Jews also used Cypriana as a form of Zipporah though the names have no etymological relation.

The name of the cosmetic store was named in reference to Moses’ wife.

Other forms include:

  • Safura, Safrawah صفورا (Arabic)
  • Səfurə (Azeri)
  • Zipora (Breton, German)
  • Sèfora (Catalan)
  • Sipóra (Czech)
  • Sippora (Dutch, Finnish, Scandinavian)
  • Séphora, Zéphora (French)
  • Zippora (German)
  • Sepphora Σεπφώρα (Biblical Greek)
  • Tziporah, Tziporrah צִפּוֹרָה (Modern Hebrew)
  • Cipora, Cippóra (Hungarian)
  • Sefora (Italian)
  • Chipora (Judeo Anglo-Norman)
  • Cipiora, Çapora (Ladino)
  • Seffora (Latin)
  • Ṣaffūrah (Malay)
  • Cippora, Cyppora, Sefora (Polish)
  • Séfora (Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Zípora (Portuguese)
  • Sepfora Сепфора επφώρα (Russian, Modern Greek)
  • Zipóra (Spanish)
  • Cypojra, Cypra (Polish-Yiddish)
  • Bayerle (Medieval Judeo-German)
  • Beverlin, Beverle, Böverle, Böverlin (Medieval Judeo-German)
  • Paye, Payerlayn, Payerl, Payerle, Payerlin (Medieval Judeo-German)
  • Pura, Pure, Purlin (Yiddish)
  • Tsipere, Tsipoyre, Tsipure, Tsipor, Tsipur (Yiddish)
  • Tsiporlin (Yiddish)

Popular diminutive forms are Zippy and Tsipi

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Adhan, Azaan

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The name is derived from the Arabic root ʾadhina أَذِنَ meaning “to listen, to hear, be informed about,” or ʾudhun (أُذُن), meaning “ear.” The Adhan, sometimes romanized as Azaan, is the name of the Islamic call to prayer, which is rung 5 time a day.

Currently, Azaan is the 406th Most Popular Male Name in England & Wales, (2018). Other transliterated forms include: Adaan, Adan, Adhaan, Athan, Edan & Edhaan.

Other forms include:

  • Ezani (Albanian)
  • Ezan Езан (Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Kurdish, Turkish)
  • Azan Азан (Azeri, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Malay, Tatar)
  • Azán Аза́н (Chechen)
  • Adan (Javanese)
  • Aadaan (Somali)
  • Azon Азон (Tajik)
  • Ezane (Zazaki)

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Dunya, Dounia

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The name is derived from the Arabic dunyā (دُنْيَا) meaning “world, kingdom, universe.”

It is a concept in Islam used to describe worldly concerns, and it is also used to describe anything that is close or near.

Its Maghrebi form of Dounia is currently the 445th most popular female name in France.

Other forms include:

  • Dynja (Albanian)
  • Dünya (Azeri/Turkish)
  • Donja Донъя (Bashkir)
  • Dunja (Bosnian)
  • Djunjà/ дюня̀/Dunjà дуня̀ (Bulgarian)
  • Denya (Egyptian-Arabic)
  • Donya  دنیا‎ (Egyptian-Arabic/Javanese/Persian)
  • Duniya (Hausa)
  • Ddunit (Kabyle)
  • Dünïe дүние (Kazakh)
  • Dinya (Kurdish)
  • Düynö (Kyrgyz)
  • Dunia (Malay/Indonesian/Swahili)
  • Dinja (Maltese)
  • Dunida (Somali)
  • Dunyo дунё (Tajik/Uzbek)
  • Dön’ya дөнья (Tatar)
  • Dünyä (Turkmen)
  • Duniyâ دنیا (Urdu)

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