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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

these boys names

43 replies

iniquity · 21/03/2015 22:50

My dh is of Arabic origin I'm British. So choice of names are a little limitedlimited that suit us both.
From a British perspective what do you think of these boys names?
Ramzi
Yasseen
Omar ( I like this but our surname is similar to sheriff)
Hisham (he sham)
Faris
Younas
Riad (ree add)

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Original poster
iniquity · 25/03/2015 22:21

Thanks everyone for suggestions and honest opinions.
I do like Zain but it means beautiful.. Don't Like the meaning.
It is quite tricky finding a name that hasnt already been used by terrorists or family members lol

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xiaozhu · 25/03/2015 16:08

I've always liked the name Amir.

solstice930 · 25/03/2015 12:19

Out of your list, I like Omar and Faris. I also like the suggestions Idris and Zane.
My dad is Middle Eastern, but my family live in the US. For a few more ideas, some of the boy names in our family that I like are:
Mazin nn Maz or Max
Mounir
Imad
Noor
Rami
Tahar

Also, just a warning about genetics... I was going to be a Mustafa if I was a boy. Despite my very swarthy father, I have blonde hair and blue eyes! Thank goodness I was a girl. A blonde Mustafa would've been hilarious Grin

Fugghetaboutit · 24/03/2015 21:14

Karim

BinarySolo · 24/03/2015 21:07

How about Hossam? You can have Sam as a nickname with that too.

Sleepingstarsmommy · 24/03/2015 21:00

I was in the same situation as yourself and its is so difficult trying to please both sides of the family. And you're right that girls names are so much easier.

My first son was called Zane.. My rainbow baby is called Jude (which means generous??) and has kept both sides happy..

GoulashSoup · 24/03/2015 10:17

I quite like Faris. I like Omar, and other's suggestions of Haris and Zain.

How about:
Adan (from Eden, not too far from Aiden)
Ashar (Asher)
Barhi
Bazil/Basil
Dani
Idrees/Idris
Jaish
Jibril (Gabriel)
Nihal
Ra'if
Saif
Sami
Talish
Timor (nn Timmy)
Yusuf (Joseph)
Yunus (Jonah)
Yushua (Joshua)

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 23/03/2015 20:36

Faris the nicest.

VT82 · 23/03/2015 14:04

I'm in a similar boat to you, in terms of wanting a name that would pass for Arabic/Muslim, even though I'm British.

Ramzi - sounds like Ramses the Egyptian Pharoah. Kinda cool, but I do imagine a big butch Egyptian thug Hmm
Yasseen - would be a bit too ethnic for me.
Omar - not a fan of this for my own DS, but I can see why it's popular.
Hisham - as with Yasseen
Faris - I think of Anna Faris the female comedic actor, so it sounds feminine to me.
Younas - again, rightly or wrongly, sounds feminine
Riad (ree add) - does make me think of the city; I quite like it, but not for my own.

I too like Zain if it fits with your surname. And it's a shame your OH doesn't like Adam. I like the idea of something where the full version of it passes for Arabic, but a shortened version would sound more anglicised (just like your Zachary/Zak, which is top of our list!). So Sameer/Sam would suit?

mamadoc · 22/03/2015 23:39

Children of my friends with similar mixed background are called

Sami
Kiran
Jay
Zechariah
Arjun
Anjum
Amit

(I suspect some might be Hindu rather than Muslim)

DrownedGirl · 22/03/2015 23:23

Kamal?

Theas18 · 22/03/2015 22:35

Omar is pretty good.

DS Muslim school mates I can remember were hamza. Samir ( sami) Fahd Idris ( best cross cultural name ever !) and, perhaps to be avoided fateh.

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 22/03/2015 22:23

I also think Faris sounds best.

I wouldn't consider Hamza, as I think a notorious "cleric" may have spoilt that name somewhat.

Riad is nice.

Ramzi sounds too much like Ramsay - so more of a Scottish than Arabic vibe in the UK I would think.

musicinspring1 · 22/03/2015 22:11

Faris is my favourite out of those.

ByeByeButterfly · 22/03/2015 20:58

I like the name Hamza not sure why.
But Also

Aelfrida · 22/03/2015 20:39

I love Faris, closely followed by Ramzi. Not keen on the others.

Grannycrabapple · 22/03/2015 20:27

Faris is a very cool boy's name. I like it a lot

florascotia · 22/03/2015 16:34

How about Yusuf/Joseph or Daoud/David? They sound quite similar in English and Arabic.

Faris, Samir/Sami and Bilal/Billy are all very nice, however, and easy for anyone to say.

Penguinotterfoxbadger · 22/03/2015 11:42

I really like Faris. To me it just sounds like a cool name (maybe a bit Scottish?) and I wouldn't immediately characterise it as a Muslim /Arabic name.

Also like Samir/Sam and Billal/Billy is really cute.

forago · 22/03/2015 11:42

Ultimately its up to you and the father - does it really matter what your parents think? I'd tell them to suck it up, personally.

GreatAuntDinah · 22/03/2015 11:37

How about Idris? It's Arabic AND Welsh.

MishMooshAndMogwai · 22/03/2015 11:14

I quite like Faris, it sounds the most cross cultural of them all.

I like the Sami idea too but not over keen on zak and zane as siblings

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 22/03/2015 11:09

That's a shame. What if you called him Omar, what would they do? Would they call him something else?

Original poster
iniquity · 22/03/2015 11:03

My parents aren't keen on Islamic or a Arabic names. Not very open minded iykwim.
I'm thinking maybe billal and call the baby billy.

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