Should You Change Your Name If It Has Feminine or Unusual Meanings?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
My first name is a Slavic variation of an angel’s name meaning “God is my strength,” and my last name means “miracle,” possibly with Christian or mythological origins. As a male, I am concerned about my feminine last name. Should I change my name, and are there Quranic verses or hadith to guide this decision?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
There are generally three reasons why the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) changed people’s names:
- Meanings that go against an established tenet of belief in Islam;
- Meanings that contain a bad meaning or a meaning antithetical to the morals and ethics of Islam;
- Meanings that connote self-glorification or bad omens. [‘Ali Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih]
The Prophet Changed Names
In light of the above three matters, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) did change the names of his companions.
‘Abdullah bin Qurt al-Azadi (Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet who said, “What is your name?” He replied, “Shaytan bin Qurt.” The Prophet said, “You are ‘Abdullah bin Qurt.” [Ahmad]
Ibn ‘Umar narrates that the ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab has a bondswoman named ‘Asiya (lit. disobedient), then the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) named her Jamila (lit. beautiful). [Muslim]
‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when Hasan was born the Prophet said, “Tell me what you named my grandson.” I said, “Harb (lit. war).” The Prophet said, “Rather, he is Hasan.” When Husayn was born, the Prophet said, “Tell me what you named my grandson.” I said, “Harb (lit. war).’ He said, “Rather, he is Husayn.”…. [Ahmad]
Advice
In light of the above, there is no reason for you to change your name.
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.
There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.
Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.