Arabic Name Generator

How an Arabic name is put together

An Arabic name is less a first and last name than a chain. The ism is the personal name (Layla, Omar). The nasab traces descent with ibn (son of) or bint (daughter of): Layla bint Ahmad. A laqab is a descriptor or title, such as al-Rashid, the rightly guided. A nisba names a place, tribe or trade, as in al-Halabi, from Aleppo, or al-Khayyat, the tailor. The kunya is a teknonym, Abu (father of) or Umm (mother of) plus a child's name, used as a warm and respectful way of addressing someone.

Most people today use a short version, but the pieces are still recognizable. A modern name is usually a given name and a family name, and in many countries an official name still runs given name, father's name, grandfather's name, family name. The Classical style gives the long chain; the Modern style gives what you would find on a passport; the Kunya style produces the everyday address form.

Spelling is the practical difficulty. Arabic has sounds English does not, and there is no single romanization, so Muhammad, Mohammed and Mohamed are all correct, as are Youssef, Yusuf and Yousef. This page uses the spellings most common in English, with a hyphenated al- for the article, and keeps women's names in their own right: most Arab women keep their family name after marriage.

Arabic names for girls

Names for girls usually carry a gentle or luminous meaning: Layla (night), Noor (light), Yasmin (jasmine), Amira (princess), Salma (peaceful). Many end in the feminine -a. The meaning is shown beside each name in the generator, but a few common names, such as Fatima, Zainab and Khadija, are left without a gloss because their roots are debated and the family history behind them is more important than the dictionary sense.

Girls' names can also be virtue words, like Iman (faith) and Amal (hope), that are shared with boys. The neutral option leans on those.

Boys' names, with kunya and titles

Boys' names cluster around praise (Ahmad, Mahmoud, Muhammad), qualities (Karim, Adel, Hakim) and the prophets. The Kunya style shows the tradition of calling a man Abu plus his eldest son's name, so a father of Omar becomes Abu Omar, often before he has any other name in use. Women take Umm the same way, and it is a sign of respect to use it.

Laqab titles such as al-Amin (the trustworthy) and al-Sadiq (the truthful) appear in the Classical style. They are honorifics in origin, so they suit a character who has earned a reputation rather than a newborn.

Choosing an Arabic name well

• Match the name to a country. Egyptian, Gulf, Levantine and Maghrebi names differ in spelling and family names, and mixing them can read oddly.
• Use the meaning as a hint about tone: Karim and Hakim suggest character, Noor and Salma suggest gentleness.
• For a long form, keep the chain short. Two or three parts (name, father, nisba) is enough; a real chain can run to many generations.
• Choose one romanization and use it throughout. Youssef, Yusuf and Yousef are all acceptable, but the same character should not use all three.
• Avoid copying the full chain of a historical or religious figure for a character. A familiar name plus 'son of' a famous father reads as a claim, not a name.

Sources

• Arabic name, Wikipedia