help with american muslim baby names?

[naimah]

So I'm muslim, and my husband is an agnostic american.  We're having a very hard time with baby names, as I really want to make sure our baby's name is recognizably muslim, and he also wants a name that he and his family can relate to, which in a lot of cases means not recognizably muslim to non-muslims.

so far we've found agreement on a very small subset of names.

for boys:

jehan

kamran

aidan

darian

javid

for girls:

kalima

daria

noureen

leila

any suggestions?  I'd be fine with prophet's names, but my husband is opposed to anything too well-known (he has an extremely common american name and gets mixed up with other people all the time).

Edited by naimah - 3/1/12 at 10:16am

[Lovesong]

I'm in much the same situation as you, with my partner being Muslim and I myself agnostic. Even if we are not yet even planning for a baby, names for future children is one of our core disagreements. It is a strange thing. I am fine with our future children being raised as Muslims, since I myself feel as something is missing in my life because of my inability to believe. To have that secure knowledge, that guideline in life, that anchor point I think is a good thing. I am not fine with giving them Muslim names...because I feel that would be denying part of their identity, me, entirely. That is the true reason, though of course, the whole discrimination issue is also very real.

I think one thing you have to ask yourself is why it is so important to you that non-muslims recognise your children's names as muslim? Is it not more important that the name is a good one? Here in Sweden, names like Hussein, Hamid etc. have very negative connotations which means that children with these names have a harder time later in life, when applying for studies and jobs. That is something to really consider, how the name will impact not only their identity as muslims, but also their identity as Americans. Just something to ponder.

Also, when you say "muslim" name consider that one of the most important parts of a name according to Islam is that the name has a good meaning. What origin the name has is of no real importance as long as the meaning is good. Nor if it sounds "muslim" (which I suppose is to say arabic, which really is not the same thing).

As for name suggestions (since that is what you really ask) I would suggest finding names in middle-eastern literature that you both like or in history accounts, such as names from Akbar's courts. Some suggestions:

Girls:

- Mariam (after Akbar's third wife).

- Nadya.

- Nisa

Boys:

- Anwar

- Tansen

- Danyial

[naimah]

Originally Posted by Lovesong 

I think one thing you have to ask yourself is why it is so important to you that non-muslims recognise your children's names as muslim? Is it not more important that the name is a good one? Here in Sweden, names like Hussein, Hamid etc. have very negative connotations which means that children with these names have a harder time later in life, when applying for studies and jobs. That is something to really consider, how the name will impact not only their identity as muslims, but also their identity as Americans. Just something to ponder.

Actually, this isn't important to me at all.  I would like our children's names to work in the context of both of our extended families and for them to be recognized as muslim names by other muslims.  Our children will already have non-muslim last names, so I feel that if they don't have muslim names, that my core religious and cultural identity will be not be reflected at all, which feels very unfair to me.  Maybe this is how you're feeling with your husband?

My own name is fairly universal, so muslims recognize it, but swedes would probably claim it as well.  there just aren't a lot of names like that out there...

Edited by naimah - 3/1/12 at 10:14am

[Lovesong]

Originally Posted by naimah 

Actually, this isn't important to me at all.  I would like our children's names to work in the context of both of our extended families and for them to be recognized as muslim names by other muslims.  Our children will already have non-muslim last names, so I feel that if they don't have muslim names, that my core religious and cultural identity will be not be reflected at all, which feels very unfair to me.  Maybe this is how you're feeling with your husband?

My own name is fairly universal, so muslims recognize it, but swedes would probably claim it as well.  there just aren't a lot of names like that out there...

I definitely understand about feeling as the children will not share your cultural identity if they don't have at least part muslim names since they don't have your surname.

How about the arabic form of names from the old testament? I realise they are still perhaps too common names for your husband's tastes, but with his surname and an arabic spelling of the first names there shouldn't be too many they can be confused with, no?

[Liquesce]

Nora, Amina, Amani, Alia, Safiya/Sofia, Dana, Yasmin, Rima, Aida, Sherine, and May all come to mind for girls.  I'm never good with even thinking of boys' names, but maybe Rasheed, Kareem, Omar, Jamal, "Adam" if it's not too common for your husband's tastes, Yassin, Yusef.  I don't suppose your spouse and/or his family likes jazz?  There were quite a few prominent jazz musicians in the U.S. during the 50s and 60s who converted to Islam and took Arabic names (Art Blakey is a.k.a. Abdullah, etc).  Perhaps they would be able to find recognizably Muslim names more relatable through distinctly American arts or popular culture associations like that?  Yusef via the poet Yusef Komunyakaa or flutist Yusef Lateef, etc.

