Karim

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic كريم Карим
Meaning: “noble; generous.”
(KAH-REEM)

The name comes directly from the Arabic word for, “noble; generous.” In Islam, Karim is one of the 99 designations of Allah and is used to describe the Qu’ran (Al-Qur’an Al-Karim), literally meaning “the Noble Qu’ran.”

The name is used throughout the Islamic world, but is also used among Middle Eastern Christians.

The name has been occasionally used in Latin America, in Brazil, it seems to be a Portugized spelling for the Scandinavian female name Karin, but in this case it is pronounced (kah-REEN).

The name has numerous famous bearers.

As of 2009, Karim was the 260th most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

Kerim (Azeri/Turkish)

It is sometimes transliterated as Kareem. Feminine forms are Karima, Kerime (Turkish) or Kareema.

Nabil

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic نبيل
Meaning: “noble”
(NAH-BEEL)

The name comes from the Arabic meaning, “noble”, and is popular among Christians, Muslims and even Baha’i.

It was borne by a an early Christian saint and martyr, a king of Mauretania, who was martyred under his brother Gildon, who took the side of the Pagan Romans.

It was also borne by Nabíl-i-Akbar (1829-1892), one of the 19 Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh and the Great Nabíl (1831–1892), a renowned Bahai historian.

As of 2009, Nabil was the 399th most popular male name in France.

A Berber form is Navil and a feminine form is Nabila.

Said

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic سعيد
Meaning: “happy.”
(sah-EED)

The name comes directly from the Arabic meaning, “happy.”

As of 2009, Said was the 459th most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

Said سعيد Саид (Albanian/Arabic/Azeri/Bosnian/Bulgarian/Chechen/Circassian/Dagestani/Egyptian/Indonesian/Iranian/Javanese/Kazakh/Kyrgyz/Lebanese/Ossetian/Pashtun/Syrian/Tatar/Turkmen/Uzbek)
Saïd (Algerian/Moroccan/Tunisian)
Sead (Bosnian)
Sejad (Bosnian)
Sait (Kurdish/Turkish)

The feminine form is Saida.

Idris

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic إدريس‎ or Welsh
Welsh Meaning: “ardent lord.”
Arabic Meaning: uncertain

Idris is of two different origins and is used in two separate cultures. In Welsh, it is composed of the elements, udd (lord; prince) and ris (ardent, enthusiastic.” In Welsh mythology it was borne by a giant who used the mountain peak of Cadair Idris (Seat of Idris) as an observatory. Legends claims that if you spend one night on the mountain peak you wake up either as a madmen or as a great poet. The name was also borne by a 7th-century Welsh prince, Idris ap Gwyddno.

In the Qu’ran, the name is borne by a prophet, traditionally ascribed to being the same as the Biblical prophet Enoch. Many modern Islamic scholars now believe that Idris was a separate person from Enoch. In this case, the name is believed to be of pre-Islamic and possibly of non-Arabic roots of undeterminate etymology, some, however have connected the name with the Arabic root d-r-s, meaning, “study.”

As of 2009, Idris was the 479th most popular male name in France. In France it is used both among the Bretons and among recent Muslim immigrants.

Other forms of the Arabic include:

Idris إدريس‎) Идрис (Albanian/Arabic/Baloch/Bosnian/Bulgarian/Circassian/Dagestani/Ethiopian/Indonesian/Javanese/Malaysian)
İdris (Azeri/Turkish)
Idriss (Chadian)
Driss (Berber/Maghrebi Arabic)
Ydyrys Ыдырыс (Chechen/Kazakh/Kyrgyz/Tajik/Tatar/Turkmen/Uzbek)
Idrîs (Kurdish)
Idriis (Somali)
Idrissa (West African)

Zechariah, Zachary

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Hebrew זְכַרְיָה
Meaning: “God remembers.”
Eng (zek-e-RIE-ah); (ZACK-e-REE)

Zachary is an English form of the Hebrew Zechariah, a theophoric name that means “God remembers; Yahweh remembers.”

The name is borne by several characters in both the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament, it was borne by a prophet who authored the Book of Zechariah and in the New Testament, it was borne by the father of John the Baptist.

In the Qu’ran, the father of John the Baptist is viewed as a prophet and also as the protector of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The name also appears as Zacharias, a Greek rendition, in some versions of the New Testament.

In the English speaking world, the name has been in usage since Medieval times. In Eastern Europe, especially in Orthodox dominated countries, it has always been a common name.

Currently, Zachary is the 61st most popular male name in the United States, (2010). In 1994, he ranked as high as # 12.

