دَاوُد
Male Muslim Name  ·  Ilm ul Huroof Reading

Dawud — Prophet David — classical Arabic spelling.

What the name Dawud means, what its letters say, and what it asks of the person who carries it.

Arabicدَاوُد
GenderMale
OriginArabic
Letters4
MeaningProphet David — classical Arabic spelling

Dictionary Meaning

What Dawud means

David — the Prophet Dawud, named in the Quran as a king and a messenger. The name comes through Hebrew Dawid (beloved) into Arabic دَاوُد. The Quran honours Dawud directly in many surahs, especially Surah Sad: 'And remember Our servant Dawud, the possessor of strength. Indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Allah]' (38:17).

Dawud was given the Zabur (the Psalms) by Allah: 'And to Dawud We gave the Zabur' (4:163, 17:55). He was also given the unique gift that the mountains and birds joined him in glorifying Allah: 'Indeed, We subjected the mountains to glorify with him in the evening and at sunrise. And the birds, gathered — all with him repenting' (38:18-19). The Quran also describes his iron-working — 'And We made iron pliable for him' (34:10) — and his judgement of two disputants in 38:21-26.

The Quran narrates how Dawud's killing of Goliath (Jalut) marked the beginning of his rise: 'And Dawud killed Goliath, and Allah gave him sovereignty and prophethood' (2:251). His son was the Prophet Sulayman. Top Arab, Pakistani, Indonesian, and Maghrebi boys name. Variants: Dawood, Daud, Dawud, Davood (Persian), Davut (Turkish). Famous bearers include Imam Abu Dawud al-Sijistani (d. 275 AH), compiler of one of the six canonical Hadith collections. The Arabic is دَاوُد.

Pronunciationdaa-OOD  ·  daa·ood  ·  2 syllables
IPA /daː.ˈwuːd/ Two long vowels with stress on the second.
نام کا اردو مطلب · Meaning in Urdu
دَاوُد
Dawud  ·  اردو تلفظ
داود — فصیح

Every Arabic letter in this name carries a spiritual quality that Urdu inherited from the Islamic tradition. What does Ilm ul Huroof say about names like Dawud? →

Is this the spelling you searched?

Each spelling is the same name — but different communities have claimed their own form. Every variation has its own search audience, its own tradition, its own moment of recognition.

Dawud ✓Daoud

The letters are the same. But which community spelling carries the story you were born into? Browse all names →

Also spelled

Different communities and regions write this name differently — same letters, same meaning. Click to see the same reading under each spelling.

DawodDawud Comp

Variants of this name

Different communities romanize the same Arabic name in different ways. These are the other canonical pages on AsrNaam for this exact Arabic name — each has its own readings, usage notes, and regional context.

DaoudDaudDawood
✦   ✦   ✦

The Letters

Reading Dawud through Ilm ul Huroof

Every Arabic name is a sequence of ontological principles. The first letter governs the outward self. The middle letters govern the interior. The final letter governs how things resolve.

دDalFirst · Your outward facereturnاAlifInterior · Your hidden natureoriginوWawInterior · Your hidden natureconnectionدDalFinal · How you resolvereturn

This name opens with Dal — the letter of return. See all names that share this opening →

Dal — Alif — Waw — Dal: returning, originary, connecting, returning.

"A name is not a label assigned after the fact. It is a structure of principles that begins its work the moment it is given."

In the tradition of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi

The Portrait

What Dawud asks of its bearer

The first letter of Dawud is Dal — an outward self that opens doorways. At the interior, Alif brings an originary axis at the interior; Waw brings an interior that connects. These are the forces that shape the inner life. The Dal resolves the name: the life resolves through guidance and return. What this asks of him: to let david pass through this whole sequence — opening, interior, close — until it is no longer a label but a way of being.

Famous Bearers

People who have carried the name Dawud across history.

The same letter family

Each of these names shares a root letter quality with this one. The same current — a different bearer. Which one carries the story you did not expect?

💎DaoudWhat makes the name Daoud extraordinary — and why did parents choose it?💎DeenWhat makes the name Deen extraordinary — and why did parents choose it?
One of these names has a story most people never hear. Start with Daoud — then decide →

Frequently Asked Questions

About the name Dawud

What does the name Dawud mean?
Dawud means: Prophet David — classical Arabic spelling. Classical Arabic spelling. 'We gave Dawud the Zabur' (4:163). Maximum classical + Western coverage.

The letters that build this meaning each carry their own quality. What does Ilm ul Huroof reveal about names like Dawud? →

Is Dawud mentioned in the Quran?
Yes — 'Wa atayna Dawuda Zabura' (4:163). Root d-w-d Quranic.

The Quran shapes Islamic names more than any other source. Browse all Quranic names in our collection →

What does Dawud mean in Urdu?
Dawud in Urdu is داود (Dawud) — meaning داود — فصیح in the South Asian Islamic tradition.

Urdu preserved Arabic letter meanings through centuries of poetry and scholarship. How do Arabic letters travel into Urdu names? →

Is Dawud a good Islamic name?
Yes — Dawud is an excellent Islamic name meaning Prophet David — classical Arabic spelling. The Prophet ﷺ said: "You will be called by your names on the Day of Resurrection, so give yourselves good names" (Abu Dawud). Every letter in Dawud carries a specific spiritual quality — not metaphorically, but structurally.

See the full letter-by-letter spiritual reading of Dawud above — jump to the letters reading ↑

Is Dawud a boy or girl name?
Dawud is traditionally a Muslim boy name meaning Prophet David — classical Arabic spelling. Used across Pakistan, the Arab world, Turkey, Malaysia, and Muslim diaspora communities worldwide — each community with their own spelling and their own story.

Browse all Muslim boy names in our collection →

What is the spiritual meaning of Dawud in Ilm ul Huroof?
Dal returns, Alif grounds, Waw connects, Dal returns.

This reading comes from Ilm ul Huroof — the classical Islamic science of letters, rooted in the tradition of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi. Every Arabic letter is an ontological principle, not merely a sound. Read the full introduction to Ilm ul Huroof →

What names go perfectly with Dawud as a sibling name?
The best sibling names for Dawud share a complementary spiritual quality — either the same root letter or a harmonious contrast. Parents instinctively seek names whose letter qualities form a coherent family field.

The related names section above shows names most commonly chosen alongside Dawud. For a boy named Dawud, the letter families of Meem (love), Nun (depth), and Ra (mercy) pair most harmoniously.

Explore all names to find the perfect sibling pair →

Is Dawud a rare or common Muslim name?
Dawud (Prophet David — classical Arabic spelling) is used across the Muslim world — Pakistan, the Arab world, Turkey, Iran, Malaysia, and wherever Muslims name their children with intention. The specific spelling you see here is one of the recognised forms. Different communities claim their own spelling — each one a signature of a tradition.

Curious how the spelling changes across communities? See all spelling variants above ↑ — or browse all names →

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