Tag Archives: Persian/Farsi Names

Mahvash, Mehwish

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  • Origin: Persian مهوش
  • Urdu: مہوش, Hindi: महवश
  • Meaning: “beautiful like the moon; moonlike; moonfaced.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pronunciation: Per (MAH-vash); Urdu (MAY-wish)

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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Kimia, Kimiya

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  • Origin: Persian کیمیا
  • Meaning: “alchemy; rare; unique; elixir.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pronunciation: KEEM-yaw

The name comes directly from the Farsi word کیمیا (kimia), which originally had a connotation of something rare or unique but later came to form the base word and concept of alchemy. It appears in Persian literature, starting in the 10th-century (CE).

Another spelling is Kimya.

Among the Persian diaspora in Western countries, the name is often shortened to Kim.

Alternately, Kimiya can also be a Japanese male name that changes meaning, depending on the kanji used.

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Dalileh

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Persian/Farsi
Meaning: “orchard; green field.”
(DAHL-lee-leh)

Note: the name has no correlation or etymological relation to the Biblical name Delilah. It appears in the Arabian Nights in the story entitled Dalilah the Crafty or Dalilah the Wiley, in which an old crone of Baghdad must figure out how to make ends meet for her and her daughter, Zaynab. Dalilah becomes a swindler, and when caught, is pardoned by the Caliph and becomes a governess, portress and carrier-of-pigeons to the Khan.