Category Archives: Syrian Names

Eva, Eve

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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

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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).

Lamia

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic  لامعة
Meaning: “bright; radiant.”
(LAH-mee-ah)

The name is derived from the Arabic, لمعان (lamian) meaning, “shining.”

The name appears in Greek mythology as the name of a Greek mythological female creature on par with the vampire. In this case, it has been suggested that the name is derived from the Greek λαιμός (laimos) meaning, “gullet.” However, since the mythical creature was believed to originally been a Libyan queen, the name may be of Semitic roots and may actually be one in the same with the Arabic female name.

In Greek Mythology, Lamia was said to be a beautiful Libyan queen who later became an child eating demon. She is depicted as having a half-serpent body.

The name also appears in Basque folklore as the name of a type of undine with duck feet. Due to its ominous associations in Greek Mythology, the name has never been used in the Western World.

John Keats wrote an eponymous poem which immortalizes the creature.

As of 2010, the Bosnian form of Lamija was the 2nd most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

A variant transcription is Lamya.

Faris

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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

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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

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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.

Saira

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “traveler.”
(SYE-rah)

The name comes from the Arabic meaning, “traveler.”

This was the Muslim name of Scottish-Afghan writer, Saira Shah, (neé Elizabeth Louise Mackenzie 1900-1960), sometimes writing under the pseudonym of Morag Murray Abdullah. It is also borne by her grand-daughter, the author, reporter and documentary film-maker, Saira Shah (b.1964). It is also borne by Canadian fashion model, Saira Mohan (b.1978)

Its Bosnian form of Sajra is currently the 14th most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina, (2010).

A Turkish and Azeri form is Saire.

Leila, Layla

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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.

Azra

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “virgin.”
(AHZ-rah)

The name is derived from the Arabic, ‘adra, meaning, “virgin; maiden.”

As of 2010, Azra was the 22nd most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Amna

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic  أمنة
Meaning: “safety.”
(AHM-nah)

The name is derived from the Arabic أمان (amn) meaning, “safety.”

As of 2010, Amna was the 16th most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina.