Onomastic Analysis of Arab Proper Names: Identity Category, Origin, and Quranic Presence

Authors

  • Fatima El Zahraa UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Fatimaezzahraa El Assali Mohammed V University Rabat, Morocco

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15575/jta.v9i2.51507

Keywords:

Anthroponym, Arab societies, Name-checking tools, Onomastics, Origin, Proper names, Quranic names

Abstract

Accurate identification of the gender of Arab personal names is crucial for proper grammatical and cultural usage. Observing first-semester Arabic Education students using al-‘Arabiyyah Bayna Yadayk (Vol. 1, dars 56, wahdah 7), the name 'Ilham' was treated as male. However, the textbook lists it as female, affecting feminine markers. The study aimed to analyze Arab personal names to determine their gender classification, origin, and Quranic linkage. Three approaches were applied to 30 Arab proper names, selected on the assumption that 15 were male and 15 were female, using dictionary consultation, computational tools (namsor.app and genderize.io), and social media searches. Each name was examined to verify gender, determine its linguistic or geographical origin (Arabic or non-Arabic), and identify its occurrences in the Quran. Based on the three approaches, the overall gender distribution of the names was 40.83% male, 48.33% female, and 10.83% gender-neutral. Most names (93%) were Arabic, with 7% non-Arabic. The origins were predominantly Middle Eastern, with limited representation from other regions. Approximately one-third (33.33%) were mentioned in the Quran. Among the 30 names analyzed, 23 were clearly gendered (10 male, 13 female), 1 was neutral or mutual, and six showed variation across sources. The study showed that naming practices among Arabs reflect identity, social belonging, and cultural continuity. The findings may benefit educators, translators, students, and researchers, although the small dataset and preliminary classification criteria limit them.

References

Abu Hatab, W. (2021). Multicultural Aspects of Names and Naming in the Arab World. In O. Felecan & A. Bugheșiu (Eds.), Names and Naming: Multicultural Aspects (pp. 261–275). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73186-1_17

Al-Hamzi, A. M. S. (2025). Naming in Times of Conflict: A Sociocultural Study of Yemeni Personal Names. Changing English, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684X.2025.2589873

Al-Jallad, A. (2024). Arabian Names. In C. Waerzeggers & M. M. Groß (Eds.), Personal Names in Cuneiform Texts from Babylonia (c. 750–100 BCE): An Introduction (pp. 185–193). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009291071.013

Al-Jarf, R. (2023a). English Spelling of Arabic Compound Personal Names by Educated Arabs on Facebook. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Studies, 5(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.32996/jhsss

Al-Jarf, R. (2023b). The Interchange of Personal Names in Muslim Communities: An Onomastic Study. Journal of Gender, Culture and Literature, 3(1), 42–56. https://doi.org/10.32996/jgcs

Al-Jarf, R. (2025a). Arabic Transliteration of Borrowed English Nouns with /g/ by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journal of Computer Science and Technology Studies, 7(9), 245–252. https://doi.org/10.32996/jcsts

Al-Jarf, R. (2025b). Copilot vs DeepSeek’s Translation of Denotative and Metonymic Abu-and Umm-Animal and Plant Folk Names in Arabic. Journal of Computer Science and Technology Studies, 7(10), 367–385. https://doi.org/10.32996/jcsts

Al-Wer, E., Horesh, U., Herin, B., & De Jong, R. (2022). Arabic Sociolinguistics. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316863060

Al-Zubaidi, N. D. A., & Al-Jubouri, A. S. A. (2025). The Grammatical Weighting Of The Arabized Names. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 11(4s), 286–294. Retrieved from https://www.theaspd.com/ijes.php

Al Tamimi, Y. A. S., & Smith, M. (2023). Phonological Features of Saudi Arabian Anthroponyms. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 14. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4432881

Aldrin, E. (2025). Names as Resources for Gendering: Trends within the Field. NoSo: Nordisk Tidskrift För Socioonomastik/Nordic Journal of Socio-Onomastics, 5(1), 5–32. https://doi.org/10.59589/noso.52025.29248

Ali, J. H. M. (2025). The Semiotics of Belonging: A Sociolinguistic Synthesis of Onomastic Practices in Egypt. Majallah Kuliyyah Al-Adab Jami’ah Al-Fayoum, 17(1), 1537–1570. https://doi.org/10.21608/jfafu.2025.425530.2310

