The tughra (stylized signature) of Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire. A tughra ( طغراء;) is a calligraphic seal or Signature of an Ottoman sultan that was affixed to all official Sultan (سلطان is an Islamic title with several historical meanings Mahmud II ( Ottoman Turkish: محمود ثاني Mahmud-ı sānī) ( July 20, 1785 July 1, 1839 The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Influenced by Arabic culture, Ottoman rulers had stylized their names in the Arabic way, as depicted in this signature.

Old Arabic names are based on a long naming system; most Arabs do not simply have given/middle/family names, but a full chain of names. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Many people's Names include one or more middle names, placed between the first Given name and the Surname. A family name or last name is a type of Surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs This system is in use throughout the Arab world. Because of the importance of the Arabic language in Islam, a large majority of the world's Muslims use Arabic names (ism), but it is not common outside the Arab world to employ the full naming conventions described below. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion

Structure of the Arabic name

Ism (Arabic: اسم)

The main name of an Arab person is the ism, his or her personal name (e. g. "Karim" or "Fatima"). Most Arabic names are originally Arabic words with a meaning, usually signalling the good character of the person. Karīm means "generous", maħmūd means "praiseworthy", and both words are employed as adjectives and nouns in regular language. In Grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntactic role is to modify a Noun or Pronoun, giving more information about the Arab newspapers sometimes try to avoid confusion by placing names in brackets or between quotation marks. Generally, context and grammar will indicate how the word is being used, but foreign students of Arabic may initially have trouble with this.

• Muslim practices

A very common form for Muslim Arab names is the combination of `abd followed by another word: `abd X means "servant of X" where X is a word describing Allah (God), often one of the Muslim 99 Names of God. Abd (عبد is an Arabic word meaning one who is totally subordinated a Slave. The 99 Names of Allah, also known as The 99 Most Beautiful Names of God () are the Names of God (specifically attributes by which Muslims regard God The result is a name such as عبد الله Abdullah ("Servant of God") or عبد الرشيدAbdurrashid ("Servant of the Rightly Guided").

• Christian practices

To an extent most Christian Arabs have names that are indistinguishable from those of their Muslim neighbors, but Christian Arabs do not use specifically Muslim names such as Mohammed. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion There are also Arabic versions of Christian names (i. e. saints' names), and names of Greek, Armenian, or Assyrian origin. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian Adoption of European names, especially French and Greek ones, has been a centuries-long convention for Arab Christians — especially (but not only) in the Levant. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία See also Names of the Levant The Levant (lə'vænt is a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia, roughly bounded on the north by the Thus, George Habash, Charles Helou, Camille Chamoun, Boutros Boutros-Ghali etc. George Habash ( جورج حبش) also known by his kunya " al-Hakim " (Arabicالحكيم — the wise one or the doctor) Charles Helou (شارل الحلو ( September 25 1913 - 7 January 2001) was President of Lebanon from 1964 to 1970 Camille Nimr Chamoun ( Arabic: كميل نمر شمعون Kamīl Sham'ūn) (b Boutros Boutros-Ghali ( Arabic: بطرس بطرس غالي Coptic: Ⲃⲟⲩⲧⲣⲟⲥ Ⲃⲟⲩⲧⲣⲟⲥ Ⲅⲁⲗⲏ (born November 14, 1922

Kunya كنية

Often, a kunya referring to the person's first-born son is used as a substitute for the ism: for example, أبو كريم "Abu Karim" for "father of Karim", and أم كريم "Umm Karim", "mother of Karim". A kunya ( كنية) is an Honorific widely used in place of Given names through the Arab world. Ab means " Father " in most Semitic languages, sometimes extended to Abba or Aba. It can refer to the person's first-born daughter. The kunya precedes the ism when not replacing it.

