Beautiful Moroccan Girl Names and What They Mean

My name is Safa, which means Purity in Moroccan. To be honest, it’s a quite rare name, even in Morocco. I always get asked about its meaning and origins, and people always seem fascinated. And that is the beauty behind Moroccan girl names. They sound beautiful and they have a deep meaning.

Moroccan girl names are inspired by positive Arabic words and/or Arabic Poems. They invoke strength, beauty, delicacy, and other qualities parents see or wish for their newborn.

Traditionally, after choosing a name for their newborn, Moroccan parents gift their baby girl a piece of dainty traditional jewelry like a piece of Hamsa jewelry, believed to be a protecting symbol.

Gifting Hamsa jewelry is meant to protect the newborn from negative energy but also to express her femininity. The baby girl wears the jewelry for her first baby portraits. Then parents save the jewelry until she grows older and can wear her jewelry safely.

I still have a gold hamsa necklace from when I was born and I still wear it. Its value is just priceless.

Besides jewelry, more and more parents like to incorporate traditional Moroccan symbols in their baby’s room decor. It’s a beautiful way to celebrate Moroccan culture and add it to the baby little world. Some trendy options are the tribal symbols with their protecting meanings, like the Berber black and white shapes.

Beautiful Moroccan Girl Names

If you are looking for inspiration, here is a list of some adorable Moroccan girls’ names along with their meanings and spelling in Arabic.

1- Alia ( علياء )

Also spelled Aleah, Aliyah, Aliaa or Aliah, Alia means high-standards, high-values, glory, and honor.

Some of the celebrities with this name are Alia Al-Hussein, queen of Jordany and American Actress Alia Shawkat who played in “State of Grace”.

2- Yasmine or Yasmin ( یاسمین )

The Moroccan name Yasmine means ‘Jasmin’, the flower. It has another variation: Yasmina, with an ‘a’ instead of an ‘e’. Yasmine is a very feminine name in Morocco but also all across the Arabic world.

Some celebrities with the name Yasmine are the American actress Yasmine Bleeth who played in Baywatch and the Israeli singer, Yasmin Levy.

3- Layla ( ليلى‎ )

Layla (also spelled Leila) is a Moroccan girl name often given to girls born during the night, as Layla means ”Night” in Arabic.

Layla is also a very romantic name as it’s the name of Layla, the female protagonist of the 7th-century romance Qays and Leila, which is the equivalent of Romeo and Juliet in the Arab culture.

4- Sabrina ( صبرينة )

Also spelled, Sabreena, this name is derived from the Arabic word ‘Sabr’ which means patience and endurance. Sabrina has also Celtic and Latin origins making it a quite common name.

5- Sarah or Sara ( سارة )

Sarah derives from the Arabic word ‘Sara’ which means happy and contented. It’s a very trendy girl name in Morocco that is also popular because it is the name of Saint Sarah, Abraham’s wife, and Isaac’s mother, as cited in the Coran, the Torah, and the Bible.

6- Zahra or Zara ( زهرة )

Zahra or Zara is a very feminine name meaning ‘flower’ in Arabic. Moroccan parents name their daughters Zahra to celebrate their delicacy and beauty. It’s also a vintage name that was very popular in Morocco centuries ago.

7- Ghislaine ( غزلان )

Very feminine, Ghislaine comes from ‘Gazal’, which is the Arabic name for ‘Gazelle’.

In Moroccan language, it’s very common to refer to a beautiful girl or woman as a gazelle. ‘Ghazala’ for example, is a Moroccan adjective for a beautiful and gorgeous woman.

8- Rihanna ( ريحانة )

Rihanna is derived from Rihane (ريحان), which is the Arabic name for the sweet, fragrant basil flower. Moroccans name their girls Rihanna to celebrate their delicacy and femininity.

9- Mona ( منى )

Mona is an Arabic name for girls that means “desired” and “wished for”. Other variations of this name are Mouna and Mounia. It also has roots in Irish meaning “noble”.