In other countries, his popularity is as follows:

# 51 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 51 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 55 (Canada, BC, 2010)
# 331 (Zacharie, France, 2009)
# 446 (France, 2009)

Other forms of the name include:

Sagarias (Afrikaans)
Zakariyya زكرياء (Arabic/Assyrian/Circassian/Coptic/Ethiopian/Lebanese/Syrian)
Zacharij/Zachari Захари (Bulgarian)
Zacaries (Catalan)
Zekarija Закария (Chechen/Kazakh)
Zakaria ზაქარია (Coptic/Ethiopian/Georgian/Kurdish)
Zaharije Зaxapиje (Croatian/Serbian)
Zachariáš (Czech/Slovak)
Zachary (Czech/English/French/Polish)
Zacharias (German/Scandinavian)
Sakarias (Faroese/Norwegian/Swedish)
Sakari (Finnish: Sakke is a diminutive form)
Saku (Finnish)
Zacharie (French)
Sagaire/Sagairi (Gaelic)
Zacharias Zαχαριας (Greek)
Zakariás (Hungarian)
Zakeus (Hungarian)
Zekarja (Hungarian)
Zaccaria (Italian)
Zaccheo (Italian)
Cherian (Malayalam)
Sakaria (Malayalam)
Scaria (Malayalam)
Zaxaria Захарїа (Old Church Slavonic)
Zachariasz (Polish)
Zacarias (Portuguese)
Zaharia (Romanian)
Zaccaria(s) (Romansch)
Zachar Захар (Russian)
Sachairi (Scottish-Gaelic)
Zacarías (Spanish)
Zakarya (Swahili)
Zekeriya (Turkish)

The name is also borne by several saints as well as by one Roman Catholic pope and a Coptic pope.

Zaharina Захарина is a Bulgarian feminine form and Zara is its pet form.

Other notable bearers include an 8th-century Nubian king, a 9th-century Khazar king, and American president, Zachary Taylor (1784-1850)

Sources

Eva, Eve

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: “life.”
Eng (EEV); (EE-vuh); Germ/Sp/Pol (EV-ah)

The name is borne in the Bible and in the Quran by the first woman created by God. She and her husband were expelled from the Garden of Eden after eating from the Tree of Knowledge.

The name is believed to be derived from the Hebrew roots חַוָּה, Ḥavvāh, from the Hebrew root ḥāyâ meaning “life” and the Semitic element, ḥyw “to live.” Both the Hebrew word chavah meaning “to live” and chayah meaning “to breath” share the same root.

Despite Eve’s fall from Grace in the Bible, the name was always in usage among Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. In England, its usage can be traced back to the 12th-century. Its Latinate form of Eva, has always been a classic in continental Europe, especially in Germany, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

As of 2010, Eva was the most popular female name in the Faroe Islanda and in Slovenia. Eve, Eva and all her various forms’ rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 3 (Iceland, 2010)
# 4 (French-speaking, Switzerland, 2010)
# 5 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 7 (Ieva, Lithuania, 2010)
# 10 (Armenia, 2010)
# 10 (Evie, England/Wales, 2010)
# 14 (Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 15 (France, 2009)
# 17 (Scotland, 2010)
# 20 (Belgium, 2009)
# 24 (New Zealand, 2010)
# 26 (Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 29 (Croatia, 2010)
# 31 (Evie, Scotland, 2010)
# 33 (Evie, Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 37 (England/Wales, 2010)
# 44 (Eevi, Finland among Finnish-speakers, 2010)
# 44 (Ireland, 2010)
# 46 (Austria, 2010)
# 47 (Canada, BC, 2010)
# 48 (Spain, 2010)
# 55 (Catalonia, 2010)
# 55 (Éabha, Ireland, 2010)
# 56 (Eve, Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 59 (Eve, Ireland, 2010)
# 86 (Norway, 2010)
# 91 (United States, 2010)
# 92 (Eve, England/Wales, 2010)
# 99 (Eve, Australia, NSW, 2010)
# 201 (Eve, France, 2009)
# 589 (Eve, United States, 2010)
# 705 (Evie, United States, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Eva Ева ევა
(Afrikaans/Albanian/Armenian/Basque/Belarusian/Bosnian/Catalan/Croatian/Czech/Dutch/Faroese/French/Frisian/Galician/Georgian/German/Icelandic/Italian/Portuguese/Romansch/Spanish/Scandinavian)
Evis (Albanian)
Mahalet/Mahlet (Amharic)
Hawa حواء Хауа (Arabic)
Yeva (Armenian)
Həvva (Azeri)
Yeva Ева Эва (Belarusian/Russian/Ukrainian)
Yevga Евга (Belarusian)
Hava (Bosnian)
Evy (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish: initially a diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name)
Eveke (Dutch: initially a diminutive form, used as an independent given name, EV-eh-ke)
Eve (English/Estonian/Walon)
Evie (English)
Hawat/Hewa (Egyptian/Coptic)
Eeva (Estonian/Finnish)
Eevi (Estonian/Finnish)
Evi (Estonian)
Ivi/Iivi (Estonian)
Iivika (Estonian)
Ève (French)
Eefje, Eefke (Frisian)
Hawwa ሕይዋን (Ge-ez)
Eua Ευα (Greek)
Chava חַוָה (Hebrew: Modern: KHAH-vah, gutteral CH sound)
Éva (Hungarian: AY-vaw, diminutive form is Évike)
Hawa (Indonesian/Malayalam)
Éabha (Irish-Gaelic)
Ieva (Latvian/Lithuanian: YEH-vah)
Evuzus (Malaysian)
Aaue (Manx)
Èva (Occitanian)
Ewa (Polish: EH-vah, diminutive forms are Ewka, Ewunia and Ewusia)
Evá (Sami)
Evelia (Spanish)
Evita (Spanish)
Eba (Tagalog)
Havva (Turkish)
Efa (Welsh)