Nasab نسب

The nasab is a patronymic or series of patronymics. A patronym, is a component of a Personal name based on the name of one's father It indicates the person's heritage by the word ابن ibn (sometimes bin) which means "son", and bint, "daughter". Thus ابن خلدون Ibn Khaldun means "son of Khaldun" (Khaldun is the father's ism, or proper name). Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun (full name أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون,, ( May 27, 1332 AD/732 AH &ndash March 19 Several nasab can follow in a chain, to trace a person's ancestry backwards in time. This was important in the tribally based society of the ancient Arabs, both for purposes of identification and for social and political interaction. A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use

Laqab لقب

The laqab is intended as a description of the person. So, for example, in the name of the famous Abbasid Caliph Haroun al-Rashid (of A Thousand and One Nights fame), Haroun is the Arabic form for Aaron, and "al-Rashid" means "the righteous" or "the rightly-guided". The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Hārūn al-Rashīd (and Persian: هارون الرشيد) also spelled Harun ar-Rashid; English: Aaron the Upright, Aaron the

Nisba نسبة

The nisba describes a person's occupation, geographic home area, or descent (tribe, family, etc). Adding a nesbat (نسبة nisbah "relation" is the practice of adding a word at the end of a person's name as a specifier. It will follow a family through several generations, and it is for example common to find people with the name al-miṣrī (the Egyptian, or rather "of Egypt") in many places in the Middle East, despite the fact that their families may have resided outside Egypt for several generations. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The nisba, among the components of the Arabic name, perhaps most closely resembles the Western surname.

Example

ابو كريم محمد الجميل بن ندال بن عبد العزيز الفلسطيني

Abu Karim Muhammad al-Jamil ibn Nidal ibn Abdulaziz al-Filistin

"ʼabū karīmi muhammadu-l-jamīlu-bnu nidāli-bni ʻabdi-l-ʻazīzi-l-filistīn"

This means, in translation:

"Father-of-Karim, Muhammad, the beautiful, son of Nidal, son of Abdulaziz, the Palestinian"

(karim means generous, muhammad means praised, jamīl means beautiful; azīz means Magnificent, and it is one of the 99 names of God. The 99 Names of Allah, also known as The 99 Most Beautiful Names of God () are the Names of God (specifically attributes by which Muslims regard God )

Abu Karim is a kunya, Muhammad is the person's proper name (ism), al-Jamil is a laqab, Nidal is his father (a nasab), Abdulaziz his grandfather (second-generation nasab) and "al-Filistin" is his family nisba. Normally, this person would simply be referred to as "Muhammad" or "Abu Karim", but to signify respect or to specify which Mohammad we are speaking about (namely, the beautiful son of Nidal and grandson of Abdulaziz from Palestine), the name could be lengthened as above, to the extent necessary or desired. Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.

Westernization of Arabic naming practices and names

Many Arabic countries have now adopted a Westernized way of naming. This is the case for example in Lebanon and Maghreb countries where French conventions are followed, and it is rapidly gaining ground elsewhere. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية The Maghreb (المغرب العربي al-Maġrib al-ʿArabī) also rendered Maghrib (or rarely Moghreb) meaning "place of Sunset French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people

Also, many Arabs adapt to Western conventions for practical purposes when travelling or when residing in Western countries, constructing a given name/family name model out of their full Arab name, to fit Western expectations and/or visa applications or other official forms and documents. A family name or last name is a type of Surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs A visa (short for the Latin carta visa, lit "a document that has been seen" is a document issued by a Country giving an individual The reverse side to this is the surprise of many Westerners when asked to supply their first name, second name, father's name and family name in some Arab visa applications. Similarly, if an Arab woman marries a Westerner and applies for a passport, her new 'official' name becomes, for example, Maryam David William Smith because of the patronymic naming convention.

The Westernization of an Arab name may require transliteration. Transliteration is the practice of Transcribing a Word or text written in one Writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice Often, one name may be transliterated in several different ways (Abdul Rahman, Abdoul Rahman, Abdur Rahman, Abd al-Rahman, or Abd ar-Rahman), as there is no single accepted system. Different approaches and methods for the Romanization of Arabic exist A single individual may try out several ways of transliterating his or her name, producing even greater inconsistency. This has resulted in confusion on the part of governments, particularly security agencies, airlines, and other: for example, especially since 9-11, persons with names written similarly to those of suspected terrorists have been detained when in fact there was a case of mistaken identity.

