180+ Arabic Girl Names

Mexican-born actress Salma Hayek lends a large dollop of glamour to this name that would otherwise resemble the middle-aged Selma.

The lilting name of a range of mythical mountains, with an extensive menu of spellings, and a more unusual way of fitting in with current favorites Lila and Lola.

Save this for your next run to Starbucks.

Though the Greek meaning sounds ominous, the mythological god Thanatos was actually a jolly winged creature living in the underworld, so it shouldn't deter you.

Omaira is an intriguing Middle Eastern possibility.

Scheherazade -- or Sheherazade --is a legendary Persian queen immortalized as the narrator of all one thousand stories in the One Thousand and One Nights. Her story is even more remarkable than the tales she tells.

Nahla is a lovely name chosen by Halle Berry for her daughter. Not to be confused with the Disneyfied Nala.

One of several similar feminine names often found in the Muslim world but also a Native American name. And in Greenlandic, Naja means "a boy's younger sister", which could be a sweet connection to a big brother. It's a relatively popular name in Denmark.

Phonetic spelling of the Muslim Aanisah, chosen by singer Macy Gray for one of her daughters.

The Prophet Muhammad's first wife and the first convert to Islam, and a very popular name in the Muslim community. It ranks in the Top 200 girls' names in France, Italy and England & Wales (alongside variant Khadijah just below the Top 200).

Zayna is a simplified spelling of Zaynab, the name of the eldest daughter of Muhammad, and also the feminine version of Zayn. Zaina is a widely-used spelling variation. Zainabu is another form of the name, also found in Swahili.

Alula, the palindromic name of the first double star to be identified as physically related to its twin, would make the perfect name for a first-born twin. Ideas (we're only half joking) for the second born: Aviva, Aziza, Otto. Alula is reminiscent of the unusual name chosen by Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen for their second daughter: Elula, a month name from the Hebrew calendar.

An English transcription of Arabic Safaa or Safaa', popular among Muslim parents in the UK. As-Safaa is the name of one of the two sacred hills near Mecca.

Nashira is one of those obscure space names that might rise along with such heavenly choices as Orion, Luna, and even Nevaeh. A giant star in Capricorn, Nashira is an unusual and attractive name with several positive associations.

Not a spunkier version of Merlin, Zerlin has roots in the Middle East, Spain and Eastern Europe and is thought to mean "beautiful dawn". The countries where this name is most heard are Israel, Romania and the US, though it has never made it into the Top 1000. Italian and Spanish variant Zerlina and the French Zerline were once popular in the theatre for pretty and clever female characters.

Farida is a Muslim name more distinctive than the Americanized Farah/Farrah.

A beautiful and evocative place-name that deserves wider use.

Bright and bold traditionally masculine name used in Israel.

While this spelling is unusual, the I-beginning version is quite popular.

Capella, the eleventh brightest star in the sky, carries much mythological and astrological significance. In Roman mythology, Capella represented the goat that suckled Jupiter, whose horn became the Cornucopia or horn of plenty. In Hindu mythology, Capella is called the heart of Brahma, while English legend calls it the shepherd's star. Australian Aboriginal myth calls it the kangaroo, while in Persian mythology it's a metaphor for both great distance and the color light red. Astrologically, Capella symbolizes wealth and military honor. As if that wasn't enough, CapPella (two p's) also has a musical reference to a cappella singing.