This pancocojams post provides a list of Arabic male names and varants of Arabic male names language that are included in a Social Security Administration list of the top 1000 names for United States children born in 2020. A total number of 47 names from that SSA list are included in this post.
This pancocojams post includes the origins and meanings of these selected names (with online citations).
The content of this post is presented for onamastic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to representatives of the Social Security Administration for compiling this list each year of the top 1000 names for United States children. Also, thanks to the editors of https://www.verywellfamily.com/top-1000-baby-boy-names-2757618 for re-publishing this list online.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/06/arabic-female-names-and-arabic-variants.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Arabic Female Names And Arabic Variants In The 2020 Social Security Administration Name List of Top 1000 Names In The USA (with meanings)."
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
These top 1000 male names for 2020 were compiled from birth certificates by personel of the United States Social Security Administration. I retrieved that list from the following website article: "Top1,000 Baby Boy Names of 2020" https://www.verywellfamily.com/top-1000-baby-boy-names-2757618 by Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH; Fact checked by Daniella Amato, published on June 14, 2021.
Neither that website nor the official Social Security Administration list include ethnic/racial breakdowns. Those websites also don't include any meanings for these names.
I used Google search to find these meanings that are included in this post.. Most of the meanings for names in this list are from https://quranicnames.com.. Other websites may include attribute additional names that are found in that SSA list to the Arabic language, but I don't trust their information as much as I trust that quranic names website.
Although Arabic meanings can be found for these names and for other names, people who gave those names to others (or took those names for themselves) might have conferred another meaning to those names (such as a meaning from another language which has that name or a meaning that they or someone else made up.)
Names that are spelled the same or similarly can be found in more than one language, but usually don't have the same meaning in those languages. Arabic names are often also found in Hebrew and/or Persian with the same, similar, or different meaning.
**
It's important to note that the term "Arabic names" is more accurate than "Muslim names" as non-Muslims in the United States and elsewhere throughout the world routinely select these names for their children. given a people in the United States a number of non-Muslims have Arabic names or names that are variants (in whole or in part) of Arabic names.
**
Judging from two lists of names given to New York City females and males that included ethnic/racial information (in 2013 and 2016), a number of people in the United States who are Hispanic, Non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, or Asian/Pacific Islander have Arabic names.
Click https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/vs/baby-names-female2013.pdf and https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/vs/baby-names-female.pdf for New York City's list of the top 100 names given to females in 2013 and 2016.
Also, click https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/vs/baby-names-male2013.pdf and https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/vs/baby-names-male.pdf for New York City's list of the top 100 names given to males in 2013 and 2016.
In those lists, non-Hispanic Black and Asian/Pacific Islanders were the the ethnic group/races that had the most Arabic names and variants of Arabic names. However, some examples of Arabic names/variants were found in each of these four race/ethnic groups.
**
There is an almost total lack of traditional African names in this 2020 SSA list of top names in the United States. With the exception of one Amharic name and a few Swahili names, the 2020 Social Security Administration list of top 1000 names has no African names/name variants.
The Amharic name that I noticed in the SSA 2020 list for male names is the name "Ermias" (#647) that https://babynames.com/name/ermias attributes to Amharic, one of the languages that is native to Ethiopia. That site indicates that "Ermias" is an Ethiopian/Amharic form of the name Yirmiahu (Jeremiah).was the birth name of [the well regarding African American rapper] Nipsey Hustle. Hustle died March 2019.).
The names "Zyaire" (#447) and "Zaire" (#552) are also included in that Social Security Administration list for males. "Zaire ... was the name of a sovereign state between 1971 and 1997 in Central Africa that is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo...The country's name, Zaïre, was derived from the name of the Congo River, sometimes called Zaire in Portuguese, which in turn was derived from the Kikongo word nzere or nzadi ('river that swallows all rivers'). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaire. (The 2020 SSA list of female names also included the name "Egypt"), but that nation's name originally came from the Greek language).
With the exception of the Swahili names/variants given below and those names that I mentiioned, I don't recognize any other African names or variants of African names in those 2020 Social Security list of top male names.
**
For contrast, read the list of names of children born in New York City in 2013 and the list of children born in New York City in 2016. A small percentage of the names in those lists that were given to non-Hispanic Black females and non-Hispanic Black males are from traditional African languages. The largest sub-set of those traditional African names, including KiSwahili names, are names from Mande langages*.
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/06/lists-of-popular-names-for-non-hispanic.html "Lists of Popular Names For Non-Hispanic Black Females Born In New York City (2013 & 2016)" .
