Names rooted in the Quran, Sufi poetry, and the language of the desert.
Arabic is the language of the Quran and of fourteen centuries of Islamic civilization — from al-Andalus to the Indus Valley. Arabic girl names often carry meanings of light, blessing, or attributes of God; many move into English via Persian, Turkish, or Urdu before reaching the Anglophone world.
We list names in their original Arabic script alongside the IPA pronunciation and the three-letter Semitic root. Each name's meaning is traced through its root rather than through translation alone.