Here’s a list of 14 celebrities who opted for unusual Urdu and Arabic names for their kids. From Madhuri Dixit Nene to Kareena Kapoor Khan, the list is long. Check out!

Urdu and Arabic, as a language, have been fascinating to native Hindi speakers for decades. So much so that it brings out the romantic shayars in most of us. These two languages just make everything sound poetic, soulful and charming. Moreover, when it comes to selecting a baby’s name, every parent tries to think off-beat. With the changing trend, celebrities have started opting for never-heard-before beautiful names, especially those derived from Urdu and Arabic.

At some point in time, we all at least once googled our name to learn its meaning. But have we ever tried to search for its origin? Here we bring you some off-beat baby names, along with their meanings, that celebrities have chosen for their little munchkins. Let’s dive into the list of 14 popular Bollywood celebrities who have picked unique Urdu and Arabic names for their little ones. Check out!

#1. Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan

Bollywood’s royal couple, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan were blessed with a baby on December 20, 2016. They named the blue-eyed boy, Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi. Later, in the year 2021, Taimur got a little brother with the arrival of Bebo’s second kid, Jehangir Ali Khan. The word ‘Taimur’ means ‘Iron’ in Arabic. Also, a Turco-Mongol conqueror and the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty went by the name Timur, which is also pronounced as Taimur.

#2. Amrita Singh and Saif Ali Khan

Prince of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan and his estranged wife, Amrita Singh were blessed with a daughter, Sara Ali Khan on August 12, 1995, and a son, Ibrahim Ali Khan on March 5, 2001. But, Ibrahim’s name is the Arabic name of the prophet and patriarch Abraham, one of Allah’s messengers in the Quran. It is a common first name and surname among Muslims and Arab Christians. The word ‘Ibrahim’ indicates the “father of many.”

#3. Emraan Hashmi and Parveen Shahani

Emraan and Parveen are childhood sweethearts. After a courtship of 10 years, they had finally tied the knot on December 14, 2006, in a nikaah ceremony. They have chosen such a beautiful name for their first child, Ayaan. The name means ‘gift of God’ in Arabic. It also means ‘someone who is religiously inclined’.

#4. Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan

B-Town’s handsome hunk, Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan were happily married until they had decided to mutually file for divorce just a week prior to their anniversary on December 13, 2013. However, the couple is on good terms and are co-parenting their kids, Hrehaan and Hridhaan. They chose two unique Indian names for their boys. Hridhaan means a person with a ‘big heart’, whereas Hrehaan, which is a variation of the Arabic word Rehan, means ‘God’s chosen one’.

#5. Amrita Arora and Shakeel Ladak

Amrita Arora is a Punjabi, whereas her hubby, Shakeel Ladak, hails from a Muslim background. The inter-faith couple had tied the knot following three different cultures (Christian, Islam and Punjabi). Later, the lovebirds chose two beautiful names for their children. Rayaan means a ‘door to paradise’, and Azaan means ‘powerful’.

#6. Sanjay Dutt and Maanayata Dutt

Sanjay Dutt had tied the knot for the third time with Maanyata Dutt on February 7, 2008, following Hindu rituals. However, he took inspiration from Persian, Arabic and Hebrew to name their twins. Shahraan is derived from Shah (royal), and raan (knight), which means royal knight, moon-like, king or warrior. Whereas, his daughter, Iqra’s name, means ‘to educate’ in Hebrew, and in Arabic, it means to ‘read’.

#7. Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao

After a failed marriage with his first wife, Reena Dutt, Aamir Khan had found love in the arms of director-producer, Kiran Rao. The couple went the IVF-surrogacy way to have a child and named their son, Azad Rao Khan. He was named after Aamir’s great-grand-uncle, Maulana Azad, a famous freedom fighter. Azad, of course, means ‘free, liberated or independent’.

#8. Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan

Budding superstar, Alia Bhatt has an interesting name. She is the daughter of her doting parents, Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan and the wife of actor, Ranbir Kapoor. The word ‘Alia’ derives from Arabic, and it simply means ‘exhalted or noble.’

#9. Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan

Shah Rukh Khan needs no introduction. The actor is married to an ace interior designer, Gauri Khan. Their first child is named Aaryan Khan, which means ‘strength, warrior, noble,  king.’ SRK has two more kids, Suhana and AbRam. While Suhana in Arabic stands for ‘name of a star’, AbRam is a combination of both Hindu and Islamic names.

#10. Imran Khan and Avantika Malik

Ex-couple, Imran and Avantika found a beautiful Swahili name for their daughter, Imara. It means ‘strong, resolute and stubbornness.’ The ex-couple has also added both their surnames to their daughter’s name and lovingly calls her Imara Malik Khan.

#11. Madhuri Dixit and Dr Shriram Nene

The Dhak Dhak Girl in Bollywood, Madhuri Dixit had found love away from the world of glamour and glitz abroad. She fell in love with Dr Sriram Nene, when he did not even know about Madhuri’s stardom in India. The couple got married on October 17, 1999, and later, Madhuri shifted her base to the US. The lovebirds chose Irish names for their boys. Raayan means ‘gates of paradise/heaven’ in Arabic, means ‘little prince’ in Sanskrit, and ‘graceful’ in Jewish. On the other hand, Aarin means ‘mountain strength’.

#12. Arshad Warsi and Maria Goretti

Arshad Warsi and Maria Goretti had said ‘I do’ and ‘Qubool hai’ in February 1999. Since then, they have been the most loved couple in the entertainment industry. Since Arshad did not want to choose a name that would denote any religion, the duo gave their children alliterative names. As a result, their son is called Zeke Zidaan, which means ‘shooting star’ in Arabic, and their daughter, Zene Zoe, explains ‘beautiful’ in the African language.

#13. Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan 

In 1993, Malaika and Arbaaz had fallen for each other over a coffee date. They come from two different religions, which readily leads to speculations regarding what culture they would choose to celebrate their union. But, what they did put all the questions at bay. First, Arbaaz took vows in front of their friends and family in a church in the morning. Following that was a nikaah in the evening and a lavish reception at night. However, due to certain unknown differences, the couple called off their 18 years of marriage in May 2017.
However, they had chosen an Arabic name for their son, Arhaan, whom Malaika and Arbaaz co-parent. The name means ‘the ruler’ and it is derived from Arabic.

#14. Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi

Former Miss World, Lara Dutt and her darling husband, Mahesh Bhupathi, took inspiration from Arabic and Hebrew languages to name their beautiful daughter. Saira is a variant of the word ‘Sarah’, which means ‘princess’ in Hebrew and a ‘bird’ in Arabic.

These 14 celebrities have abandoned familiar and boring names to surprise their children with unique names. This would soon become a trend as a practice set by the superstars is widely followed by millions of fans and admirers worldwide. Do you like Arabic and Urdu names? Let us know!