Farida
Meaning
unique, precious gem; famously borne by Queen Farida of Egypt, first wife of King Farouk
The story
Farida is Arabic for unique, a precious gem beyond compare, and its most storied bearer wore it by decree. When Safinaz Zulficar, an Alexandria-born beauty of sixteen, married King Farouk of Egypt in 1938, palace custom favored names beginning with F, held lucky for the dynasty, and so she became Queen Farida. Egyptians adored her; the marriage fared worse. After three daughters and no male heir, Farouk divorced her in 1948, and she lived out her later years as a painter, exhibiting her canvases abroad and dying in 1988 with her dignity long since returned to her own keeping. The name she made famous still reads as elegant across the Arab world. In American records Farida is a rarity, no more than a faint recent trace, an uncommon choice with a queen's poise and a survivor's story.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Farida peaked in the 2010s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
133 people · the #33,771 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 50
Among people named Farida living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Farida
Most people given the name Farida in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Farida deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Farida truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Farida fits with your family’s names and surname.
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