Egyptian Baby Names For Boys And Girls

Egyptian names are steeped in a culture of Egyptian mythology. From queens and kings, to gods, and goddesses. Each Egyptian first name tells a rich story of spirituality and culture.

Egyptian baby names today are a blend of ancient traditional names and modern names influenced by Arabic and Islamic culture. If you’ve ever thought of giving your child an Egyptian name, here are more than a few to pick from.

You can balance the old and the new by picking both a traditional and modern Egyptian name for your baby.

Popular Egyptian Baby Names: Meanings and Origins
Name	Meaning	Origin
Ahmed	Greatly praised	Egyptian, Arabic
Aya	Bird, wonderful	Egyptian, Arabic
Cleopatra	Glory of the father	Egyptian, Greek
Dina	God is my judge	Egyptian, Hebrew
Eman	Faith	Egyptian, Arabic
Gamal	Handsome	Egyptian, Arabic
Jabari	Brave one	Egyptian, Arabic
Khalid	Eternal	Egyptian, Arabic
Layla	Night	Egyptian, Arabic
Sara	Princess, lady	Egyptian, Hebrew

Popular Egyptian Baby Names For Girls

Asenath

Origin: Egyptian, Hebrew
Meaning: Devoted to the goddess Neith, belonging to her father
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Asenat, Aseneth, Asenneth, Osnat
Famous Namesakes: None
Peak Popularity: Asenath isn’t a very popular name in the United States

Fun Fact: Asenath was the name of one of the two wives of Joseph in the bible.

Aya

Origin: Arabic, Egyptian
Meaning: Bird, wonderful, amazing
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ayah
Famous Namesakes: Aya, an ancient Egyptian queen; Aya Cash, American actress
Peak Popularity: Aya has started to grow in popularity in the United States. In 2018, 365 babies were given the name Aya.

Fun Fact: Aya is also a common Japanese name for girls. In Japan, it means colorful or beautiful.

Cleopatra

Origin: Greek, Egyptian
Meaning: Glory of the father
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Cleo, Kleopatra, Clea
Famous Namesakes: Cleo King, actress; Cleo Higgins, British singer
Peak Popularity: Cleo is the most popular variation of the name Cleopatra. In 1920, 1398 babies were named Cleo. The use of the name has dwindled since then. Only 245 babies were named Cleo in 2018.

Fun Fact: The name was popularized by Cleopatra VII an ancient ruler of Egypt, famed for her beauty, intelligence, and rumored affair with Julius Caesar.

Dalia

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Hanging branch, strong branch
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Dalit, Dalya
Famous Namesakes: Dalia El Behery, Egyptian actress; Dalia Mogahed, American Muslim scholar
Peak Popularity: In 1994, 515 babies were given the name Dalia. This is the highest record of the use of the name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Dalia is pronounced in the same way as the flower Dahlia.

Dina

Origin: Hebrew, Egyptian
Meaning: God is my judge
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Dinah, Deina
Famous Namesakes: Dina Merrill, actress; Dina Tala'at, belly dancer
Peak Popularity: Dina is the 812th most popular name in the United States. It reached peak popularity in 1969, with 1571 baby girls being given the name.

Fun Fact: Dina was the name of Jacob’s daughter in the bible.

Eman

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Faith
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Imen, Iman, Imaan
Famous Namesakes: Iman, supermodel; Eman El Gammal, Egyptian Olympic fencer
Peak Popularity: Eman isn’t a very popular name in the United States. Only 79 girls were given the name in 2001.

Fun Fact: Eman could also be a boy’s name, but has more popularity as a girl’s name.

Esraa

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Journey at night
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Isra, Israa
Famous Namesakes: Esraa Abdel Fattah, an Egyptian activist
Peak Popularity: Esraa isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Fukayna

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Intelligent, knowledgeable
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kayna, Fukaena, Fukaina, Fukana
Famous Namesakes: None
Peak Popularity: Fukayna isn’t a popular girl’s name in the United States.

Hanan

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Mercy, compassion
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Hannan, Hana
Famous Namesakes: Hanan Tork, Egyptian actress; Hanan Ashrawi, politician
Peak Popularity: The name Hanan started to rise in popularity in the 2000s. It reached peak popularity in 2016.

