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

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.

Tariq

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic طارق
Meaning: “morning star; messenger; the knocking one; traveller, path finder.”
طارق

The name is of Arabic origins and can have several different interpretations, one is that it is from the Arabic verb ṭaraqa meaning “to knock” or “to pound.” In this case, the name would take on the meaning of “messenger” or “bringer of news.”

In the Qu’ran, the morning star is named ṭāriq and is described as something that shines and leads the way and in this case, the name can take on the meaning of “someone who leads the way” “traveller” or “pathfinder.”

As of 2010, Tarik was the 2nd most popular male name in Bosnia & Herzegovina, while Tareq is the 8th most popular male name in Libya.

The name was most notably borne by Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Islamic general who helped conquer Spain in the 8th-century.

The name is used by both Muslim and Christian Arabs.

Other forms of the name include:

Tarik (Albanian/Bosnian)
Tarak/Tarek (Algerian/Lebanese/Moroccan/Tunisian: these are usually the way the name is transcribed in French and hence is most often used in the Francophone world)
Tarık (Azeri/Kurdish/Turkish)

The name is also transliterated as Tareq and Tareeq.

Leila, Layla

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic לילה‎ ليلى
Meaning: “night.”
(LAY-la)

The name is derived from the Arabic and has a variety of different meanings depending on its spelling, the most popular etymology is that it is from a Semitic root, l-y-l, meaning, “night” and shares the same etymology as the name Lilith.

The name has always been popular in the Middle East and is found in the 7th-century romantic poem, Qays & Layla also known as Layla & Majnun (written by Persian poet, Nizami Ganjavi). The legend trickled down to throughout the Middle East, Near East, Central Asia and South Eastern Europe, making the name a long time classic in all those regions.

It was introduced into the English-speaking world via Lord Byron in which the name appears in two of his works, The Gaiour (1813) and Don Juan (1819). It was further popularized in the 1970s when the name was the subject of two songs, one being the famous Eric Clapton song and the other being “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos.

Her Bosnian form of Lejla is the 7th most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina, (2010). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 3 (Leyla, Azerbaijan, 2010)
# 36 (Layla, Australia, 2010)
# 37 (Layla, United States, 2010)
# 44 (Layla, England/Wales, 2010)
# 50 (Layla, Ireland, 2010)
# 50 (Layla, Scotland, 2010)
# 71 (Leila, Hungary, 2010)
# 76 (Layla, Canada, BC, 2010)
# 95 (Laila, England/Wales, 2010)
# 138 (Laila, United States, 2010)
# 143 (Leila, France, 2009)
# 204 (Leila, United States, 2010)
# 304 (Layla, Netherlands, 2010)
# 478 (Laila, Netherlands, 2010)
# 747 (Leyla, United States, 2010)

The name is also common in Iran, Israel, the Balkans and in the Turkic world.

In the Middle East, the name was popularized by a 7th-century poet by the name of Qays, whose lady love was named Layla. His story became a popular Medieval Arabic romance.

Other forms of the name include:

Lejla Лейла (Albanian/Bosnian/Dagestani/Kazakh/Maltese/Tatar)
Laïla (Algerian/Moroccan/Tunisian)
Leïla (Algerian/Moroccan/Tunisian)
Leyli Լեյլի (Armenian)
Leyla (Azeri/English/Kurdish/Turkish)
Lajla Лайла (Chechen)
Leila ლეილა (Circassian/English/Ethiopian/French/Georgian/Hungarian)
Laila (Dutch/English/Estonian/Finnish/Hindi/German/Latvian/Scandinavian/Urdu)
Layla (English/Italian/Uzbek)
Lejli Лейли (Kazakh)
Ljajlim Ляйлим (Kazakh)

Laila can also be a Sami form of Helga.

Asma

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic أسمى
Meaning: “supreme.”
(AHS-mah)

The name comes directly from the Arabic, أشد (asma), meaning, “supreme.”

The name is of pre-Islamic origins and was borne by a legendary 7th-century female poetess, Asma bint Marwan. According to legend, she tried to incite the populous of Medina to rebel against the Prophet Mohammed in which she was summarily killed by the Prophet. Her existence and story has been questioned and debated by scholars.

Another notable bearers include Asma al-Assad, First Lady of Syria (b.1975). Its Turkish form of Esma was borne by two Turkish sultanas.

