Tag Archives: Sikh Names

Mahtab

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  • Origin: Persian مهتاب
  • Meaning: “moonlight.”
  • Gender: Female, unisex in Southeast Asia
  • Pron: MAH-tawb

The name is from the Persian word, مهتاب (mahtab), meaning “moonlight.” It is a poetic female name that has spread throughout the Persianate world. It is occasionally used on males in Southeast Asia.

Notable Bearers

  • Mahtab Singh (1782-1813), was the first wife of Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire.
  • Mehtab Kadın (1830-1888) (Turkish form), was the name of the consort of Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire.
  • Mahtob Mahmoody (b. 1979): Iranian-American author and daughter of Betty Mahmoody, whose story inspired Not Without My Daughter (1991), starring Sally Field.

Its Turkish form of Mehtap was among the top 100 girls’ Turkish names between 1980-1993, and peaked at # 58 in 1983.

International Variations

  • Mehtəb (Azeri)
  • Mahtob Маҳтоб (Tajik, Uzbek)
  • Mahitab (Turkish – Ottoman)
  • Mehtap (Turkmen, Turkish)

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Ganieve, Ganeev

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  • Origin: Punjabi
  • Meaning: “wealthy; priceless”
  • Gender: unisex
  • Variant transcription: Guneev.
  • Transcription: ਗਨੀਵ (Gurmukhi); गनीव (Hindi)

The name is from the Punjabi meaning “wealthy; priceless.” It is a unisex name used among Sikhs.

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Veer, Vir

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  • Origin: Hindi, Sanskrit, Punjabi
  • Meaning: “brave; hero.”
  • Gender: masculine
  • Transciptions:वीर (Hindi); ਵੀਰ (Gurmukhi)
  • Pron: VEER

The name comes directly from the Hindi word वीर (vira), meaning “hero; brave,” which is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit.

Alternately, this can be a Female name, in which case, it is the Limburgish form of Vera.

As of 2023, the name appears in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Male Names, ranking in at #975, in England and Wales, it is the 577th most popular male name.

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Teg, Tegh

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  • Origin: Hindi, Punjabi
  • Gurmukhi: ਤੇਗ
  • Hindi: तेग
  • Meaning: “sword.”
  • Gender: unisex
  • (TAYG)

The name comes directly from the Hindi/Punjabi word meaning, “sword.” It is a unisex name, primarily used among Sikhs.

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Jasleen

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  • Origin: Punjabi
  • Gurmukhi Script: ਜਸ
  • Hindi Script: जसलीन
  • Meaning: “absorbed in fame.”
  • Gender: unisex, but more often used on females within Sikh diaspora in English-speaking countries
  • Pronunciation: JAZ-leen

The name is composed of the Punjabi elements, ਜੱਸ (jasa) meaning fame and the verb ਲੀਨ (lina) “to be absorsed.” It is a Sikh Name based on the Sikh scriptures Guru Granth Sahib.

All Sikh names are gender neutral, but in the Sikh Community outside India, the name is exclusively used on females due to its identical sound to other Western names such as Jazlene, which is exclusively feminine.

Other forms include Jazleen & Jesleen.

The Latin American, Jaslene, is a modern invention, popularized specifically in Puerto Rico by American supermodel, Jaslene Gonzalez (b.1985); this name has since spread in occasional use to other non Spanish-speaking communities outside Puerto Rico. Other popular spellings include Jazlene & Jazline & the offshoots of Jaslyn/Jazlyn/Jazlynn. It is possible that the name is a borrowing from the aforementioned Sikh name; but perhaps is based off of names such as Jasmine and Jolene.

Jazlyn is currently the 504th most popular female name in the United States.

Jazlene & Jaslene appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 2008-2010.

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