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/06/lists-of-popular-names-for-non-hispanic_16.html "Lists of Popular Names For Non-Hispanic Black Males Born In New York City (2013 & 2016)."
*From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mande_languages
"The Mande languages are spoken in several countries in West
Africa by the Mandé peoples and include Maninka, Mandinka, Soninke, Bambara,
Kpelle, Dioula, Bozo, Mende, Susu, and Vai. There are "60 to 75 languages
spoken by 30 to 40 million people",[1] chiefly in Burkina Faso, Mali,
Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory
Coast, and also in northwestern Nigeria and northern Benin."
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UNITED STATES SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION NAME LISTS
This name data is from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States.
The numbers that are found in front of these names indicate their ranking in that Social Security Administration list. The lower the number, the more often that name was given.
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ARABIC MALE NAMES AND VARIANTS IN THE SOCIAL SECURITY LIST (2020)
Additions and corrections to these name meanings are welcome.
117. Amir
"Amir is an indirect Quranic name for boys that means
“leader”, “commander”, “ruler”, “chief”, “chieftain”. It is derived from the
A-M-R (to command) root which is used in many places in the Quran." https://quranicnames.com/amir/
**
217. Amari
..."“Amari” means “my moon” in the spoken dialect.
However, in Classical Arabic, it is pronounced “Qamari” and
written قمري 🌝
As you would expect, it is usually said to someone you love:
fiancee (soon to be fiancée) or wife, son or daughter. I bet it’s probably the
very first option in your case🤪. If you love someone
and you intend to marry her, you can also say that to her. Likewise, she may
also tell you this, or a mother may say this to her child.
P.S.: I did not include “girlfriend” as option, because
relationships outside marriage are prohibited in Islam and not acceptable in
Arab culture either by Muslims or Christians."
- Khaled Saad, knows Arabic, Answered January 15, 2020,
https://www.quora.com/What-does-Amari-mean-in-Arabic
**
253. Omar
"Omar is variant of Umar and has the exact same meaning and
pronunciation (see below for full meaning). You can use either Omar or Umar,
both are correct and acceptable. If you like this variant more and you'd like
to pronounce it the way it is spelled (different than the original name), this
is perfectly acceptable…
Full Meaning of Omar
Omar is an indirect Quranic name for boys that means “life”,
“long-lived”. Omar is commonly used by Muslims and Arab Christians out of love
for Omar ibn al-Khattab, a great Muslim leader and companion of the Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah upon the Prophet and his companions."...
*
"Omar (Hebrew: עומר/ עמר lit. "gifted speaker") or
Omer/Umer (Arabic: عمر), is a masculine given Semitic name, which is
represented in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. Omar is recorded in
the Bible as the grandson of Esau in the Pentateuch.[1]
After the emergence of Islam, Omar became a common name in
Arab and Muslim populations in general. It is also used in Spanish-speaking
countries, as Spain had a history of Islamic civilization for centuries, and
among Jews (usually as "Omer"). In Arabic, its pronunciation differs
based on the spoken varieties of Arabic and consequently in its transcription." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_(name)#Umar
**
276. Khalil
a variant form of "Khaleel"
"Khaleel means intimate friend, close companion. It is mentioned three times in the Quran." https://quranicnames.com/khaleel/
**
309. Muhammad
"Muhammad is a direct Quranic name for boys that means “a
person in which praiseworthy characteristics are abundant”, “a person who
deserves constant praise due to their good traits”. It is the name of Islam’s
Prophet (salalahu alaihi wa sallam). Before Islam, only seven people among the
Arabs were known to have this name according to the Lisan al-Arab dictionary.
After Islam it became one of the world’s most popular names, if not the most
popular one. Muhammad is mentioned seven times in the Quran." https://quranicnames.com/muhammad/
**
310. Zayn
"Zayn is a Quranic name for boys and girls that means beauty,
adornment, grace, excellence. It is not directly mentioned in the Quran, but it
is derived from the Z-Y-N which is used in dozens of places in the Quran"... https://quranicnames.com/zayn/
**
322. Ali
" Ali is a direct Quranic name for boys that means “high”,
“exalted”, “superb”, “sublime”. The word Ali is used in many places in the
Quran and it forms one of the names of Allah when it is prefixed with an al, as
in al-Ali. It is a common name among Muslims out of love for Ali bin Abi Talib,
cousin of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah upon him and his
family and companions."
https://quranicnames.com/ali/
**
349. Ismaeel
"Ismaeel is a direct Quranic name for boys that refers to one
of the prophets mentioned in the Quran. Ismaeel, who is known as Ishmael in the
English-speaking world, was the son of Prophet Ibrahim and Hajar, peace be upon
them, and he is considered the father of most Arabs, including the Arabs of
Quraysh from which Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came (while Ismaeel’s brother,
Ishaak/Isaac, is the father of all Jews).