[tiqa]

Jasmin/Yasmin, Aziza, and Nawar are some of my favorite girl's names.

Zaina, Salma, Naila, Nasira, May, Leena, Maisa, Jala, Jameela, Asah, Aida, Aalia, and Aisha are some other ones I liked - just found those on a website.

Boys... that's a lot harder, for me.  There's Omar, Samir, Siraaj, Zaahid, Ziyad...  I don't know, I like the sound of those. :)

I also love Tansen, which a PP posted.  I never heard that before this thread.

[Choose2Reuse]

I don't know that many Muslim names, but one girl's name we were considering and ultimately crossed off the list because my (Hindu) husband said it was a Muslim name is Sameena/Samina.  I still really like that name!  As for boys, my nephew is named Kabir, which is apparently a name used by both Hindus and Muslims.

Good luck--I know it's really hard to pick a name that works in two different cultural traditions!  We have a similar problem as DH is Indian and I am American...it was difficult to find a name that sounded good to both of us, and that both of our families could pronounce (we kind of failed on that, but at least everyone including the random strangers who ask DD's name and then look kind of boggled when we tell them always say it's beautiful before they mispronounce it).  Boys' names always seem harder to me, but I feel like there are a lot of Arabic boys' names that are really nice--many of the ones suggested upthread sound good to me!  (For the record, we settled on Kalyani Mina and those family members of mine who can't manage to remember "Kalyani" call her "Mina".  It works for us.)

[Bena]

I've always been a fan of the name Khaleel, Karim and Said for boys. In fact, Karim would be my choice for a boy, but DH is completely opposed

[Bena]

Originally Posted by naimah 

Actually, this isn't important to me at all.  I would like our children's names to work in the context of both of our extended families and for them to be recognized as muslim names by other muslims.  Our children will already have non-muslim last names, so I feel that if they don't have muslim names, that my core religious and cultural identity will be not be reflected at all, which feels very unfair to me.  Maybe this is how you're feeling with your husband?

My own name is fairly universal, so muslims recognize it, but swedes would probably claim it as well.  there just aren't a lot of names like that out there...

I totally get this....I find, however, that many muslim girl names have been "accepted" or "adopted" by mainstream north america, whereas this isn't really the case for boy names....just pondering on this!

[emilysmama]

For a boy, how about Rashad?   In the U.S., it is no longer a strictly Muslim name.

For a girl, how about Yasmeen?  I just think it's very pretty.

[eatthatcookie]

how about the name Adam? It could be used as a Muslim and American name at the same time.

[peaceful_mama]

I'm Muslim-American, hubby is Muslim Sudanese-American, our 3 boys are Zaker (like Zach, not rhyming with Jake), Zahir, and Zayd and our daughter is Sophia.  All identifiably Muslim to everyone I've met who's Muslim, and *most* Americans have no problems with them.  In fact, nearly everyone who's heard baby Zayd's name has said they love it and probably just think we got a little creative in the whole Jayden/Cayden and the like that's pretty popular here.  (there *is* actually a story in an Islamic book the kids have where I found the name 'Zayd' right after we'd named him.  Hubby was surprised I didn't know that.  :P)

[daniamma]

    Hi, I'm an American muslim convert married to a Pakistani American man.  We wanted names that both of our families could relate to and easily pronounce.  We have one son, named Daniel.  We spell it in the English spelling way so that he wouldn't have to be constantly correcting people his whole life, but my husband's family pronounces it Daniyal and my family says Daniel.  My son calls himself Daniyal or Daniel depending on who he is talking to.  I had a really really hard time choosing a boy name that I thought would fit.  It seems girl names are much easier.

   We just found out we are expecting again, so starting this whole name thing over again.  Some boy names I like are Ramzi, Ryhan, Reza, Zakariya, Kamran, and Zayd.  If its a girl I already know she will be Sophia :) (IA).

[k x s]

aaron and syed i think are both muslim baby names.

[Hippie Mom 32]

I am muslim my self, My name is Amirah- meaning Princess my daughter is Princess Aliyyah- not much help with father naming the daughter. Son Adam Ibrahim and Son Yusef So here are some names i like sofia, maryam, hannah, zeinab madina, noura. sheba, Yusef Adam, Abrahim Good luck

[tiqa]

May I just say that I totally LOVE the name Amirah??

[maya12345]

What abt Hassan for a boy n maya for a girl

[maya12345]

How abt Maya Noor for girl snd for boy Hassan