Nigerian Muslim Names: How Hausa and Yoruba Shape Arabic Names

Updated October 2026 · Modern Muslim Names

Nigeria has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, and its naming traditions are some of the most distinctive. Most Nigerian Muslim names come from Arabic, but they have been reshaped by the sounds of Hausa in the north and Yoruba in the south-west. Once you know the patterns, you can usually spot the Arabic original straight away.

Hausa: the final “-u”

Hausa words rarely end in a consonant, so Arabic names usually gain a final vowel, most often -u for boys and -u/-a for girls. That is why Nasir becomes Nasiru, Bashir becomes Bashiru, Kabir becomes Kabiru and Jamil becomes Jamilu. Girls' names often take -atu, the Arabic feminine ending plus the Hausa vowel: Maymuna becomes Maimunatu.

Hausa also simplifies some Arabic sounds. The Arabic th often becomes s (Thamin → Saminu), and the emphatic ḍ can become l (Murtaḍā → Murtala). Jibril, the angel Gabriel, is usually Jibrin.

Yoruba: the feminine “-at”

Yoruba Muslims in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Kwara keep the Arabic feminine ending -at (the tā marbūṭa) as a pronounced sound. So Rashida becomes Rashidat and Latifa becomes Lateefat. Yoruba also tends to drop an initial h, which is why Hidaya is often written Idiat or Idayat.

Names you'll hear in both

Some names are common across the whole country: Lawal (from al-Awwal, “the first”), Aminu, Abubakar and Aisha in its many forms, including Aishatu.

Popular Hausa-style boy names

Popular Yoruba-style girl names

See every name in our Nigerian Muslim names list.