Ismaeel comes from Hebrew roots, from the words Isma’
(hearer) and eel (Allah), thus the full meaning is “one who hears Allah”, “one
who obeys God’s commands.
Ismaeel is mentioned 12 times in the Quran." https://quranicnames.com/ismaeel/
**
359. Nasir
"Nasir is an Arabic name for boys that means “helper”, one
who helps someone achieve victory or success. The word Nasir is used once in
the Quran in verse 72:24. The word nasir is translated as “helpers” (plural) in
the verse, even though it is singular in Arabic, due to the peculiarities of
the Arabic language." https://quranicnames.com/nasir/
**
373. Malik
"Malik, Maleek, Malek or Malyk (Arabic: مَالِك or مَلِك) is a
given name and surname in several Semitic language traditions. In Arabic, مَالِك
means owner, and مَلِك means king. Its homonym Moloch also means king or lord
in Aramaic, as does the Modern Hebrew מֶלֶךְ (mélekh). These and many other
forms in most of the Semitic languages stem from the Proto-Semitic root מלך (m-l-k)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malik_(name)
**
397. Zayne
Read entry for #310
**
437. Ibrahim
"Ibrahim is the name of one of the most important prophets in
the Quran. Among his descendants are Prophet Ismaeel, Ishaaq, Yaqoob, Yusuf,
Musa, Haroon, Zakaria, Yahya, Isa, and our prophet Muhammad, may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him and all the prophets and messengers.
Prophet Ibrahim‘s name is mentioned at least 70 times in the
Quran, signifying his great importance. He is the only human being who is an
“intimate friend” of God, as the Quran testifies in Surat an-Nisaa 4:125" https://quranicnames.com/ibrahim/
**
445. Alijah
"Arabic word meaning "Elijah".
"اَلَيِجة will be used for both since there is no difference
between the sound of e and a in Arabic. Technically, it is an Islamic name
since Muslims believe in Prophet Elijah (PBUH) however Muslims call him Ilyas
which doesn’t have a meaning."
-Musab Kazmi, Answered March 28, 2017, https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-Alijah-and-Elijah-Is-Elijah-an-Islamic-name-If-so-what-is-the-meaning
**
456. Ayaan
a variant form of the name "Ayan"
Ayan (1) "Ayan is a Quranic name for both boys and girls and means
“time”, “era”, epoch”, “age”, literally meaning “[the time] when”.This name is
not used by Arabs due to its unusual grammar. It is used by non-Arab Muslims
who like the way the word sounds. It is mentioned in many places in the Quran.
Ayan (2)
Ayan (عَيَّان, transliteration: `ayyaan) is an Arabic name
that means “unable”, “incapable”1. This is an indirect Quranic name from the
AIN-Y-Y root. Arabic names with negative meanings are somewhat common, and they
are not forbidden for Muslims.
Ayan (3)
Ayan, if pronounced [(A)fter] + [(YA)r(N)], is a Persian
name that means “long night”2. This is a good meaning, therefore it is
acceptable for Muslims to use this name."
https://quranicnames.com/ayan/
**
500. Omari
a variant form of the Arabic name "Omar"
"Omari as a boys' name is pronounced oh-MAR-ee. It is of Swahili
origin, and the meaning of Omari is "God the highest". http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Omari
-snip-
Read the entry for #253.
**
513. Zaiden
a variant form of the Arabic name Zidan/Zaydan
"Zeidan is variant of Zidan and has the exact same
meaning and pronunciation (see below for full meaning). You can use either
Zeidan or Zidan, both are correct and acceptable. If you like this variant more
and you'd like to pronounce it the way it is spelled (different than the
original name), this is perfectly acceptable...
