Moslem names

Variant of Aisha. In the 19th century novel She, Ayesha is a beautiful 2000-year-old queen of a lost city, and is known as "she who must be obeyed."

Jude may be a popular boys' name, thanks to Jude Law, but boyish nicknames for girls - like Frankie and Teddy - are on trend and Jude is also a new way to spin Judy or Judith. It's long been used quietly for girls as well as boys, and may start to pick up steam.

Stylish and sweet, Noura is a strictly feminine form of the Arabic Nur. A name that could work well in various cultures and languages, Noura means "light" and is derived from one of 99 Names of Allah in Islamic tradition, al-Nūr.

Salman is an Arabic name dating back to Salman the Persian, one of Muhammad's companions. In this country it is strongly associated with Anglo-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.

Samir has a pleasing sound and lovely meaning. One of those distinctive names that can also fit right in—and you could always call him Sam.

Serena in all its variant spellings is such a widely-used name that reducing it to its root word, Serene, might not occur to some. But like Pax and Clement, Serene is an excellent name for a calm child.

Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original.