Common mistakes

Common mistakes are:

• Separating "the X of Y" word combinations (see idafa):
  • With "Abdul": Arabic names may be written "Abdul (something)", but "Abdul" means "servant of the" and is not, by itself, a name. Arabic is a Semitic language See Arabic language for more information on the language in general Thus for example, to address Abdul Rahman bin Omar al-Ahmad by his given name, one must say "Abdul Rahman", not merely "Abdul". If he introduces himself as "Abdul Rahman" (which means "the servant of the Compassionate One"), one must not say "Mr Rahman", (as "Rahman" is not a family name but part of his (theophoric) personal name)
  • Europeans not understanding Arabic sandhi in genitive constructions: Habību-llāh = "beloved of God"; here a European may in error report the man's name as 'forename "Habib", surname "Ullah"'. See technical note on viewing special characters A theophoric name (Greek "bearing a deity" embeds the name of a god both invoking Sandhi ( Sanskrit saṃdhi sa संधि "joining" is a cover term for a wide variety of phonological processes that occur at Morpheme Arabic is a Semitic language See Arabic language for more information on the language in general Likewise, Westerners may confuse a name such as Jalālu-d-dīn ("The Majesty of the Religion") as being "Jalal Uddin", or "Mr. Uddin", when "Uddin" is not a surname, but the second half of a two-word name (the desinence -u of the construct state nominative, plus the article, appearing as -d-, plus the genitive dīn[i]). The status constructus or construct state is a Noun form occurring in Afro-Asiatic languages. ( ال۔, also transliterated as el- and in some cases il- and ul-) is a prefix in the Arabic language Although, to add to the confusion, some immigrants to Western countries have adopted Uddin as a surname, although it is grammatically incorrect outside the context of the associated "first name".
• Confusing "`alā" with "Allah": Some Muslim names include the Arabic word `alā' علاء = "nobility". (Here, ` represents the ayin sound, the voiced pharyngeal fricative, and ' represents the hamza sound, the glottal stop. For the village in Azerbaijan see Əyin. or is the sixteenth letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician The voiced pharyngeal approximant/fricative is a type of Consonantal sound used in some spoken Languages The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet Hamza ( Arabic: ar الهَمْزة ʼal-hamzah) (ar [[wiktء ء]] is a letter in the Arabic alphabet, representing the Glottal stop. This article is about the sound in spoken language For the letter see Glottal stop (letter. ) In Arabic pronunciation, `alā and Allāh are clearly different. But Europeans, Iranians and Indians often cannot pronounce some Arabic sounds correctly, and tend to pronounce these two names the same. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country For example, an internet search will find many instances of the Muslim man's name `Alā'-ed-dīn = "the nobility of the religion" misspelt as Allah-ed-din. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks (This name is known to Western culture as Aladdin. Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin Aladdin (an Anglicisation of the Arabic name (originally Syrian Alāʼ ad-Dīn, Arabic: علاء الدين literally "nobility of the faith" )
• Pronunciation: For example, a name containing the "kh" sound (e. g. Khalid (خالد)) should not be pronounced with an initial 'k'-sound but rather with the consonant sound similar to that of the 'ch' in the name Bach (German composer), as such a mispronunciation may change its meaning. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise"
• Grammar errors: These can result from differences between Arabic grammar and the grammar of some other languages. Arabic forms noun compounds in the opposite order from Indo-Iranian languages. For example, during the war in Afghanistan in 2002, a BBC team found in Kabul an internal refugee whose name they stated as "Allah Muhammad". Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, } Kābul ( Persian and Pashto: کابل, IPA:) is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with Internally displaced persons (IDPs are people forced to flee their homes but who unlike refugees remain within their country's borders This may be a misspelling, as described in the previous paragraph; but if not: By the rules of Arabic grammar, this name means "the Allah who belongs to Muhammad", which is not acceptable as a man's name; but by the rules of Iranian and most Indian languages this name means "the Muhammad who belongs to Allah", which is acceptable; the Arabic equivalent is "Muhammad Ullah". Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family and its subfamily Indo-Iranian. Most Afghans speak Iranian languages. The Demographics of Afghanistan are ethnically and linguistically mixed Such mismatched and grammatically incorrect Arabic and Arabic-Persian compound names are not uncommon in Afghanistan.
• Transliteration of Arabic: The general rule is to follow the transliterated spelling adopted by the individual in question, if it exists, or else to follow one of the available systems. Different approaches and methods for the Romanization of Arabic exist Different approaches and methods for the Romanization of Arabic exist If someone has decided to spell his name "Mohammed", it is somewhat rude to refuse to accept this and to insist on "Muhammad," even if "Muhammad" is the preferred transliteration among scholars. Similarly, to refer to the late President Nasser of Egypt as "Jamal 'Abd al-Nasir" would be technically correct, but likely to produce confusion. Gamal Abdel Nasser (جمال عبد الناصر Gamāl ‘Abd an-Nāṣir; - January 15 1918 September 28 1970) was the second President