Grammtically, Zaydan is the standard name, and it is the
muthanna (two count plural) of Zaid, i.e. it means “two Zaids“, twice as much
increase and growth as Zaid. The Zeidan pronunciation is more commonly used
among people, though it is not standard. There are no issues with using either
pronunciation" https://quranicnames.com/zeidan/
**
556. Mohamed
a variant form of the name "Muhammad" Read entry #309
**
570. Yusuf
"Yusuf is a Quranic name for boys that refers to one of the
prophets of the Quran, whose name is mentioned 27 times and chapter 12 of the
Quran, known as Surat Yusuf, is dedicated entirely to his story. Yusuf is an
ancient name that means “God gives”, “God increases” in the Bible, its meaning
is not mentioned in the Quran."
https://quranicnames.com/yusuf/
*
"Yusuf (Arabic: يوسف Yūsuf and Yūsif) is a male Arabic,
Aramaic, Turkish and Persian name, meaning "God increases" (in piety,
power and influence) in Hebrew.[1] It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew
name Yosef and the English name Joseph. It is widely used in many parts of the
world by Arabs of all Abrahamic religions, including Middle Eastern Jews, Arab
Christians, and Muslims.
It is also transliterated in many ways, including: Yossef,
Yousef, Yousif, Youssef, Youssif, Yousuf, and Yusef." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusuf
**
573. Zain
Read entry for #310.
**
624- Ahmad
"Ahmad is a direct Quranic name for boys. It has the exact
same meaning as Muhammad: A person in which praiseworthy traits are abundant,
or one who deserves constant praise due to their good character. It is one of
the names of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)"
https://quranicnames.com/ahmad/
**
629 Ahmed
a variant of the Arabic name Ahmad.
Read the entry for #624
**
635- Mohammed
Read entry for #309
**
638. Kareem
Kareem is a direct Quranic name for boys that means “generous”, “honorable”, “kindhearted”, “noble”, “excellent”. The word Kareem is used about 27 times in the Quran" https://quranicnames.com/kareem/
**
647. Samir
a variant form of the name "Sameer"
"Sameer (with the stress on the end: -meer) is an indirect
Quranic name for boys that means “good friend”. It’s literal meaning is “night
conversation companion”, someone who stays up long into the night speaking with
friends. It is derived from the S-M-R root which is used in the Quran in verse
23:67" https://quranicnames.com/sameer/
**
650. Emir
Read entry for #117
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657. Hamza
"Hamza (also spelled as Hamzah, Hamsah, Hamzeh or Humza;
Arabic: حمزة, standardized transliteration is Ḥamzah) is an Arabic masculine
given name in the Muslim world. The meaning of the name Hamza is "lion”,
“steadfast", "strong", and “brave"[citation needed]. It was
borne by one of the Prophet Muhammad's uncles, Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, a
wrestler and an archer who was renowned for his strength and bravery in battle.
His exploits were detailed in the Hamzanama, an adventure epic written in
Persian."...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamza_(name)
**
661. Mohammad
Read entry for #309
**
665. Jamir
"Jamir is probably a fusion of two Arabic names: Jamal and
Amir. In Arabic, Jamal (جمال) means “beauty, good-looks” and Amīr (أمير) means
“prince, ruler” – so we guess it could be said that the newly coined name Jamir
means “handsome prince”. Similar to Jamar, Jamari and Jamarion, Jamir is a name
distinct to the African-American community in the United States. Inspiration
was taken from actual Arabic masculine names which were then embellished upon." https://ohbabynames.com/all-baby-names/jamir/
**
669. Zaid
"Zaid is variant of Zayd and has the exact same meaning and
pronunciation (see below for full meaning). You can use either Zaid or Zayd,
both are correct and acceptable. If you like this variant more and you'd like
to pronounce it the way it is spelled (different than the original name), this
is perfectly acceptable...
Full Meaning of Zaid
Zaid means growth, abundance, one who makes progress. It is
the name of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)’s adopted son. It is
mentioned once in the Quran. Many of the Prophet’s companions were named Zaid
and for this reason it is a popular name among Muslims." https://quranicnames.com/zaid/
**
675. Khari
may be a variant form of the Arabic male name "Khairi"
"Khairi is an Arabic name for boys that means “full of goodness”, “source of good”, “charitable”, “generous”. It is an indirect Quranic name derived from the KH-Y-R root. Khairi is pronounced [(KH)artoum + p(AY)] + [p(R)ay + s(EE)], usually with emphasis on the first syllable. " https://quranicnames.com/meaning-of-khairi-arabic-boy-name/
**
708. Yosef
Read entry for #570.
**
745. Musa
"Musa is a direct Quranic name for boys that comes from
non-Arabic origins. It is common among Muslims out of love for Prophet Musa
(Moses). According to the Jewish Roman scholar Josephus the name comes from
ancient Egyptian origins, derived from mo (water) and uses (to save), forming
the meaning “saved from the water”, since when Prophet Musa was an infant his
mother put him in the river, which carried him to the Egyptian Pharaoh’s lands,
where he was found and saved. Other sources say it means “saved” or “savior”.
