In Islam, the choice of a name is a significant act of adab — a parent’s first gift to their child, and a prayer uttered every time the name is spoken. The Prophet ﷺ himself is reported to have changed names that carried negative meanings, and to have preferred names such as ‘Abdullah and ‘Abdur-Rahman. This guide gathers beautiful, sound Muslim boy names across three categories: Quranic, Prophetic, and classical.
Inside the Sakina app, we have a curated library of 410 Muslim names with Arabic script, transliteration, meaning, root, and — where relevant — Quranic references. This article is the essentials.
The naming traditions in Islam
Aqeeqah — the seventh-day ceremony
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Every child is held in pledge for his ‘aqeeqah, which is sacrificed for him on the seventh day, and he is named on it, and his head is shaved.” (Abu Dawud 2837 — sahih.) The aqeeqah is two animals for a boy and one for a girl, with the meat distributed to family, neighbours, and the poor. Many families in many countries now arrange this through a local farm or a charity.
What makes a name “good” in Islam
- Clear, pleasant meaning (avoid names that mean something unpleasant in any language the family speaks).
- Names of prophets, righteous figures, or Divine attributes prefixed with ‘Abd (e.g. ‘Abdullah — servant of Allah).
- Easy to pronounce in the cultures your child will grow up in.
- Avoid names that imply a claim of divinity or names of false deities.
50 Quranic boy names
Names that appear in the Qur’an, or are derived directly from Qur’anic roots.
- Adam آدَم — the first man
- Ayoub أَيُّوب — persecuted, patient — the Prophet Job
- Dawud دَاوُد — beloved — the Prophet David
- Fadl فَضْل — grace, bounty, virtue
- Faisal فَيْصَل — decisive, one who separates truth from falsehood
- Hamza حَمْزَة — strong, steadfast — the Prophet’s uncle
- Haroon هَارُون — mountain of strength — the Prophet Aaron
- Hasan حَسَن — beautiful, excellent
- Ibrahim إِبْرَاهِيم — father of nations — the Prophet Abraham
- Idris إِدْرِيس — studious, interpreter — the Prophet Enoch
- Ilyas إِلْيَاس — the Prophet Elijah
- Imran عِمْرَان — long-lived, the father of Maryam
- Isa عِيسَى — the Prophet Jesus
- Ishaq إِسْحَاق — one who laughs — the Prophet Isaac
- Ismail إِسْمَاعِيل — God has heard — the Prophet Ishmael
- Ja'far جَعْفَر — small stream
- Khalil خَلِيل — close friend
- Lutf لُطْف — gentleness, subtle kindness
- Musa مُوسَى — the Prophet Moses
- Muhammad مُحَمَّد — the praised one — the Prophet ﷺ
- Nuh نُوح — the Prophet Noah
- Rashid رَاشِد — rightly guided
- Salih صَالِح — righteous — the Prophet Salih
- Shu'ayb شُعَيْب — one who shows the way — the Prophet Jethro
- Sulaiman سُلَيْمَان — man of peace — the Prophet Solomon
- Yahya يَحْيَى — he lives — the Prophet John the Baptist
- Yaqub يَعْقُوب — he follows — the Prophet Jacob
- Yunus يُونُس — the Prophet Jonah
- Yusuf يُوسُف — God shall add — the Prophet Joseph
- Zakariya زَكَرِيَّا — remembrance of God — the Prophet Zachariah
- Zayd زَيْد — growth, abundance — Companion of the Prophet ﷺ
Prophetic & companion names
Names of the noble Companions (رضي الله عنهم) and beloved figures of the Prophet’s ﷺ household.
- Abdullah عَبْد اللَّه — servant of Allah — most beloved name to Allah (hadith)
- Abdur-Rahman عَبْد الرَّحْمَن — servant of the Most Merciful
- Ali عَلِيّ — elevated, noble
- Abu Bakr أَبُو بَكْر — father of the young camel — the first Caliph
- Bilal بِلَال — moistening, the first mu’adhin
- Khalid خَالِد — eternal, undying — the Sword of Allah
- Sa'd سَعْد — happiness, good fortune
- Salman سَلْمَان — safety, peace — Salman al-Farsi
- Talha طَلْحَة — a kind of tree; gracious
- Umar عُمَر — flourishing, long-lived — the second Caliph
- Uthman عُثْمَان — a baby bustard — the third Caliph
- Zubayr زُبَيْر — strong, firm
- Hasan حَسَن — beautiful — grandson of the Prophet ﷺ
- Husayn حُسَيْن — the little beautiful one
Classical & contemporary boy names
Names used widely across Muslim cultures with beautiful Arabic-root meanings.
- Amir أَمِير — prince, leader
- Anas أَنَس — affection, sociability
- Arhaan أَرْهَان — ruler, prince
- Ayan أَيَان — gift of God, era
- Azaan أَذَان — the call to prayer
- Faris فَارِس — knight, horseman
- Hadi هَادِي — guide; one who leads to the right path
- Hamdan حَمْدَان — one who praises often
- Idrees إِدْريس — studious
- Imad عِمَاد — pillar, support
- Kareem كَرِيم — noble, generous
- Luqman لُقْمَان — wise — the sage of the Qur’an
- Mikaeel مِيكَائِيل — the angel Michael
- Nabeel نَبِيل — noble, intelligent
- Nuh نُوح — comfort; the Prophet Noah
- Qasim قَاسِم — one who distributes; name of the Prophet’s son
- Rayyan رَيَّان — the well-watered; gate of Paradise for those who fast
- Sami سَامِي — elevated, sublime
- Talal طَلَال — admirable, pleasant
- Ubayd عُبَيْد — little servant (of Allah)
- Zaid زَيْد — abundance, growth
- Zain زَيْن — beauty, grace
How to choose
Say the name out loud a hundred times. Imagine calling your teenager across a room. Write it down. Check it doesn’t mean anything embarrassing in the languages your child will hear. And remember: the name is a dua — a parent’s ongoing supplication for the qualities contained in the word.
Related guides
Sakina includes 410 curated Muslim names with Arabic script, full meaning, and filters for Quranic / Prophetic / origin. Download Sakina to save your shortlist.