Modern and regional variations

• While the ibn/bin prefix is still commonly used in names, its use is declining; in some places, this prefix is only used in government interactions, and in other places it is dropped altogether. In Mauritania its usage is still common, but ever since the colonial era many people have preferred the dialectal form ould (ولد, pronounced [wulː]). Mauritania (موريتانيا Mūrītāniyā officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country
• Syria retains a heavy Turkish influence, which is reflected in commonly found names of Turkish and Kurdish origin; e. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches g. Adib al-Shishakli. Adib ibn Hasan Shishakli born 1909 in Hamah Syria died Sept 27 1964 in Ceres Brazil assassinated
• Maghribi names are quite distinctive due to heavy Berber (Tamazigh) and French influences. The Maghreb (المغرب العربي al-Maġrib al-ʿArabī) also rendered Maghrib (or rarely Moghreb) meaning "place of Sunset Nomenclature The term Berber has been used in Europe since at least the 17th century and is still used today French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people
• In certain Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, the name Mohammed or Muhammad (often abbreviated to Mohd. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Singapore ) commonly precedes a male Muslim's given name, followed by the word "bin" and his father's name, for example Muhammad Amin bin Hashim. If the person has performed the Hajj, the honorific "Haji" would be prefixed to his name, for example Haji Muhammad Amin bin Hashim, or even Haji Muhammad Amin bin Haji Hashim. The Hajj (حج is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world Persons claiming descent from Prophet Muhammad may carry the title "Syed" or "Sheikh" ("Sharifah" or "Siti" for females) before their name and a family name may follow the personal name, for example Syed Muhammad Amin al-Habshi bin Syed Hashim al-Habshi.
• In Afghanistan, persons claiming to be related to the prophet are called Sayeds, and all the males in the family carry the title of Mir, rather than the last name of Hashimi or Hashem. People belonging to this group will have either the last name Hashimi or have the title Mir in front of their names, but not both. An example of an Afghan who claims to trace their lineage to the prophet will be Mir Abdul Rahman, Mir being the title linking them to the Prophet Muhammad but not being a part of their first name, which would be Abdul Rahman. Afghan women who are Sayeds carry no title in front of their names; some carry the last name Hashimi, which indicates their lineage and is kept by many even after marriage, as in Islam women are not to take their husband's last name.
• In Iran also, persons claiming to be related to the prophet have Sayed in their name, often as a prefix.
• Many Jews of Temani, Mizrahi and Arabicized Sephardi extraction often maintain Arab surnames and adopt Arab names common to Arab Jews, even in the West; e. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Yemenite Jews ( Hebrew: תֵּימָנִים, Standard   Temanim Tiberian   Têmānîm Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahim, ( also referred to as Edot HaMizrach (Communities of the East are Jews descended Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ g. Paula Abdul and Loolwa Khazzoom. Paula Julie Abdul ( "AB-dool" born June 19, 1962) is a Grammy Award -winning American pop Singer Loolwa Khazzoom ( لولوا خزوم) is a Iraqi American Jewish ref> Amazon
• In Western China, officials will, when spelling a native name in Chinese characters, sometimes represent "Muhammad" by the Chinese character 馬/马 "mǎ", which means "horse". China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National In Typography, a grapheme is the fundamental unit in written language. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae.
• Sometimes Muslim or otherwise Arabic names are used by people who are not Muslims or even have origins in the Middle East. Examples are: Ayesha, Fatima (see each name for information as to why), and the USA army commander Omar Bradley. Ayesha is a girl's name with different origins In Persian it means "womanly" but also sporty active Fatima, or in a more exact transliteration Fāţimah ( Arabic: فاطمة) is originally an Arabic name meaning "She who weans" Omar Nelson Bradley KCB ( February 12, 1893 &ndash April 8, 1981) was one of the main U