Alqarni, A. M. (2023). Gender Differences in Online Identity: A Linguistic Contrastive Study of Arabic and English Screen Names in the Saudi Context. World Journal of English Language, 13(1), 212–219. Retrieved from https://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/wjel/article/view/22981

Andrade, N. (2024). Christian Contexts, Non-Christian Names: Onomastic Mobility and Transmission in Late Antique Syria. In A. Palamidis & C. Bonnet (Eds.), What’s in a Divine Name Religious Systems and Human Agency in the Ancient Mediterranean (pp. 531–550). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/978311132651

Aribowo, E. K., Hadi, S., & Ma’ruf, A. (2019). Similar but Not the Same: How to Identify the Name of Arab Descendant and the Arabic Name of Javanese. Arabi: Journal of Arabic Studies, 4(2), 115–126. https://doi.org/10.24865/ajas.v4i2.154

Awad, G. H., Hashem, H., & Nguyen, H. (2021). Identity and Ethnic/Racial Self-Labeling among Americans of Arab or Middle Eastern and North African Descent. Identity, 21(2), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2021.1883277

Carvalhinhos, P. (2022). E.R. Amaral & M.S. Seide, Personal Names: An Introduction to Brazilian Anthroponymy, Translated by Emanuele Fernandes, Araraquara: Letraria, 2022, 254 pp., ISBN 978-85-69395-91-1. An Introduction to Brazilian Anthroponymy, Onoma 57. https://doi.org/10.34158/Onoma.57/2022/20

Cassar, M. (2025). Some Arab and Muslim Names Discernible in Maltese Toponymy. In Anthony Frendo & Kurstin Gatt (Eds.), Arabic in Context: Essays on Language, Dialects, and Culture in Honour of Martin R. Zammit. Cambridge Semitic Languages and Cultures. https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0445.08

Cohen, O., & Karni, T. (2025). Can Two Walk Together Without Agreeing to Meet? (Amos 3:3): On Canaanite/Arabic Language Contact in the Anthroponyms of Persian Era Idumean. Journal of Semitic Studies, 70(2), 663–692. https://doi.org/10.1093/jss/fgaf019

El Assali, F. E. (2025). “Ḥaddhom” .. Ism Maghribī Yurbik al-Hadāthah al-Muzifah. Al-Muthaqqaf. Retrieved from https://www.almothaqaf.com/qadaya/982655-fatima-al-asali-haddhom

El Zahraa, F. (2024). Sociolinguistic Competence and Sociolinguistic Appropriateness in the Context of Arabic Language Based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Scale. Al-Ittijah: Jurnal Keilmuan Dan Kependidikan Bahasa Arab, 16(2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.32678/alittijah.v16i2.10882

Elimam, F. (2025). Intra-Sentential Intricacies Pertaining to the AI-Recognition of Arabic Female Names Rendered into English. International Journal of Linguistics and Translation Studies, 6(1), 176–192. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlts.v6i1.559

Ezzat, D. A. (2022). The Turkish Origins of Modern Egyptian Culture. Selected Topics in Humanities and Social Sciences, 9, 71–90. https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/sthss/v9/2143C

Gažáková, Z. (2023). Charakter a štruktúra tradičných arabských mien. Acta Onomastica, 64(1), 210–228. https://doi.org/10.58756/a16444915

Ghufron, Z., Anwar, E. S., Mufrodi, & Alawiyyah, A. (2023). Implementation of Principles and Steps for Selecting Teaching Materials for Mahārah Al-Istimā’s Subject. Ta’lim Al-’Arabiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab & Kebahasaaraban, 7(1), 47–71. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpba.v7i1.19963

Hamamra, B., Daragmeh, A. K., & Alawi, N. (2022). A Socio-Political Study of Gendered Proper Names in Palestine. Social Identities, 28(3), 315–328. https://doi.org/0.1080/13504630.2021.2006625

Hamidah, H., Wahdah, N., Mubarak, M. R., & Syukriansyah, A. (2023). Identity Exploration of Arabic Teachers: The Efforts to Become a Driving Teacher. Ta’lim Al-’Arabiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab & Kebahasaaraban, 7(2), 219–235. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpba.v7i2.24100

Hazaymeh, O. M.-A. A. (2025). Gender and Religion: The Typology of Female Names in Sudan. Onomástica Desde América Latina, 6(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.48075/odal.v6i1.34702

Holmes, J., & Wilson, N. (2022). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367821852

