Moroccan baby names: the classics, the comebacks and their meanings, with Arabic script

Ask a grandmother in Casablanca what her childhood friends were called: Fatna, Khaddouj, Zoubida, Hniya. Then ask for the names at the nursery next door: Lina, Malak, Rayan, Sofia. Moroccan baby names have changed a great deal in two generations, and today's parents are often searching somewhere between those two worlds.

This selection brings together more than forty names used in Morocco, from the classics to the newcomers. For each one, we checked the meaning and the Arabic script in at least two references: etymological name dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias. Where sources disagreed, we said so, or we left the name out.

One point before we start: as far as we know, there is no official published ranking of the names given in Morocco. So you will not find a "top 10" here. The trends described below come from the Moroccan press, which interviewed the civil registry and specialists.

What makes a name Moroccan?

First of all, it is a name used in Morocco, whatever its origin. Most are Arabic and linked to the history of Islam; others are Amazigh (Berber), such as Ayour or Noumidia, mentioned by the magazine La Vie éco; others again came from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria or Turkey, as psychiatrist and writer Rita El Khayat, author of a book on names in the Arab and Muslim world, explained in 2014.

What often makes a name "Moroccan" is its form. The same Arabic name is written Zineb in Rabat and Zaynab in London, Driss in Fez and Idris in Jakarta. Behind the Name actually files these spellings under "Maghrebi" Arabic names. Amazigh names deserve their own article: you will find them in our selection of Amazigh baby names and their history.

Grandmother names: Fatima, Khadija, Zahra…

These are the names of generations born before the 1980s. Several are clearly declining. In 2022, the Civil Status Division told La Vie éco that variants of Fatima (Fatna, Fadma, Fatouma), of Khadija (Khaddouj) and of Halima (Hlima, Hallouma), as well as Rqia, Batoul and Milouda, were among the names in decline. Back in 2014, Rita El Khayat already described Khnata, Zoubida, Menana and Hniya as having "fallen out of use".

Which is precisely what gives them a special charm for some parents today.

The great classics for boys

For boys, the names of the Prophet and his companions have dominated for generations. According to one account collected by La Vie éco, grandparents used to choose the name of the eldest children, often Sidi Mohamed or Fatima. Youssef and Yahya were still "in fashion" in 2014, according to Rita El Khayat.

For more ideas, our selection of Arabic boy names and their meanings offers several dozen.

Zineb, Bouchra, Kenza: the Moroccan spellings

These names exist across the Arab world, but their Latin spelling is typically Maghrebi. Behind the Name presents them as "mainly North African" transcriptions. This is a practical point, not just an aesthetic one: the Latin form written on the birth certificate will follow your child onto their passport.

Kenza has a very Moroccan story: it is the name of Kenza al-Awrabiya, an Amazigh woman of the Awraba tribe, wife of Idris I and mother of Idris II, in the 8th century.

Which names have replaced the grandmothers' names?

Shorter names, often from elsewhere. In 2014, Rita El Khayat listed Sofia, Narimane, Fatine, Rayan, Malak and Lina as having become common in place of the older names. In 2022, La Vie éco listed Ritaj, Tasnime, Alaa and Nassim among the names on the rise, but also Julia, Nadine, Celia and Daria, and noted the influence of Turkish and Syrian TV series, with Mouhanad, Lamiss or Roumayssa.

This shift is not unique to Morocco. In France, the newspaper Libération observed as early as 2002, in the Seine-Saint-Denis area near Paris, that Mohamed was declining among families of immigrant origin, while Rayan, Nassim and Bilal were rising. To explore these newer trends further, see our ideas for modern baby names for girls and boys.

Before you register: what the civil registry says

Law 36-21 on civil status, published in Morocco's Official Bulletin on 22 July 2021, sets out the conditions in its Article 34. The first name must not be a family name or the name of a town, village or tribe, must not invite ridicule, and a compound name may not combine more than two names. Titles such as Lalla or Moulay do not appear on the certificate.

Since the 2023 implementing decree, a civil registrar can no longer refuse a name on his own: he refers the case to the High Commission for Civil Status. All the details are in our guide to Moroccan law and choosing a name, and the paperwork is covered in our article on registering a birth in Morocco. Expecting a girl? Our list of Arabic girl names with their meanings complements this one.

From the shop

Keeping a trace of the first days

Once the name is chosen, all that's left is to keep the memories: footprint boxes and frames, from the simple model to the double frame with a photo.

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• The whole aisle · Baby keepsakes6 products online, delivered anywhere in Morocco.Open the aisle

Products sold by La Maison du Bébé, publisher of this magazine. Prices as of 12 October 2026; please check the product page.