Italian masculine form is Evo.

Traditionally, in most European countries, the name-day for Adam and Eve is December 24.

Lana

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Sebastiane

The name appears in various languages. It could be from the Arabic meaning, “tender.”

In Russia and the Ukraine, it is used as a short form of Svetlana and Ruslana.

In South Eastern Europe this short form has carried over as a popular independent given name. As of 2009, Lana was the most popular female name in Croatia. Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 2 (Slovenia, 2010)
# 19 (Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2010)
# 52 (France, 2009)
# 90 (Belgium, 2009)
# 169 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 480 (United States, 2010)

It is the name of a river in Albania and this fact may also be the inspiration behind the name’s popularity in South Eastern Europe.

Lana can also be Hawaiian, meaning, “floating; calm; still as water.” It has even been linked with the Spanish word for wool.

In the United States, it was brought to attention via actress, Lana Turner (1921-1995).

Tara

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Various
Eng (TAH-rah; TARE-uh)

The name can be of several different origins and meanings depending on the bearer of the name. It could be from the Sanskrit and Hindi तारा meaning, “star.”

In Hinduisim, Tara (Devi), a Mahavidya of Mahadevi, Kali or Parvati is a star goddess, she is considered one of the Great Wisdom goddesses.

In Buddhism, Tara is the name of a tantric meditation goddess.

In the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, it is the name of the wife of the monkey king, Vali, who married the king’s brother, Sugriva, after Vali’s death.

Among the Irish Diaspora, the name was usually used in reference to the sacred hill, Tara, where the high kings were usually coronated. In this case, the name is an anglicized form of the Gaelic, Teamhair, meaning, “elevated place.”

It may have been further popularized in the English-speaking world by the 1936 Margaret Mitchell novel, Gone with the Wind, in which the plantation is called Tara, in honour of the hill in Ireland.

In South Slavic languages, it could either be a contracted form of Tamara, or it could be taken from the name of the river which runs through Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also the name of a river in Russia.

As of 2009, Tara was the 30th most popular female name in Croatia. Her popularity in other countries are as follows:

# 50 (Slovenia, 2010)
# 62 (Ireland, 2010)
# 77 (Northern Ireland, 2010)
# 126 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 774 (United States, 2010)

It is also the name of a sea goddess in Polynesian Mythology.

Faris

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic فارس
Meaning: “knight.”

The name comes directly from the Arabic word فارس (faris) meaning, “knight.”

As of 2018, Faris was the 24th Most Popular Male Name in Bosnia & Herzegovina. It peaked at #8 in 2010.

Its Maghrebi form of Farès appeared in the French Top 500, coming in as the 469th most popular male name in France (2018).

Ammar

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic عمّار
Meaning: “pious; virtuous.”

The name is from the Arabic meaning, “pious; virtuous.”

It was borne by Ammar ibn Yasir al-Ansi, a desciple of the Prophet Mohammed.

As of 2010, its Bosnian form of Amar was the most popular male name in Bosnia & Herzegovina. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 10 (Iraq, 2007)
# 10 (United Arab Emirates)
# 45 (Amer, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2010)
# 80 (Ammar, Bosnia & Herzegovia, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

Amar (Bosnian)
Əmmar (Azeri)
Gammer Гаммәр (Tatar)

The name is used throughout the Islamic world.

A Bosnian feminine form is Amera.

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Category Archives: Names from Afghanistan

Karim

Nabil

Said

Idris

Zechariah, Zachary

Eva, Eve

Lana

Tara

Faris

Ammar