Arabic names are used in the Arab world, as well as some other regions within the larger Muslim world. They are not necessarily of Arabic origin, though most in fact are. Compare also Persian names and Turkish names. See also about Arabic names.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Agadir(Settlement)Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber, English, French Means "fortified fortress, wall" in Central Atlas Tamazight, ultimately from Phoenician gdr meaning "wall, compound". This is the name of a city in Morocco.
Agrabahاغربه(Country)Arabic From the film Aladdin. Agrabah is more of a city-state than a country.
Al-qahirahالقاهرة(Settlement)Arabic It is the original form of Cairo the Egyptian capital city. Al-Qāhira means 'The Conquerer' because of a myth between its foundation and the planet Mars (that in Arabic is 'The Conquerer Star').
Al-Qudsالقدس(Settlement)Arabic Variant of Quds with the definite article ال (al-).
Aswanأسوان(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Arabic Derived from Egyptian swnw possibly related to swn meaning "to trade, to buy" or swnt meaning "trade, price". This is the name of a governorate and city in Egypt.
Baghdadبغداد(Settlement)Arabic, English, Armenian, Hindi, Italian, Malay, Pashto, Persian, Urdu, Uyghur From Persian بغداد (Baghdad) most likely derived from Middle Persian 𐭡𐭢𐭣𐭲 (bgdt) meaning "given by god", itself from Old Persian 𐏎 (baga) meaning "god" and 𐎭𐎠𐎫 (dātaʰ) meaning "given, created"... [more]
Bayt al-Maqdisبيت المقدس(Settlement)Arabic Means "holy house" in Arabic, from بَيْت (bayt) meaning "house" and مُقَدَّس (muqaddas) meaning "holy, sacred". This is an Arabic name for Jerusalem.
Bukharaبخارى(Settlement)English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Kazakh, Russian, Ukrainian From Uzbek Buxoro, itself derived from Persian بخارا (bokhara) of uncertain meaning, possibly from Sogdian βuxārak meaning "place of good fortune". Alternately it may have come from Sanskrit विहार (vihara) referring to a Buddhist monastery... [more]
Bunduqiyyahبندقية(Settlement)Arabic Arabic form of Venetia (see Venice) via the German form Venedig. It is usually written with the definite article: البندقية (al-Bunduqiyyah).
Byblosبيبلوس, جبَيل(Settlement)English, Arabic, Greek Byblos, also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon.
Dahlakﺩﻬﻠﻚ(Other)Arabic The Dahlak Archipelago is located in the Red Sea near Massawa, Eritrea. The pearl fisheries of the archipelago have been famous since Roman times and still produce a substantial number of pearls.
Damanhurدمنهور(Settlement)Arabic From Coptic ⲡϯⲙⲓⲛ̀ϩⲱⲣ (Ptiminhōr), itself derived from Egyptian 𓂧𓏇𓇋𓇋𓊖𓏌𓅃 (pꜣ-dmỉ-n-Ḥr.w) meaning "the settlement of Horus"... [more]
Hulandaهولندا(Country & Political Subdivision)Arabic, Papiamento Arabic and Papiamento form of Holland 1. In Arabic it refers to the two provinces of North and South Holland as well as the entire country of the Netherlands, while in Papiamento it refers only to the country.
Ilim(River)Russian, Arabic I couldn't find the meaning of the river's name, but Wiktionary (without mentioning the river) says it's a Turkish word with an Arabic root that means "Knowledge, Science"
Istanbulإسطنبول(Settlement)English, Arabic From Turkish İstanbul, which comes from a misinterpretation of the Medieval Greek phrase εἰς τὴν Πόλιν (eis ten polin) meaning "to the City", a colloquial name for the city of Constantinople (reflecting its status as the only major city in the vicinity)... [more]
Kaffa(Other)Arabic The place-name "Kaffa" has a rich history and significance. It was the name of an early modern state located in what is now Ethiopia, with its first capital at Bonga¹²... [more]
Makkahمكة(Settlement)Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Urdu Alternate transcription of Arabic مكة or Urdu مکہ (see Makka), as well as the usual Indonesian and Malay form.
Maksikمكسيك(Country)Arabic Arabic form of Mexico via the French form Mexique, usually written with the definite article: المكسيك (al-Maksik). This name refers only to the country, not the capital city.
Maldifمالديف(Country)Arabic, Thai Arabic and Thai form of Maldives. The Arabic name is usually written with the definite article: المالديف (al-Maldif).
Manamaمنامة(Settlement)Arabic, English Means "place of sleep, place of rest" in Arabic. This is the name of the capital city of Bahrain, usually written with the definite article: المنامة (al-Manama) in Arabic.
