Names!!

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu everyone!

I am an absolute sucker for names. I love reading about them, knowing the meanings, etc.; even when I was a little kid I fantasized about what I would name my future children. My mom had this book called "Our Secret Names", which had sociological analyses of different names, the history of names, and the significance of certain names. I read this book so many times that even today I can quote passages and the meanings of names from it.

I never really liked the name "Anne" much. I always found it to be very plain and boring. There were no famous people (famous in my children's world, that is) that shared my name, none of my peers were called "Anne", and it didn't sound pretty. I disliked my name so much that when I was about four, I insisted that everyone call me "Tanya". Tanya was a character in one of my favorite movies ("An American Tail"), and I thought it was gorgeous and elegant. We even have on home video people visiting our house and one of the guests calling me Tanya (probably after me reminding them a million times). When I was older I occasionally tried to tell people that Anne was short for "Anastasia", a name that I adore, but I always came clean and disappointingly told them my real name.

For the longest time my nickname was "Annie", which is what my family and close friends call me. In fifth grade I requested that people call me Anne instead of Annie, because the newly-pubescent me thought that "Annie" sounded too immature and silly (even today it's still like that; I hate it when people I don't know well call me Annie, and likewise I think it's weird when people I've known for a long time call me Anne).

As I've gotten older, I've come to like my name more. It's simple, plain, unassuming, and classic, which I think fits my personality quite well. It's easy to pronounce, no matter what language you speak. It has a good meaning too; it's a diminuitive of the name "Chana", which means "grace" in Hebrew.

After becoming a Muslim, I've had people ask me what my "Islamic" name is. I have decided not to change my name; it's the name my parents gave me, and it has a good meaning, so I have no desire or need to change it. If I did decide to add a name, it would be an "Amat" name, i.e. "Amatul + one of the 99 Names of ALLAH", since what could be a better name than expressing one's struggle to be a slave of ALLAH? For the record, I love the 99 Names of ALLAH. Subhanallah, they are all so beautiful, and I love the concept of calling on ALLAH by His Perfect Characteristics.

Of course, I've thought about the names I want to give to my children (with my husband's input, obviously). I personally don't think that Arabic names are automatically the best names. Of course, the "Abd" and "Amat" names, the names of the Prophets (peace be upon them) and the Righteous People (may ALLAH be pleased with them), and Islamic concept names (e.g. "Sakeenah", "Zahed", etc.) are the best names and are going to be in Arabic. However, I probably wouldn't pick out a name just because it's Arabic (e.g. Yasmeen, Asad) yet doesn't have any connection to Islam. For example, I like the names Saosan (Arabic: "lily of the valley") and Ellen (Greek: "bright one"), both names with secular meanings. I wouldn't automatically pick Saosan because it's an Arabic name while Ellen isn't. Whatever my childrens' first names are, I would definitely like to give them an "Abd" or "Amat" name as a middle name, Insha'Allah.

Here is a list of the names I really like, along with their meanings/history.

BOYS: MUHAMMAD: our Beloved Prophet (saw)
ADAM: the first man and first Prophet (as)
IBRAHIM: a great Prophet and Friend of ALLAH (as)
TARIQ: night-star, knocker (the meaning of this word is one of the things that drew me to accept Islam; see http://miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_38.html; if you listen to what a pulsar sounds like (http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~pulsar/Education/Sounds/B0329.au) it sounds just like a rhythmic knocking, Subhanallah.)
ZAHID: one who renounces the world and is fully devoted to ALLAH
DANIEL: Hebrew- ALLAH is my Judge; Daniel is mentioned in a few hadiths, and the Hebrew meaning is beautiful Masha'Allah
BILAL: one of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (saw), the first muaddhin (caller of the adhan)

GIRLS: SARAH: princess, wife of Ibrahim (as), also a name in my family
MARYAM: mother of Prophet Isa (as), the most noble woman to have ever lived (ra)
SAKEENAH: the peace of mind and tranquillity sent down by ALLAH
KHADIJAH: first wife of Prophet Muhammad (saw), first woman (some say first person) to convert to Islam (ra)
BILQIS: Queen of Sheba, corresponds with Prophet Sulayman (as), and ultimately submits to ALLAH
NUSAYBAH: a famous warrior who fought right alongside Muhammad (saw) and protected him from attacks, suffering injuries in the process; she fought in several more key battles and held a status of high respect throughout the Muslim world later in her life
WASILA: a term used in the Qur'an meaning "drawing close to ALLAH"
ELLEN: Greek- bright one

For their middle names (these could be "Abd" for boys or "Amat" for girls, but I'll just use the "Abd" forms in this list):

Abdul-Wadud: Servant of The Loving
Abdul-Waliyy: Servant of The Protecting Friend
Abdur-Rahman: Servant of The Compassionate
Abdus-Salaam: Servant of The Source of Peace
Abdur-Razzaaq: Servant of The Sustainer
Abdur-Ra'uf: Servant of The Kind
Abdul-Ghafur: Servant of The Forgiver and Hider of Faults
Abdul-Kabeer: Servant of The Greatest


Do you have any names that you really like? Any times in your life when you wanted to change your name? Any funny name stories?