Arab family naming convention

In Arabic culture a person's ancestry and his/her family name are very important.

Assume a man has the name of "Saleh bin Tariq bin Khalid Al-Fulan"

"Saleh" is his personal name, and is the name that his family and friends would call him by. "Bin" translates as "son of", so "Tariq" is Saleh's father's name. "Bin Khalid" means that Tariq was the son of Khalid, making Khalid the grandfather of Saleh. "Al-Fulan" would be Saleh's family name.

So "Saleh bin Tariq bin Khalid Al-Fulan" translates as "Saleh, son of Tariq, son of Khaled; of the family Al-Fulan. "

The Arabic for "daughter of" is "Bint. " A woman with the name "Fatimah bint Tariq bin Khalid Al-Fulan" translates as "Fatimah, daughter of Tariq, son of Khaled; of the family Al-Fulan. "

Modern naming convention may drop the word "bin" or "bint" as it is already implied, so Saleh's full name would be "Saleh Tariq Khalid Al-Fulan" and "Fatimah Tariq Khalid Al-Fulan"

If Saleh was married his wife would keep her maiden name. His sons and daughters will take Saleh's family name, so his son Mohammed would be called "Mohammed bin Saleh bin Tariq Al-Fulan".

In many non-Arab Muslim communities the naming convention is further abridged to fit into a three name nomenclature. Thus the first name is the personal name, the middle name is the father's name and the last name is the family name. This holds true even for girls. The first name is a personal female name, the middle name is the father's and the last name is the family name.

Muslims also do not, in general name a child the full and exact name of the parent or the full exact name of a relative, deceased or living. Nor do they give the child the first name of a parent or living relative. Both are considered a form of ancestral worship forbidden by the Qu’ran. As a rule one will rarely, if ever find a “senior,” “junior,” designation in Muslim nomenclature or a designation of "I. " "II," "III," etc.

It is often seen as a sign of a non-religious Muslim parent, who names a child the exact name, in the exact order as the parent. This can be seen in the naming of Senator Barack Hussein Obama. Until the death of his father Senator Obama carried the designation of "Jr. " This is a rare, to almost nonexistent, occurrence in the Muslim culture and is instead a frequent Western convention.

The names listed below are used in the Arab world, as well as some other Muslim regions. They are not necessarily of Arabic origin, though most in fact are. For more information see about Arabic names, see also Iranian and Turkish names.

List of names

Arab Names and their biblical equivalent

Muslim and Christian names:

Exclusively Christian names:

See also

• List of Arabic star names
• List of Arabic theophoric names
• List of traditional Arabic place names

External links

• Arabic Nomenclature: A summary guide for beginners. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth This is a list of traditional Arabic names for Stars In Western Astronomy, most of the accepted star names are Arabic a few are Greek and some are of unknown This is a list of Arabic Theophoric names. Islamic names "Abdul" names The following names are derived from the word Abd (= " This is a list of traditional Arabic Place names. This list includes Places involved in the history of the Arab world and the Arabic names A.F.L. Beeston (Oxford, 1971). Alfred Felix Landon Beeston ( February 23 1911 – September 29 1995) was an English Orientalist best known for his studies
• Page on Arab naming conventions
• Searchable database of Muslim Baby Names
• Arabic Baby Girl and Boy Names