Hatshepsut

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Foremost of noble women
Alternative Spellings & Variations: None
Famous Namesakes: Queen Hatshepsut
Peak Popularity: Hatshepsut isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Hatshepsut was the name of a female pharaoh in Egypt. She was the 6th Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty.

Heba

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Gift
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Hebah, Hiba
Famous Namesakes: Heba El-Sisy, Egyptian model; Heba El Torky, professional squash player
Peak Popularity: Only 1,198 people in the United States are named Heba.

Isis

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Throne
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Iset
Famous Namesakes: Isis Holt, Paralympic athlete; Isis King, American model; Ísis Valverde, Brazilian actress
Peak Popularity: Isis hit peak popularity in the United States in 2005. There has been a sharp decline in its popularity since 2013.

Fun Fact: Isis is the goddess of sky and nature in Egyptian mythology. Isis is also an acronym for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an extremist militant group. This might be something to consider when naming your baby.

Jamila

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Beautiful, elegant
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Jameela, Jamillah, Gamila, Djamila
Famous Namesakes: Jameela Jamil, British actress and model; Jamila Akiko Aba Chilombo, American singer and songwriter
Peak Popularity: Jamilia hit peak popularity in the United States in 1977.

Fun Fact: Jamila is the feminine form of the male name Jamil.

Layla

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Night
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Lela, Lylah, Lilah, Leilah, Laila, Lila
Famous Namesakes: Layla El, British wrestler; Layla McCarter, American boxer
Peak Popularity: Layla returned to the top 1K American names in 1993 and has remained popular since. In 2019, it reached peak popularity and was the 23rd most popular name for girls in the United States.

Fun Fact: The name Layla became popular in english speaking countries after the release of the song Layla by Derek and the Dominos in 1970.

Menna

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Favour, grace, gift of God
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Mena
Famous Namesakes: Menna Fadali, Egyptian actress; Menna Elfyn, Welsh poet
Peak Popularity: Menna is the 31,250th most popular name of all time in the United States.

Nailah

Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Successful
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Naylah, Nayla, Naila
Famous Namesakes: Nailah Blackman, Trinidadian singer
Peak Popularity: In 2018, 256 babies were named Nailah in the United States. This is the highest record use of the name.

Nubia

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Gold
Alternative Spellings & Variations: None
Famous Namesakes: Nubia Marti, actress
Peak Popularity: Nubia isn’t a very popular name in the United States

Fun Fact: Nubia is a region in Africa that is believed to have existed since around 3800 B.C.

Sara

Origin: Hebrew, Egyptian
Meaning: Princess, lady
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sarah, Cera, Sera, Saarah
Famous Namesakes: Sara Gilbert, American actress; Sara Bareilles, singer and song writer; Sara Paxton, model and actress
Peak Popularity: Sara has remained a top 1K girl's name in the United States for over a century. It reached its peak of popularity in 1981.

Fun Fact: The name Sara is one of the rare names that is used by Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Shameka

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Pure of heart
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Shamika, Shameeka, Shameika
Famous Namesakes: None
Peak Popularity: Shameka was most popular in 1980 in the United States. 452 babies were named Shameka that year.

Zahra

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Flower, bright, white
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zara, Zhara, Zahar, Zahara
Famous Namesakes: Zahra Airall, women’s rights activist, Zahra Khanom Tadj es-Saltaneh, a Persian princess
Peak Popularity: Zahra was most popular in 2018, 518 babies were named Zahra that year.

Fun Fact: Zahra is the feminine version of the male name Azhar.

Popular Egyptian Baby Names For Boys

Ahmed

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Greatly praised
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ahmet, Ahmad, Hameed, Hamid
Famous Namesakes: Ahmed Musa, soccer player; Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, former president of Iraq; Ahmed Ahmed, Egyptian-American actor and comedian
Peak Popularity: Ahmed is one of the most common boys names in Egypt, and the 2,076th most popular boys names of all time. In 2013, 589 babies were named Ahmed in the United States, this was the peak of its popularity.

Fun Fact: There are many variations of the name Ahmed, but Ahmed is the most used variation in the United States.

