Persian names
Persian names draw from three thousand years of poetry, so it's no surprise they sound like verses themselves: Yasmin (jasmine), Sohrab (radiant), Roxana (dawn). Many trace back to the Shahnameh, Iran's great epic, where heroes' names still ring with courage and beauty today.
Ahmad most commendable
Ali "lofty, sublime" (Arabic root ʿalā, "to be high")
Amir prince, commander
Anahita ancient Zoroastrian goddess of water and fertility
Arash the legendary archer whose arrow drew Iran's border
Ariana land of the Aryans, an ancient name for the Persian plateau
Arman wish, ideal
Ashkan of the line of Ashk, founder of the Parthian dynasty
Ava voice, sound (also a chart-topping Western name across roots)
Azadeh free, noble
Babak little father; a historic Persian rebel-king
Bahram ancient Zoroastrian god of victory; the planet Mars
Bijan hero of the Shahnameh's Bijan and Manijeh
Bita unique, matchless
Cyrus sun, throne (English form of Kourosh; Cyrus the Great)
Dara wealthy, possessor (root shared with Darius)
Darius he who holds firm the good (English form of Dariush)
Dariush the Persian form of Darius, 'he holds firm the good'
Darya sea, ocean
Delara beautiful, adorned one
Elham inspiration, revelation
Farah joy (Empress Farah Pahlavi)
Farhad legendary hero-lover of Shirin and Farhad
Farid unique, unparalleled
Farzad child of splendor
Fatemeh Persian form of Fatima, beloved classic
Golnar pomegranate blossom
Golnaz flower or rose plus delight, comfort, or coquetry
Hamid praised, praiseworthy
Hooman good mind (Avestan hu, 'good', plus manah, 'thought')
Hossein good, handsome (Imam Hossein)
Jamshid mythic king said to have founded Nowruz
Kamran successful, fortunate
Kasra a form of Khosrow, 'good fame', the royal name of Persian kings
Kaveh legendary blacksmith who rose up against a tyrant king
Kayvan Saturn, the slow bright planet
Kian king, of royal lineage; ancient
Kiana of the kingdom (popular modern Persian-rooted name)
Kimia alchemy, the elixir; something rare and precious
Kourosh the Persian form of Cyrus, name of Cyrus the Great
Laleh tulip
Leila night (shared Persian-Arabic literary name, Layla and Majnun)
Mahnaz the moon's grace (mah, 'moon', plus naz, 'charm')
Mahsa like the moon
Mandana name of the mother of Cyrus the Great (often linked to mandan, 'to endure')
Maryam Persian form of Mary / Miriam
Mehdi Persian form of Mahdi, 'guided one'
Milad birth, nativity
Mitra covenant; the ancient Persian goddess of love and friendship
Mohammad Persian form of Muhammad, "praised, commendable" (Arabic root hamida, "to praise")
Nasrin wild rose
Navid good news, glad tidings
Nazanin beloved, delicate
Niloufar water lily, lotus
Omid hope
Parisa fairy-like, angelic
Parvin the Pleiades
Payam message
Pedram happy, successful
Ramin peace, joy (the lover in the epic Vis and Ramin)
Reza contentment, satisfaction (Imam Reza)
Rostam legendary champion hero of the Shahnameh epic
Roxana dawn, little star (Persian princess who married Alexander the Great)
Roya dream, vision
Sanaz full of grace (the usual reading; the root is debated)
Sara princess, noble lady (shared with biblical Sarah)
Sasan ancestor figure of the Sasanian dynasty
Sepideh dawn
Setareh star
Shabnam dew
Shahin royal falcon (from shah, 'king')
Shahram king Ram (Ram is the old Zoroastrian divinity of joy)
Shahrzad the storyteller queen of the Thousand and One Nights
Shervin a debated root: shir, 'lion', or the royal name Anushirvan
Shirin sweet (the legendary beauty of Khosrow and Shirin)
Siavash tragic prince-hero of the Shahnameh
Simin silvery
Sina from Ibn Sina (Avicenna); also a standalone classic
Sohrab Rostam's tragic son in the Shahnameh
Taraneh song, melody
Yalda the winter solstice festival night (from Syriac, 'birth')
Yasmin jasmine flower
Yousef Persian form of Joseph
Zahra flower, radiant one
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