Can Muslims Use Non-Arabic Names?

Updated October 2026 · Modern Muslim Names

Parents often ask whether a Muslim child must have an Arabic name. The short answer from mainstream scholarship is no: what matters is the meaning of the name, not the language it comes from. Here is what the sources say and how families apply it.

The meaning is what counts

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ encouraged good names and changed names whose meanings were bad. In a hadith reported by Muslim, he changed the name of a woman called ʿĀṣiya (“disobedient”) to Jamila (“beautiful”). He also changed the name Barra (“pious”), because it praised the person too much, to Zaynab. These examples are about meaning, not about Arabic versus other languages.

Names that are especially loved

A well-known hadith in Sahih Muslim says the most beloved names to Allah are Abdullah and Abdur-Rahman. Names of prophets, such as Ibrahim, Musa and Yusuf, are also widely recommended.

Names scholars advise avoiding

Most scholars advise against: names that mean servitude to anything other than God; names that belong only to God, such as al-Raḥmān or al-Khāliq, unless preceded by “Abd” (servant of); and names with bad or embarrassing meanings in any language.

What this means in practice

Across the Muslim world, families use names from their own languages every day. Persian names like Nigar and Shirin, Turkic names like Ruslan, Somali names like Hibo and Bosnian names like Edina are all used by Muslim families, and their meanings are good.

Names from another religious tradition are a different case. They aren't forbidden if the meaning is good, but many parents prefer a name that clearly signals a Muslim identity. On each name page we say honestly where a name comes from. For example, Aarav and Rahul are Sanskrit names used mainly by Hindu families, and we suggest similar-sounding Islamic alternatives.

This guide summarises widely held views; for a ruling on a specific name, ask a scholar you trust.