Arab naming of children after plants
تسمية العرب لأبنائهم على أسماء النبات
Al-Hamdani observes that the Arabs inclined to name their men after thorny grazing shrubs — for the hardness, sharpness and drought-endurance in them: Talha, Samura, Awsaja, 'Urfuta, Qanada, 'Isiya, Sabra — and their women after the soft plants and fruits: Ghilqa, Bashama, Busra, Sahamma 1.
At a glance
- Era
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
LiteratureFamily, marriage and kinship
Overview
Al-Hamdani observed that the Arabs tended in men's names towards the thorny trees that grow in pasture, because of their roughness, sharpness, hardness, and patience with scarce water. Among their men's names are Talha, Samura, Awsaja, 'Urfuta, Qanada, 'Isya, and Sabra. Among women's names are names of tenderness and fruits, such as Ghalqa, Bashama, Busra, and Sahamma. 2
What is not recorded here needs a further source.
People and things also explored
Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith· The Bamboo Stalk· Taj Mahal· al-Tanahmir: the Himyaritic speech remnant· The Arabs and their peoples before Islam· The ethics of the new community in Medina· Sending infants to Bedouin wet-nurses· Jāhilī Marriage Forms
Sources
- Sifat Jazirat al-Arab of al-Hamdani (Müller ed.), pp. 116-117
- Sifat Jazirat al-Arab of al-Hamdani (Müller ed.), p.116-117
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Arab naming of children after plants”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/asma-al-arab-min-al-nabat/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.