The name comes directly from the Sanskrit word meaning “fair; light-skinned; white; brilliant.” In Hinduism, this is an epithet for the goddess Parvati in her Mahagauri form.
The Kannada and Tamil form is Gowri கௌரி (Tamil) & ಗೌರಿ (Kannada).
Gauri can also be a Finnish male form of the name Gabriel.
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The name can have a few origins and meanings. It is primarily an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit हंस (hamsa), which originally referred to an aquatic bird of passage. The hamsa is described as a mythical bird with knowledge in the Rig Veda and also as the main means of transport for the gods Brahma, Gayatri, Saraswati, and Vishvakarma in Hinduism. In the Ramayana, the hamsa was the bird that carried love letters between Damayanti and Nala. According to Indian legend, arayanna (heavenly hamsa swans) are said to live in the Himalayas where they eat pearls and are able to separate milk from water.
The hamsa bird is also associated with the concept of soham (that I am), as when it is said fast, hamsa starts to resemble soham. The latter is linked with the Brahman, and thus the bird is often associated with the cycle of samsara.
The hamsa bird has also been a popular motif in Indian art for centuries.
Over the centuries, it has interchangeably been translated as a swan, flamingo, goose or duck. It is ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root word *ǵʰh₂éns, which is also the progenitor of the English word goose, German gans (goose), and the Latin anser (goose).
In India, as a given-name, it is used among all languages groups. The name is primarily used on females but has occasionally been given to males.
The name is also German and Scandinavian female name, being a contracted form of Johanna. Other forms are Hansina and Hansine.
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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:
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Mahvash is a Persian name meaning “beautiful like the moon” or “moon-like.” It’s Urdu offshoot is Mehwish and its Turkish form is Mehveş.
Though it is a pre-Islamic Persian name, it is a popular name used among Muslims in India and is also used in Pakistan.
Mahvash was the stage name of a renowned Persian entertainer from the 1950s.
Mahvash Disease is the name of a type of an autosomal recessive, hereditary pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor syndrome. However, I could not find the reason why it is specifically called Mahvash disease.
Mehwish is borne by Pakistani actress, Mehwish Hayat (b. 1983).
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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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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:
A feminine form is Fuada(h).
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Sariyah سارية is from an Arabic word that means “clouds at night.”
It is derived from the Arabic root S-R-A, and can be associated with “night rain” or “night travel.”
Saria and Sarya is the Urdu transliteration and is popular in Pakistan and India among Muslims.
Other forms include:
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The name comes from the Arabic الشفاء (al-Shifaa), meaning, “cure, remedy, healing.”
Al-Shifaa bint Abdullah, nee Layla, was a companion of the prophet Muhammed. She was known as a healer, which is how she ended up with the sobriquet, Al-Shifaa, and is said to have taught literacy to the population of Medina.
A Maghrebi transliteration is Chifa.
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The name is from the Arabic word meaning “innocent; sinless.” It was the sobriquet of a Shia Muslim saint by the name of Fatimah bint Musa, known as Fatimah al-Masumah (circ. 7th-century CE). She was the daughter of the seventh Twelver Shi’a Imam, Musa al-Kadhim and the sister of the eight Twelver Shia Imam, Ali al-Rida. Her shrine, which is located in Qom, Iran, is an important point of pilgrimage for many Shi’a Muslims.
The name was also borne by Masuma Sultan Begun (d. 1509), the Queen Consort of the Ferghana Valley & Samarkand & the fourth wife of Emperor Babur, founder of the Mughul Dynasty.
A variant transliteration is Massouma.
Other forms of the name include:
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The name is derived from the Arabic رحيم meaning “light rain; drizzle. A popular Urdu transliteration is Rihaam. Other Arabic transliterations are Roham & Reeham.
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