As of 2010, Esma was the 18th most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Other Bosnian forms include: Esmana, Esmina and Esminka.

Amram

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Biblical Hebrew עַמְרָם
Meaning: “exalted one.”

The name is found in the Old Testament as the name of the husband of Jochebed and the father of Moses, Aaron and Miriam. In the Qu’ran, the name appears in its Arabic form of Imran عمران as the name of both the father of Moses and the father of the Virgin Mary, (analogous to the Catholic Joachim).

As of 2010, Imran was the 17th most popular male name in Bosnia & Herzegovina. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 243 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 365 (France, 2009)

Other forms of the name include:

Imram عمرام (Arabic)
Ambram Αμβραμ (Greek)
‘Îmran (Kurdish)

A Bosnian feminine form is Amra, which is currently the 27th most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina, (2010).

Adnan

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic عدنان‎
Meaning: “settler.”
(AHD-nahn)

The name is derived from the Semitic root ‘adn meaning, “to stay; to abide.”

This is the traditional name of the progenitor of the Adnani Arabs, they are believed to be the direct descendants of Ismael and this is the tribe from which the Prophet Mohammed came.

As of 2010, Adnan was the 18th most popular male name in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The name is used throughout the Islamic world.

Bosnian feminine forms include Adna and Adnana.

Iman

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic إيمان Иман
Meaning: “faith.”
(ee-MAHN)

The name comes directly from the Arabic word for faith.

The name is used throughout the Islamic world and as of 2010, it was the 30th most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina, (2010).

Its North African form of Imane is currently the 80th most popular female name in Belgium, (2009), the 163rd most popular in France, (2009) and the 411th most popular in the Netherlands, (2010).

Iman was brought to attention in the Western World by Somali-born model, Iman (b.1955)

The name is also borne by two Jordanian princesses and Persian Princess Iman Pahlavi, daughter of Reza Pahlavi, the deposed Crown Prince of Iran.

Other forms include:

Imane (Algerian/Moroccan/Tunisian)
İman (Azeri/Turkish)
Îmân (Kurdish)
Imaan (Somali)
Imani (Swahili)

Omar

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Sebastiane

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Arabic عمر
Meaning: “populous; flourishing; life.”

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Biblical Hebrew
Meaning: “speaker.”

The name can be of multiple origins and meanings, in Arabic, the name is derived from the word, عمر (umr) meaning, “life.”

The name was borne by the second caliphe of the Muslims as well as by a 12th-century Persian poet, Umar Khayyam.

In Hebrew, the name means “speaker” and is found Genesis 36:11 as the name of the son of Eliphaz.

The name may also be possibly related to the Hebrew, Omer, which means “sheaf of wheat” but was also the name of a unit of measuring in ancient times.

Omar is a popular name in Spanish-speaking countries, whether this is a leftover from Moorish occupied Spain or in reference to the Biblical Hebrew character is unknown.

As of 2010, Omar was the 54th most popular male name in Bosnia & Herzegovina. His rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 4 (Arab world (2011) (BabyCenter Arabia members)
# 4 (Pakistan)
# 6 (Iraq, 2007)
# 7 (Israel, Muslim boys, 2009)
# 7 (Umar, Malaysia, 2011)
# 8 (United Arab Emirates)
# 9 (Omer, Israel, Jewish intersex names (given to both boys and girls) 2008)
# 77 (Catalonia, 2010)
# 87 (Spain, 2010)
# 175 (United States, 2010)
# 252 (Netherlands, 2010)
# 289 (France, 2009)

Other forms include:

Omeri (Albanian)
Omer (Amharic/Kurdish)
Umar عمر (Arabic)
Omar Ома́р (Albanian/Arabic/Bosnian/Chechen/Dagestani/Kazakh/Kyrgyz/Persian/Russian/Spanish/Tajik/Tatar/Turkmen/Uzbek)
Ömər (Azeri)
Amar (Berber)
Úmar (Catalan)
Oumar/Oumarou (Sub-Saharan African)
Ömer (Turkish)

In France, the designated name-day for Omer is September 9.

Other notable bearers include: Egyptian born actor Omar Sharif (b.1932); Omar al-Bashir (b.1944) the president of Sudan; and American actor, Omar Epps (b. 1973).

Source

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Category Archives: Swahili Names

Idris

Zechariah, Zachary

Ammar

Tariq

Leila, Layla

Asma

Amram

Adnan

Iman

Omar