These are some Arabic baby names we've been saving in Dubai. If you want a name that belongs in the UAE and still sounds like itself elsewhere, this list might help.
We chose names that feel gentle in a child's mouth and dignified on an adult's passport. Arabic baby names for Dubai and the UAE.
Yusuf
Arabic / Hebrew
God increases. Joseph’s Arabic form. A dreamer, and a favourite everywhere.
Omar
Arabic
Flourishing, long-lived. Warm, international, instantly known.
Zayd
Arabic
Growth, abundance. Short, bright, and rare enough to feel chosen.
Idris
Arabic
Interpreter, studious. A prophet’s name with a quiet, bookish grace.
Karim
Arabic
Generous. A virtue you can hear every time you call him in from the garden.
Samir
Arabic
Companion in evening talk. Stories after dark.
Nour
Arabic
Light. Used for boys and girls. A lantern in three letters.
Hakim
Arabic
Wise. Soft consonants, a thoughtful spine.
Layla
Arabic
Night. The beloved of Arabic poetry. Dark hair, bright laugh.
Amina
Arabic
Trustworthy, faithful. The Prophet’s mother. A name like a safe house.
Zahra
Arabic
Flower, radiant. A blossom that does not wilt in the heat.
Noor
Arabic
Light. Also Nour. The same lantern, a different spelling.
Yasmin
Persian / Arabic
Jasmine. Perfume on a warm evening.
Maryam
Arabic / Hebrew
The Arabic Mary. Revered, gentle, and understood in every faith.
Salma
Arabic
Peace, safe. A calm sea.
Hana
Arabic / Japanese / Korean
Bliss, or flower, depending on the language. A gift in more than one home.