Akhenathen

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Of great use to the god Aten
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Akhenathon, Echnaton, Ichnaton
Famous Namesakes: None
Peak Popularity: Akhenathen isn’t a very popular name in the United States.

Fun Fact: Akhenaten was the name of a 14th-century BC Egyptian pharaoh, who is best known for promoting the worship of the sun god Aten. He was husband to Nefertiti and King Tut’s father.

Amon

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: The hidden one
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Amen, Amun, Ammon, Yamanu
Famous Namesakes: Amon Tobin, Brazilian electronic musician; Amon Carter, author
Peak Popularity: Amon was most popular in the United States in 2006. That year, a total of 68 babies were given the name.

Fun Fact: In Egyptian mythology, Amon was the god of air, creativity and fertility.

Ashraf

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Noble, most honorable one
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Achraf, Eshref, Achref
Famous Namesakes: Ashraf Abdelwahab, Egyptian academic; Ashraf Fahmy, Egyptian film director
Peak Popularity: In the United States the name Ashraf hit peak popularity in 1988, 35 babies were given the name that year.

Fun Fact: Ashraf is not a variation to the Ashraaf which is used to denote descendants of Muhammad.

Babu

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Osiris’ first born
Alternative Spellings & Variations: None
Famous Namesakes: DJ Babu, Filipino-American DJ
Peak Popularity: Babu isn’t a popular name in the United States

Fun Fact: In India Babu is also a title used a sign of respect towards men.

Darius

Origin: Egyptian, Persian
Meaning: Rich, he who holds firm to good, name of a Pharaoh
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Darijus, Dario
Famous Namesakes: Darius Boyd, Australian rugby footballer; Darius Johnson-Odom, American basketball player
Peak Popularity: Darius hit peak popularity in the United States in 1994, 2,182 babies were given the name that year.

Essam

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Safeguard
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Issam, Esam, Isam
Famous Namesakes: Essam El Hadary, Egyptian footballer; Essam E. Khalil, Egyptian engineer
Peak Popularity: Essam isn’t a very popular name in the United States

Fun Fact: There is a small town in Ghana that’s also called Essam.

Gamal

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Handsome
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Jamal, Jamaal, Jamael, Jamil
Famous Namesakes: Gamal Abdel Nasser, former president of Egypt; Jamal Adams, American footballer
Peak Popularity: Gamal was most popular in the United States in 1976.

Hasani

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Handsome, good-looking
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Hassani, Hasan
Famous Namesakes: Hasan Minhaj, comedian; Hasan Kabze, Turkish footballer
Peak Popularity: Hasani hit peak popularity in 1977

Horus

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: A god in the form of a falcon
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Horos, Heru
Famous Namesakes: None
Peak Popularity: The name Horus isn’t popular in the United States

Fun Fact: Egyptian kings usually bore five different names, the first of these names is called Horus.

Hossam

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Sharp sword, sword of justice
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Houssam, Husam, Hussam, Hosam
Famous Namesakes: Hossam el-Hamalawy, Egyptian journalist; Hossam Ghaly, Egyptian footballer
Peak Popularity: Hossam isn’t very popular in the United States. In 2013, only 7 babies were named Hossam and that was the peak of its popularity.

Fun Fact: Hossam is also a common surname in Egypt and other regions.

Jabari

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Brave one
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Jabbar
Famous Namesakes: Jabari Bird, American basketball player; Jabari Simama, American educator
Peak Popularity: Jabari was most popular in the United States in 2006. 392 babies were given the name that year.

Fun Fact: Jabari is also a common surname in Palestine.

Khalid

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Eternal, to last forever
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Khaled, Khaleed
Famous Namesakes: Kahlid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, fourth king of Saudi Arabia; Khalid Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain; Khalid Abdalla, British actor
Peak Popularity: Khalid hit peak popularity in the United States in 2017. 253 boys were given the name that year.

Fun Fact: The female form of the name is Khalida.

Mahmoud

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Praise
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Mahmud, Mahmood, Mahmut
Famous Namesakes: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, American basketball player; Mahmoud Abu Zeid, Egyptian photojournalist
Peak Popularity: Mahmoud isn’t a popular name in the United States, only 91 babies were given the name in 2018.

