Sahaba Names and Meanings: Male and Female Companions of the Prophet

When parents choose a name, most of them look for two things: a beautiful meaning and a story behind it. The names of the Sahaba, the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, offer both. Khadija, Fatima, Umar, Ali and Bilal have been given to children for centuries in Turkey and across the Muslim world, because each one recalls a person who lived close to the Prophet and is still remembered as an example.

In this article we have gathered the names of 14 women and 22 men Companions in two separate tables. Next to each name you will find its Arabic spelling, its dictionary meaning, its Abjad value and one line about the person that historians agree on. We have deliberately left disputed reports aside. Names are given in their Turkish form, with the common English spelling in brackets.

Who Counts as a Companion?

In the definition widely used by Muslim scholars, a Companion (sahabi, plural sahaba) is someone who met the Prophet as a believer and died as a Muslim. Within this community some names stand out: the four caliphs, the ten who were given the good news of Paradise (al-ashara al-mubashshara) and the Prophet's wives, honoured as the "Mothers of the Believers".

Giving a child a Companion's name does not "transfer" that person's life to the child. Families usually choose these names out of love and respect, and to keep a good example alive in their child's name.

Before You Read the Tables: Kunya, Titles and Spelling

Some of the names on the list are in fact a kunya. In Arab tradition a kunya built with "Abu" (father of) or "Umm" (mother of) could be used more often than the person's own name. Abu Bakr's given name was Abdullah and Umm Salama's was Hind, yet history knows them by their kunyas. That is why Ebûbekir and Ümmügülsüm have become single-word given names in Turkey.

Spelling varies too: in Turkey Âişe is usually written Ayşe, Fâtıma Fatma and Zeyneb Zeynep. The pronunciation changes but the Arabic spelling stays the same, so the Abjad value does not change. The values follow these rules:

• A final round ta (ة) counts like ha (ه), 5; a stand-alone hamza (ء) has no value.
• For names that take the Arabic article (ال) in Arabic, such as Abbas or Zubayr, the article is not counted.
• In compound names such as Abd al-Rahman, "al-Rahman" is part of the name and is counted as written (just as Abdullah is 142).

Female Companion Names and Their Meanings

From the earliest years of Islam, women Companions carried both faith and knowledge. Khadija, the first Muslim, Sumayya, the first martyr, and Nusayba, who fought in defence of the Prophet at Uhud, stand side by side in the same table.

Two kunyas in the table, Umm Salama and Umm Kulthum, are still used as names today. Asma, meaning "names", is a frequent choice thanks to its meaning and the story of Abu Bakr's daughter. The rows for Hafsa and Shifa are worth a second look: one is remembered as the keeper of the Qur'an's pages, the other as a woman Companion who taught reading and writing.

If you already have a few names in mind, you may want to look beyond the meaning and see how each one fits together with the mother's and father's names.

Male Companion Names and Their Meanings

The male list spans the four caliphs, the ten promised Paradise, the Prophet's uncles and his grandsons. You will find short, soft-sounding names such as Bilal, Anas and Muadh alongside longer, dignified ones such as Abd al-Rahman and Abu Ubayda.

Zayd's row is a reminder of a small detail: the Qur'an alludes to many Companions, but Zayd ibn Haritha is the only one it mentions by name. The word "talh", the tree behind the name Talha, also occurs in the Qur'an.

Quick Questions, Quick Answers

If two names have the same Abjad value, do they mean the same thing?

No. In the Abjad tradition the number is the sum of the letters; it does not replace the meaning. Abu Ubayda adds up to 100 and Hamza to 60, but these numbers alone are not enough to compare two names.

Can a kunya be given as a child's name?

In Turkey, Ebûbekir and Ümmügülsüm are widely used as given names. Knowing that "Abu" and "Umm" mean father and mother simply helps you make the choice consciously.

A long name or a short one?

More letters usually mean a larger Abjad value, but that does not make a name "stronger". In the tradition, what matters is how the letters are distributed and which names a name is read together with.

What Does a Name's Number Say on Its Own?

The Abjad values in the tables are like a name's identity card, but in the Abjad tradition a name is never interpreted in isolation. In the star chart (Yıldızname) calculation, a person's name is added to their mother's name, and the remainder of that total divided by 12 gives the person's star chart sign. So two women named Aisha with different mothers may, in the tradition, fall under different signs.

The element distribution of the letters, the ruling planet and the hurufat reading are also part of this combined reading. For anyone who bears a Companion's name, the real question is this: what picture emerges when this name is joined with my mother's name?

Note: the historical information here is limited to widely accepted facts. Abjad and star chart readings are symbolic interpretations rooted in tradition; they contain no definitive judgements, guarantees or predictions. The final decision on a name always rests with the family.