Manamahمنامة(Settlement)Arabic, Indonesian, Urdu Arabic and Urdu alternate transcription of Manama as well as the Indonesian form. In Arabic it is usually written with the definite article: منامة (al-Manamah), which is also used in Indonesian.
Mascaraمعسكر(Settlement)Arabic The word mascara is the francisation of the Arabic word معسكر (mouaskar), meaning “camp”. Due to French colonization at that time, the city's name has adopted the French version as an official name.... [more]
Mashhadمشهد(Settlement)Persian, Tajik, Arabic Derived from Arabic مشهد (mashhad) meaning "place of martyrdom", named for the shrine of imam Ali al-Rida in Twelver Shia tradition. This is the name of a city in Iran.
Mashriqمشرق(Region)Arabic, English From Arabic المشرق (al-Mashriq) meaning "the place of the sunrise, the east". This is the name used for the eastern part of the Arab world west of Egypt and Sudan. In Arabic the name is usually written with the definite article: المشرق (al-Mashriq).
Meroweمروي(Region, Settlement & Body of Water)Arabic Of uncertain meaning, likely derived from the Nubian Medewi, via the Greek Meroë.
Mocha(Settlement)English, Arabic (Anglicized) Variant of Mokha, from Arabic المُخا (al-Mukhā), the name of a port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. Long known for its coffee trade, the city gave its name to mocha coffee.
Muskuموسكو(Settlement)Arabic Arabic form of Moscow, referring only to the city.
Nablusنابلس(Settlement)Arabic (Mashriqi) Derives from Nābulus, which comes from the Roman city of Flavia Neapolis which means "new city" in Greek. This is the name small settlement in Palestine.
Najafنجف(Settlement)Arabic, English Means "elevated place not reached by water, hill, dike" in Arabic. This is the name of a city in Iraq, considered one of the holiest cities of Shia Islam. It is reportedly the burial place of Ali ibn Abi Talib... [more]
Namsaنمسا(Country)Arabic Derived from Ottoman Turkish نمچه (nemçe) meaning "Austrian, German", ultimately from a Slavic word meaning "German". This is the Arabic name for Austria, usually written with the definite article: النمسا (al-Namsa).
Nasirahناصرة(Settlement)Arabic, Urdu Arabic and Urdu form of Nazareth. In Arabic it is usually written with the definite article: الناصرة (an-Nasirah).
Nasiriyah(Settlement)Arabic (?) The city in southern Iran, named after Nasir.
Qadisقادس(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Arabic Arabic form of Cádiz.
Qahera(Settlement)Arabic (Egyptian) Egyptian Arabic transcription of قاهرة (see Qahirah), usually written with the definite article: القاهره (el-Qahera).
Qahiraقاهرة(Settlement)Arabic, Urdu, Chechen Alternate transcription of Arabic قاهرة (see Qahirah) as well as the Urdu and Chechen form.
Riyadhرياض(Political Subdivision & Settlement)Arabic, English Means "meadows, gardens", from the plural of Arabic روضة (rawdah). This is the name of the capital city of Saudi Arabia and a province of the same name. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: الرياض (ar-Riyadh).
Sahraصحراء(Region)Arabic, Turkish Arabic and Turkish form of Sahara. In Arabic it is properly known as الصحراء الكبرى (as-Sahra' al-Kubra) meaning "the greatest desert".
Sidonصيدا(Settlement)Arabic, English Sidon or Saida is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast.
Tshikتشيك(Country)Arabic Arabic form of Čechy, used as the Arabic name for the Czech Republic. It is usually written with the definite article: التشيك (al-Tshik).
Tyreصُور(Settlement)English, Arabic Tyre is the fourth largest city in Lebanon after Beirut, Tripoli, and Sidon. It is the capital of the Tyre District in the South Governorate. It is known as Sour or Sur in Arabic.
Uqsurأقصر(Settlement & Political Subdivision)Arabic Arabic form of Luxor, usually written with the definite article: الأقصر (al-Uqsur).
Yardiيَرْضِي(Other)Arabic e name is inspired by Arabic roots, derived from "يَرْضِي" (Yardi), meaning "to satisfy" or "to bring contentment," emphasizing devotion and spiritual fulfillment in Islamic culture.
Yathribيثرب(Settlement)Arabic Meaning uncertain, probably of Ancient North Arabian origin. This was the name of the city of Medina before the advent of Islam. Traditionally it is said that the city's name was changed due to its negative connotation with the Arabic root ث ر ب (th-r-b) meaning "to complain, to accuse, to blame".