Moustafa

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Chosen, preferred
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Mustafa, Mustapha, Mostafa
Famous Namesakes: Mostafa Matar, Lebanese footballer; Moustafa Bayoumi, American writer; Moustafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt
Peak Popularity: Moustafa isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Nabil

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Noble
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Nebil, Nabeel
Famous Namesakes: Nabil Ayers, American musician; Nabil Maâloul, Tunisian footballer and coach
Peak Popularity: Nabil isn't a very popular name in the United States. In 2015, only 63 babies were given the name. This was the peak of its popularity.

Fun Fact: The feminine form of the name is Nabila.

Nakia

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Pure and faithful
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Nakeya, Nakea, Nakiya, Nikia
Famous Namesakes: Nakia Codie, American football player; Nakia Reynoso, American musician
Peak Popularity: Nakia was most popular in the United States in 1974, 1,746 babies were given the name that year. But in recent years it has declined in popularity, in 2017 only 7 babies were named Nakia.

Fun Fact: Nakia can also be used for girls, although it’s less popular.

Pharaoh

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Ruler
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Pharoah, Pharoahe
Famous Namesakes: Nef the Pharaoh, American rapper
Peak Popularity: Naming your baby Pharaoh has started to gain popularity in the United States. In 2018, 167 babies were named Pharaoh. Prior to that only an average of 15 babies per year were given the name.

Fun Fact: Historically Pharaoh started being used as the title of the king of Egypt, after the reign of Hatsheput.

Ramses

Origin: Egyptian
Meaning: Son of Ra
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Ramesses, Rameses, Rhamesses, Ramessu
Famous Namesakes: Ramses Shaffy, musician; Ramses Gado, Romanian footballer
Peak Popularity: Popularity of the name Ramses peaked in 2007, but use has dwindled since then.

Fun Fact: In the Hebrew bible Ramses is the name of one of the two cities built by the oppressed Israelites for the Pharaoh.

Sayed

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Master, lord
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Said, Sayyid, Seyd, Syed, Seyyed
Famous Namesakes: Sayed Awad, Egyptian composer; Syed Manzoorul Islam, Bangladeshi author
Peak Popularity: Sayed isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Tariq

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: He who knocks at the door, morning star
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Tarik, Tarek, Tarick, Tarec
Famous Namesakes: Tarek Ali Hassan, Egyptian writer; Tarek Fatah, Canadian political activist
Peak Popularity: Tariq isn’t a popular name in the United States, but in 1998 there was a surge in its popularity and 514 babies were given the name.

Fun Fact: The name became popular after Tariq ibn-Ziyad conquered Iberia (Spain and Portugal) in 711 AD.

Yahya

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: God is gracious
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Yuhanna, Yahia, Yihia
Famous Namesakes: Yahya Jammeh, President of Gambia; Yahya Khan, third President of Pakistan; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, American actor
Peak Popularity: Yahya started to become popular in the United States in the late 2000s. In 2017, 230 boys were given the name.

Fun Fact: The name honors John the Baptist, an Islamic prophet.

Yasser

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: To be rich
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Yasir, Yaser, Yassir
Famous Namesakes: Yasser Seirawan, chess Grandmaster; Yasser al-Azma, Syrian writer and actor
Peak Popularity: Yasser isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Youssef

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: God increases
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Yusuf, Yusef, Yousef, Yusaf
Famous Namesakes: Youssef Bey Karam, Lebanese nationalist leader; Youssef Chahine, Egyptian film director
Peak Popularity: The peak of Youssef’s popularity in the United States was in 2017.

Zahur

Origin: Egyptian, Arabic
Meaning: Blossom, flower, eminent
Alternative Spellings & Variations: Zahir
Famous Namesakes: Zahur Raja, actor
Peak Popularity: Zahur isn’t a popular name in the United States.

Sources

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Social Security Administration (SSA). Popular Baby Names.

By Toketemu Ohwovoriole
Toketemu has been multimedia storyteller for the last four years. Her expertise focuses primarily on mental wellness and women’s health topics.

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