Category Archives: Swahili Names

Walid

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “newborn.”
(WAH-leed)

The name is derived the Arabic ولد (walada), “to give birth.”

It is primarily used in honour of Al-Walid I (668 – 715) and Ummayid Caliph who had ruled in the early 700s. He is known for instituting Arabic as the official language across the Islamic World and his conquer of Spain.

As of 2009, Walid was the 163rd most popular male name in France.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Velid (Albanian/Azeri/Bosnian/Bulgarian/Central Asian/Turkish)

Naim

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The name could be from the Hebrew נעים‎ meaning, (pleasant) or the Arabic نعیم‎ (tranquil).

As of 2009, Naïm (Maghrebin orthograph) was the 182nd most popular male name in France.

A feminine form is Naima.

Sami

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic سامي
Meaning: “high; elevated; supreme.”
(SAH-mee)

The name is derived from the Arabic meaning, “high; elevated; supreme.”

However, it could also be a Finnish short form of Samuel. In Finland, it has often been used as an independent given name and in recent years is most likely used in reference to the language and ethnic group which is found in Finland, Norway and Russia, perhaps among people of Sami heritage. Sami is also the name of a lake in Finland.

As of 2009, Sami was the 183rd most popular male name in France while in 2010 he came in as the 193rd most popular male name in the Netherlands.

A feminine form of the Arabic is Samia.

Hafsa

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic حفصة
Meaning: “lioness.”

The name is borne by the daughter of Umar and a wife of the Prophet Mohammed. She is considered one of the Mothers of Believers.

It was also borne by Hafsa Hatun Sultan (1479-1534), Ottoman Sultan Selim I’s wife and the mother of Süleyman the Magnificent.

As of 2009, Hafsa was the 431st most popular female name in France, while in 2010, she was the 432nd most popular female name in the Netherlands.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Hafza (Albanian/Bosnian/Turkish)
  • Hafsat (East African)
  • Hafize (Turkish)

Karim

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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.

Adel, Adil

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic عادل
Meaning: “just; fair.”

The name is derived from the Arabic adjective,  عدل  (adala), meaning, “just.”

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

As of 2009, Adel was the 285th most popular male name while Adil was the 378th most popular.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Adel پور (Algerian/Arabic/Coptic/Egyptian/Ethiopian/Kurdish/Lebanese/Persian/Sudanese/Syrian/Tunisian/Uyghur)
  • Adil Адиль
  • (Albanian/Azeri/Bangali/Baloch/Bashkir/Bosnian/Bulgarian/Chechen/Circassian/Dagestani/Kazakh/Moroccan/Ossetian/Pakistani/Tatar/Turkish/Turkmen/Uzbek)
  • Jedil/Yedil Эдил (Kyrgyz)

A feminine form is Adila (Arabic) and Adile (Turkish)

Ridha, Reza

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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)

Sabri

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic صبريّ
Meaning: “patient.”
(SAH-bree)

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

As of 2009, Sabri was the 397th most popular male name in France.

Feminine forms are Sabriyya and Sabriye (Turkish).

Nabil

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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

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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.