Jaskot, M. P., & Ganoshenko, I. (2015). Culturemes and Non-Equivalent Lexis in Dictionaries. Cognitive Studies|Études Cognitives, 15. https://doi.org/10.11649/cs.2015.009

Li, P.-C., & Allassonnière-Tang, M. (2025). Gendered and Gender-Neutral Naming Practices in Mandarin Chinese: Metaphoric and Non-Metaphoric Imagery Over Time in Taiwan. Sociolinguistic Studies, 19(1–2), 128–152. https://doi.org/10.3138/SS-2024-0022

Ma‘izi, M. A. (2021). Asmā’ A‘lām al-Ashkhāṣ wa Dalālatuhā fī al-Qur’ān al-Karīm: Dirāsah Wasfiyyah [University of 8 May 1945]. http://dspace.univ-guelma.dz/jspui/handle/123456789/12130

Macdonald, M. C. A. (2021). The Arabs. In T. Kaizer (Ed.), A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East (pp. 397–401). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119037354.ch34

Mashaqba, B., Huneety, A., Al-Maani, A., & Alomoush, O. (2024). On Sociolinguistic Aspects of Hypocoristics in the Jordanian Context. Acta Onomastica, 65(1), 120–137. https://doi.org/10.58756/a1656938

Maulani, H., Rohanda, Mahmud, & Aladdin, A. (2025). Arabic Verbal Gender Agreement Through the Lens of Krashen’s Theory of Second Language Acquisition. Ta’lim Al-’Arabiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab Dan Kebahasaaraban, 9(1), 35–51. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpba.v9i1.44589

Muna, Z. T., Fadhilah, F. N., Rachmawati, A. E., & Setiyawan, A. (2024). Exploring Challenges in Learning Arabic as a Second Language: A Study of Code-Switching and Code-Mixing. Ta’lim Al-’Arabiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab Dan Kebahasaaraban, 8(1), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpba.v8i1.32905

Muñoz, N. H., Sánchez-Gutiérrez, C. H., & Guedes, A. C. C. (2025). Recognition Advantage of Proper Names A Case of Categorial Semantics. The Mental Lexicon. https://doi.org/10.1075/ml.24036.her

Noor, H., Arslan, M. F., Latif, T., & Noor, N. (2025). Transition in Naming Practices: A Diachronic Socio-Onomastic Exploration of Pakistani Trends Across Generations. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 14(2), 323–341. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2025.14.2.26

Qureshi, S. A. (2025). What is in a Name? Muslim Names as an Identifier of Identity, Discrimination and Change. In P. M. Wan, S. A. Qureshi, & R. B. M. Hussain (Eds.), Muslim Women’s Lived Experiences and Intersectional Identities: A Global Perspective (pp. 139–154). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-75729-7_8

Rosenhouse, J. (2002). Personal Names in Hebrew and Arabic: Modern Trends Compared to the Past. Journal of Semitic Studies, 47(1), 97–114. https://doi.org/10.1093/jss/47.1.97

Safitri, N. U., & Zuhriyah, N. (2025). Kecenderungan Bahasa Arab dalam Penamaan Anak Melayu di Pelembang. Taqdir, 11(1), 43–55. https://doi.org/10.19109/j8agc738

Shockley, M. D. (2024). Diminutive Names in Peninsular Arabic. Bulletin of SOAS, 87(1), 69–85. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X23000964

Shodieva, M. (2024). Sociolinguistic Approaches: Understanding Language in Social Contexts. Modern Science and Research, 3(1), 69–75. Retrieved from https://inlibrary.uz/index.php/science-research/article/view/27837

Soyipov, S. (2025). Classification, Structure and Semantic Analysis of Personal Names Used in the “Boburnoma.” International Journal of Artificial Intelligence, 1(4), 920–924. Retrieved from https://inlibrary.uz/index.php/ijai/article/view/99679

Van Buskirk, I., Clauset, A., & Larremore, D. B. (2023). An Open-Source Cultural Consensus Approach to Name-Based Gender Classification. In Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (Vol. 17, pp. 866–877). https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v17i1.22195

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

17-12-2025

How to Cite

El Zahraa, F., & El Assali, F. (2025). Onomastic Analysis of Arab Proper Names: Identity Category, Origin, and Quranic Presence. Ta’lim Al-’Arabiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab & Kebahasaaraban, 9(2), 177–189. https://doi.org/10.15575/jta.v9i2.51507

Citation Check