The first thing to know, and it matters a great deal to the families concerned: a Persian name is not an Arabic name. Persian is an Indo-European language, a distant cousin of French and English, and unrelated to Arabic. And the main source of the repertoire is not religious: it is an epic from the 11th century. Here are 40 Persian names and the three traditions they come from.
The Book of Kings, a reservoir of names for a thousand years
The Shâhnâmeh, or Book of Kings, completed by the poet Ferdowsi around the year 1010, tells the mythical and royal history of Persia. It is Iran's national epic, and it has supplied the country with most of its boys' names.
| Name | Who they are in the Shâhnâmeh |
|---|---|
| Rostam | The central hero of the epic, strength and loyalty |
| Sohrab | His son, killed by his hand without either recognizing the other |
| Siavash | Exemplary prince, a figure of unjust sacrifice |
| Kaveh | The blacksmith who rises up against the tyrant, a symbol of resistance |
| Arash | The archer who set the country's border with a single arrow |
| Bijan | Hero of one of the great love stories of the tale |
| Esfandiar | Invulnerable prince, except in one spot |
| Jamshid | Mythical founding king, associated with Norouz, the new year |
| Manijeh | Princess, feminine |
| Tahmineh | Mother of Sohrab, feminine |
To these figures are added the great kings of real history, whose names are widely given again today: Kourosh, whom we call Cyrus, and Dariush, whom we call Darius.
Names from nature and poetry
The second family, mostly feminine, is the most accessible to Western ears. These are everyday Persian words, often borrowed from the vocabulary of gardens.
| Name | Meaning in Persian |
|---|---|
| Bahar | Spring |
| Baran | Rain |
| Setareh | The star |
| Yasaman | Jasmine, the origin of our Yasmine |
| Laleh | The tulip, emblematic flower of Iran |
| Niloufar | The water lily, the lotus |
| Nasrin | The wild rose |
| Shirin | Sweet, sugary, and the heroine of a great love story |
| Roshanak | Light, the origin of our Roxane |
| Darya | The sea |
| Sahar | Dawn |
| Mahsa | “Like the moon,” from mah, the moon |
| Parisa | “Like a fairy” |
| Golnaz | From gol, flower, and grace |
| Shahin | The falcon, masculine |
| Omid | Hope, masculine |
Two of these names are already among us without our knowing it: Roxane is the Greek form of Roshanak, “the luminous one,” and Yasmine comes from yasaman, jasmine.
What the diaspora chose to keep
Since 1979, Iran has seen a large diaspora leave, settling in the United States, Canada, Germany, Sweden and France. The repertoire of names there has evolved very clearly.
- Pre-Islamic names have been favored. Kourosh, Dariush, Arash, Kaveh and Anahita assert a Persian identity distinct from religious identity.
- Short names have gained ground: Kian, Nima, Sina, Nika and Mitra can be used anywhere without adaptation.
- Nature names remain the favorites for girls, because they are beautiful in every language.
This preference is not trivial: in the Iranian context, choosing Kourosh rather than a Quranic name is a cultural gesture, sometimes a political one.
40 Persian names
For a boy
Kourosh, Dariush, Arash, Kaveh, Rostam, Siavash, Bijan, Jamshid, Babak, Farhad, Kian, Sina, Omid, Mehran, Mehrdad, Behrouz, Nima, Ramin, Shahin, Parsa.
For a girl
Bahar, Baran, Setareh, Yasaman, Laleh, Niloufar, Nasrin, Shirin, Roshanak, Darya, Sahar, Mahsa, Parisa, Golnaz, Anahita, Mitra, Nika, Termeh, Tahmineh, Manijeh.
The ones that wear best in France
- Kian: four letters, already present in France, no difficulty.
- Nima: soft, short, spelled the way it sounds.
- Sina: simple and elegant, a tribute to the physician Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna.
- Bahar: resonant, with a lovely image to tell.
- Mitra: perfectly readable, both ancient and rare.
To anticipate: Kourosh and Roshanak, whose “sh” and “kh” will systematically have to be spelled out, and Esfandiar, superb but very long to carry day to day.
Persian belongs to the same language family as the languages of northern India: see our Indian boy names. And for a neighboring repertoire from the Caucasus, our Armenian names.
Frequently asked questions
Are Persian names Arabic names?
No. Persian is an Indo-European language, unrelated to Arabic. Iran is Muslim but not Arab, and a large part of its names predate Islam, drawn notably from the Shâhnâmeh, the national epic.
What is the Shâhnâmeh?
The Book of Kings, an epic completed by the poet Ferdowsi around the year 1010. It tells the mythical history of Persia and supplied most of Iran's boys' names: Rostam, Siavash, Kaveh, Arash, Bijan.
Where do the names Roxane and Yasmine come from?
From Persian. Roxane is the Greek form of Roshanak, “the luminous one.” Yasmine comes from yasaman, jasmine. Both entered Europe without their origin being known.
Which Persian name should you choose if you live in France?
Kian, Nima, Sina, Bahar and Mitra are the easiest to wear: short, with no difficult consonants, and readable at first glance.
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