The name of Prophet Musa is mentioned more than any other
prophet in the Quran, amounting to 136 times (Prophet Muhammad is mentioned
five times only by name)." https://quranicnames.com/musa/
**
776. Zayd
Read entry for #513.
**
807. Salem
"A Quranic name for boys"
Salem is variant of Saleem and has the exact same meaning and pronunciation (see below for full meaning). You can use either Salem or Saleem, both are correct and acceptable. If you like this variant more and you'd like to pronounce it the way it is spelled (different than the original name), this is perfectly acceptable....
Full Meaning of Salem
"Salem is an direct Quranic name for boys that means “righteous”, “true”, “perfect”, “unblemished”, “unharmed”, “in good health”. It is mentioned directly in the Quran twice, and its root is S-L-M which is the root for many common Quranic words like Islam, Muslim, and Salaam (peace)." https://quranicnames.com/salem/
**
808. Abdullah
"Abdullah is a direct Quranic name for boys that means
“servant of Allah”, “slave of Allah”. It was the name of Prophet Muhammd’s
father and the name of one of his sons, peace and blessings of Allah upon him
and his family. It is mentioned directly twice in the Quran" https://quranicnames.com/abdullah/
**
817. Hassan
"Hassan is an indirect Quranic name for boys that means “very handsome”, “very goodly”, “very good-mannered” when derived from the H6-S-N (beauty) Quranic root. It could also mean “very perceptive” when derived from the H6-S-S (perception, feeling) Quranic root. It is most commonly derived from the H6-S-N root, which is also the root for other common names like Hasan and Hussein. This root is used in many places in the Quran." https://quranicnames.com/hassan/
**
829. Idris
"Idris is a direct Quranic name for boys and is the name of
one of the prophets mentioned in the Quran. The meaning of the name is not
known for certain, but some sources say it could be derived from the Arabic
D-R-S root which means “to study”, “to instruct”, and some say it means
“interpreter”. Idris is possibly the same person as the biblical prophet Enoch." https://quranicnames.com/idris/
**
830. Ameer
Read the entry for #117.
**
859. Kabir
Kabir is an Arabic name for boys that means “great”,
“powerful”, “leader”. It is used 40 times in the Quran." https://quranicnames.com/kabir/
**
864. Yousef
Read the entry for #570.
**
867. Aydin
"Aydin is a Quranic name for boys that means hands, power,
strength. It is directly mentioned in Quran 51:47 and 7:195." https://quranicnames.com/aydin/
**
889. Zahir
Zahir is an indirect Quranic name for boys that means
“bright”, “glowing”, “flowery”, “rosy”." https://quranicnames.com/zahir/
**
896. Khalid
"Khalid meaning immortal, ever-living, never dying. It is a
name from pre-Islamic times and is not Islamic at all, because the only
ever-living being is God. It has survived post the introduction of Islam
because of Khalid bin Alwaleed, a close companion of the prophet and a great
military leader." https://quranicnames.com/what-is-the-meaning-of-khalid/
**
912. Jamal
"Jamal is a direct
Quranic name for boys that means “beauty”. It is used in verse 16:6 of the
Quran" https://quranicnames.com/jamal/
**
935. Ahmir
Read the entry for #117.
**
952. Jabari
Swahili form of the Arabic male name "Jabbar"
The name Jabbar (Arabic writing : جبار) is a Muslim boys
Names. The meaning of name Jabbar is " Mighty, brave " https://imuslim.name/2014-meaning-Jabbar-muslim-arabic-names.html
**
956. Hakeem
"Hakeem means wise, insightful, and decisive. It is mentioned
in verse 44:4 in one of about 97 mentions; when preceded by definite article
‘Al’ (Al-Hakeem) it becomes one of the 99 Attributes of Allah and cannot be
used as a name, however without the ‘Al’, the use of Hakeem as a name is
allowed, according to the scholar Abu Mansur Al-Azhari." https://quranicnames.com/hakeem/
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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome
Note: The following comments are from a facebook friend of my who gave me permission to repost them on this page along with her name.
ReplyDeleteI read your posting. I have to disagree and here's why: The name does exist in the west: Our Lady of Fatima in Spain. We just say Fateema because English pushes the accent to the second syllable.
-Afi Scruggs; 9/8/2011
**
And secondly, the pronunciation isn't "Fat-ou", it's Fah-tou, so the name doesn't sound like the word fat at all. If anything, we'd Anglicize the name by calling the person "fah-Tu" and accent the last syllable.
-Afi Scruggs; 9/8/2011