Names of Arabic origin

This list gathers names whose origin traces to Arabic: a Semitic language and the source of many names used in Malaysia. Arabic letters have no one-to-one match in the Latin alphabet, so one Arabic name often has several spellings, such as Aisyah and Aishah. Among the most common in our data: Muhammad, Nur, Ismail. The origin describes the word behind a name, not the person who bears it; the same names are used across communities, and a name may reach Malaysia through another language. Only names whose meaning and origin are backed by a source are listed here. See all origins, and the guide to name spellings for why spellings differ.