nuhahyearlyLaunch pricing - Get £50 off!nuhahyearlyIslamic tradition encourages names with beautiful meanings drawn from the Quran, the prophets, the Prophet's family and companions, and the attributes of Allah. This guide covers boys' and girls' names, Quranic names, naming etiquette, and the most popular Muslim names in the UK, where Muhammad is the number one boys' name (ONS 2025).
Islamic baby names are names chosen for their good and dignified meaning, drawn most often from the Quran, the prophets, the family of the Prophet Muhammad, his companions, and the attributes of Allah. The guiding principle is simple: the meaning should be positive and should never carry a sense that conflicts with faith. Maryam means devout, Abdullah means servant of Allah, and Rahmah means mercy. Because the meaning matters most, an Islamic name does not need to be rare or elaborate, it simply needs to carry something good.
It is recommended to name a child on the seventh day after birth, often together with the aqiqah, although naming earlier is also permitted. Many families also follow the sunnah of tahnik, gently placing something sweet such as softened date on the baby's palate, and of giving thanks at the birth. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, encouraged parents to choose names with beautiful meanings, and he is known to have changed some names that carried a harsh or poor sense. This is why so many Muslim families begin with the meaning, then consider how the name sounds and how it sits within the wider family.
Boys are very often named after the prophets and the great companions, names that carry a whole life story with them. Muhammad and Ahmad honour the Prophet himself; Ibrahim, Yusuf, Musa, Isa, Ismail and Dawud carry the prophets; and Umar, Ali, Uthman, Hamza and Bilal recall companions known for courage, justice and devotion. Gentle-meaning names such as Rayyan, Zayd, Amin and Rashid are loved too. Every boy's name in the list below is marked with its meaning and, where it applies, the figure it honours.
For girls, families often turn to the women closest to the Prophet and to the virtues of the Quran. Maryam, the only woman named in the Quran, sits alongside Fatimah, Khadijah, Aisha and Zaynab from the Prophet's household, and Asiya and Hawwa from the wider Quranic story. Names built on virtues, such as Iman for faith, Rahmah for mercy, Sakinah for tranquillity and Nur for light, are chosen for their meaning as much as their sound. You will find each of these, with its significance, in the list further down the page.
Some of the most treasured Islamic names come straight from the Quran, either as words of beauty or as the names of the people whose stories it tells. Nur, meaning light, is the name of Surah 24; Maryam names Surah 19; and Yusuf names Surah 12. Quranic virtue words such as Iman, Sakinah, Rahmah, Bushra and Jannah make graceful girls' names, while Tariq, named in Surah 86, and Rayyan, described in a hadith as a gate of Paradise for those who fast, are favourites for boys. Choosing a Quranic name is a gentle way of tying a child to the book at the centre of the faith.
Naming a child after a prophet is one of the most loved choices in Muslim families. Muhammad is given more than almost any other name in the world, and names such as Ibrahim, Ismail, Yusuf, Musa, Isa, Dawud, and Sulayman carry the stories of the prophets with them. Many of these have familiar counterparts in English, so Yusuf is Joseph, Musa is Moses, and Isa is Jesus, which helps them travel easily in the UK.
The household of the Prophet and his companions give a rich set of names with real character behind them. For girls, Fatimah, Khadijah, Aisha, and Zaynab honour the women closest to the Prophet. For boys, Ali, Umar, Hamza, and Bilal recall companions known for courage, justice, and devotion. Choosing one of these names connects a child to people whose lives are still studied and admired today.
A distinctly Islamic form of name joins the word Abd, meaning servant, to one of the names of Allah, as in Abdullah, the servant of Allah, and Abdur-Rahman, the servant of the Most Merciful. In a well-known narration these two are described as the names most beloved to Allah. The word Abd should always be paired with a name of Allah rather than used alone, so Abdul on its own is incomplete and is meant to be followed by an attribute such as Aziz, Karim, or Malik.
Islamic names are firmly part of the British mainstream. In the Office for National Statistics figures for England and Wales in 2025, Muhammad was the single most popular name for baby boys for the third year running, and the spellings Mohammed and Mohammad also appear high on the list. Names such as Yusuf, Ibrahim, Musa, Ayaan, Hamza and Zayn sit comfortably among British favourites, while for girls Maryam, Aisha, Nur or Noor, Layla and Zara are widely chosen. Many UK Muslim parents look for a name that carries its Islamic meaning and also reads easily on a British register, which is why prophetic names with familiar English forms, Yusuf for Joseph or Isa for Jesus, travel so well. For the wider national picture you can browse our top 100 baby boy names in the UK and top 100 baby girl names in the UK.
No. While a great many Islamic names are Arabic, Muslims across the world use Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Malay, Bosnian and many other names. A Persian name or a Turkish form is no less suitable than a classical Arabic one. What makes a name appropriate is a good meaning, not the language it comes from. If you would like to explore the Arabic tradition specifically, our guide to Arabic baby names goes deeper into meanings and pronunciation, and our South Asian baby names guide covers the Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali forms that many British Muslim families use.
A few simple principles guide the choice. The meaning should be good and dignified, which is why names of the prophets, the companions and the virtues are so loved. Names that make a person a servant of anything other than God are avoided, so the word Abd is only ever joined to a name of Allah, never to any other. Names that claim absolute majesty for a human being are not used either; in a well-known narration the Prophet taught that the most displeasing name to Allah is one meaning king of kings. Beyond that, families are free to choose warmly and widely, and where a meaning is unclear it is always worth asking someone knowledgeable in the community before deciding.
Begin with the meaning, since this is what gives an Islamic name its weight, then check that the spelling you prefer reads clearly in English and sits well with your surname. If a name carries family or scholarly significance, that connection often matters more than how common it is. Where you are unsure about a meaning, it helps to ask someone knowledgeable in your community. If you would like ideas tailored to a style or meaning, our baby name generator can suggest names in the Islamic and Arabic tradition. The full list below gives the meaning and the significance for every name to make this easier.
77 names, grouped by gender, each with its meaning.
A name is considered Islamic when it carries a good, dignified meaning and nothing that conflicts with faith. Many come from the Quran, the prophets, the Prophet's family, the companions, or the attributes of Allah, though any name with a noble meaning can be suitable.
No. While many are Arabic, Muslims around the world use Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Malay, and other names. The principle is a good meaning, not a particular language.
Muhammad. In the Office for National Statistics figures for England and Wales in 2025 it was the most popular boys' name overall for the third year running, and the spellings Mohammed and Mohammad also feature high on the list. For girls, Maryam, Aisha, Nur and Layla are widely chosen.
Maryam, Iman, Nur, Sakinah, Rahmah, Bushra and Jannah are all drawn from the Quran and are loved for their meanings of faith, light, mercy, tranquillity, good tidings and paradise.
Yes. Adam is the first human being and a prophet, Sarah is the wife of the Prophet Ibrahim, and Yusuf is a prophet whose story fills Surah 12. Many such names have familiar English forms, which is part of why they travel so easily in Britain.
In a well-known narration, the names most beloved to Allah are Abdullah and Abdur-Rahman, both meaning servant of God. The names of the prophets are also widely encouraged.
It is traditional to name a child on the seventh day, often alongside the aqiqah, although naming earlier is also permitted.
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