325+ Arabic Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Moses has always been a widely used name in the US, and this international version debuted in the Top 1000 in 2015. Its concise two-syllable sound could help it continue climbing.

Strong name, with a regal, romantic natural imagery image.

Emira is one of those pan-international names that feels pleasant enough but seems so unrooted to any one culture that it might as well be made up.

Shy but sultry.

Streamlined spelling of the biblical name, as in basketball great Isiah Thomas, falling fast from its height in the charts.

Salman is an Arabic name dating back to Salman the Persian, one of Muhammad's companions. In this country it is strongly associated with Anglo-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.

Zaynab, from the Arabic word for beauty and the name of a flowering tree, was the name of a granddaughter, daughter and two wives of the Prophet Muhammed. Related names include the simplified forms Zaina and Zayna and the Swahili-inflected Zainabu, along with possibly Zenobia, a name related to the Greek mythological god Zeus. Zaynab is one of the most popular Muslim girls' names around the world.

Intriguing David alternative, though American tongues will have trouble wrapping themselves around three vowels in a row.

No longer a one-person name, as a number of parents have been inspired by basketball great Shaquille O'Neal to adopt it for their own future athletes.

The tale-spinning heroine of The Thousand and One Nights, Sheherazade is an extravagantly elaborate name for a little girl. Too extravagantly elaborate? It's lovely and beguiling, and with the rise of such evocative monikers as Persephone and Ophelia, Sheherazade may have a chance in the modern baby name world. Another accepted spelling is Scheherazade. While the origin of this name is Persian, there are also modern Arabic forms of the name.

The mononymous Colombian-born singer inspired a popularity blip in the 90s and early 00s.

While this spelling is unusual, the I-beginning version is quite popular.

Kanan is a popular name in the Middle East and one that is both rare and easily translated to the English speaking world.

In this country, very much tied to PLO leader Arafat.

Star in Orion that might make a fine name, except people will always assume it's Melissa, with a typo.

Sabik, a star in Ophiuchus, makes for a rather harsh-sounding name. If you're looking skyward for a baby name, you'd do better with Orion or Jupiter. But if you are searching for names that mean new beginnings, this is one unusual choice.

Striking, azure-tinted choice.

One of the five hundred plus variations on Muhammad, this is a favorite Muslim choice.

Extremely simple and extremely distinctive -- a winning combination. Sound-alike Calla is a Greek (and botanical) name that means beautiful.

Soundalike cousin of Sammy, cute but slight on its own.