West African  ·  Boy names

West African Muslim Boy Names

49 boy names used in west african Muslim communities, each placed here by where the name is actually given rather than only by where its root comes from.

49 names

On this page
49 researched names
Sorted by
Where the name is actually used
Every entry has
Arabic spelling, meaning, and the Ilm ul Huroof reading

West African Muslim Boy Names? West African Muslim naming runs through Wolof, Fula, Hausa and Mandinka, and the Arabic name arrives reshaped by each: Muhammad becomes Mamadou, Ruqayyah becomes Roukayatou. These are not corruptions. They are the name as that language can hold it.

عَبْد الرَّحْمَنAbdirahmanServant of the Most Merciful عَبْد اللهAbdoulayeServant of Allah عَبْد اللهAbdullahiAbdullah, Hausa Nigerian form أَبُو بَكْرAboubacarAbu Bakr, Guinean/West African spelling أَبُو بَكْرAboubakryAbu Bakr, Senegalese/Guinean spelling variant أَبُو بَكْرAbubakarAbu Bakr آدَمAdamuAdam الأميرAlmirThe prince, the commander علوAlouAli, the West African diminutive form أَحْمَدAmadouAhmad, West African compressed form أميرAmeerPrince, commander, the one of noble leadership and sovereign bearing أمينAminuTrustworthy, faithful أميرAmirPrince, commander, leader بلوBelloBeautiful, fine, Hausa Islamic name of beauty and goodness شيخCheikhSheikh شيخCheikhouSheikh, West African Fula form جبريلDjibrilJibreel, West African Fula dominant form. Same Archangel أميرEmirPrince, commander, top Bosnian/Albanian Muslim male name فيصلFaycalFaisal, French/Senegalese spelling غسانGhassaneVigour هَارُونHarounAaron, West African/Senegalese هَارُونHarunAaron إبوIbouYusuf/Ibrahim, Senegalese short form إِبْرَاهِيمIbrahimaIbrahim, West African Fula/Mande form إِدْرِيسIdrisThe prophet Idris (often identified with Enoch); the studious one الأمينLamineThe Trustworthy, West African boys name مُحَمَّدMamadouMuhammad, West African compressed form مُحَمَّدModouMuhammad, Wolof form, most common name in Senegal مباركMoubarakBlessed, West African spelling مُحَمَّدMouhamadThe praised one مُحَمَّدMouhamadouMuhammad, Fula form with -adou suffix مُحَمَّدMouhamedMuhammad مُوسَىMoussaMoses, West African/North African spelling مصطفىMoustaphaMustafa, West African dominant spelling نُوحNuhuNoah أُسَامَةOsamaLion, the brave young commander chosen by the Prophet at seventeen عُمَرOumarUmar, Senegalese dominant form عُمَرOumarouUmar عُمَرOumaruUmar عُثْمَانOusmaneOusmane, Uthman, West African Fula form حسينيOusseiniOusseini قائدQaidQaid, Leader/commander, top Arab boys صلاح الدينSaladinLiberator of Jerusalem, greatest Muslim commander سيدوSeydouSayyid, West African Fula form سُلَيْمَانSulaimanSolomon, Prophet-King, commanded wind, jinn, and birds تیجانیTidianeFrom the Tijaniyya يَعْقُوبYacoubYaqub, West African and French North African spelling يَعْقُوبYaqubJacob يُوسُفYoussouphaYusuf, West African Fula form

What marks a west african Muslim name

West African Muslim naming runs through Wolof, Fula, Hausa and Mandinka, and the Arabic name arrives reshaped by each: Muhammad becomes Mamadou, Ruqayyah becomes Roukayatou. These are not corruptions. They are the name as that language can hold it.

A name appearing on this page is not exclusive to the region. Most Muslim names travel, and the same root turns up under different spellings from Dakar to Dhaka. What the region tells you is where the name is at home: whose grandparents carried it, and which spelling a registrar there would expect.

Questions people ask

What are popular west african Muslim boy names?
AsrNaam lists 49 of them, each researched against the classical Arabic lexicons. The list above is alphabetical rather than ranked, because popularity data for west african naming is patchy and a ranking built on guesswork is worse than none.
Are west african names Islamic names?
Origin and permissibility are different questions. Islamic tradition asks that a name carry a good meaning and not claim for a person what belongs to God alone. A name can be Persian, Turkic or Wolof in origin and meet both conditions, and many on this page do.
How is the Ilm ul Huroof reading produced?
Each Arabic letter of the name is read against the divine name and element the classical Science of Letters attaches to it. The full method and its sources are set out on the Ilm ul Huroof page.

Related

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