WHAT IS IN A NAME?

When it comes to constructing a name it is important to understand how to do so in order to correctly reflect the culture of the Tahari. The preferred method in Teehra is to use a proper name + proper name +ibn/bint +family name. But that is not the only naming convention you can use.

A common naming convention is to the combine the name of a place or a location with the suffix -i. For example, if you are from the Oasis of Farad you could use the Al-Faradi, meaning "a person from Farad". "Al" means "the" or "house" or "the tribe of" and can be used with a descriptive name, for example "Al-Urjuwani" (the purple).

Other names can be formed using the prefix ibn, bin or bint. Each of these prefixes has a specific meaning. Both ibn and bin mean "son of" while bint means "daughter of". Beni (BEN-ee) means "the family". So Ma'd ibn Fawwaz means Ma'd (an old Arabic name) son of Fawwaz (Victorious). If you are referring to Ma'd's family, the proper title would be Beni Fawwaz (as in "the Fawwaz").

Sudairy (http://www.sudairy.com/) offers an excellent selection of male and female proper names. If you find a masculine name you prefer, yet you are female-do not despair. Many masculine names can be feminized by the addition of "a" or "ah". For example "Khalid" becomes "Khalidah" or "Aziz" becomes "Azizah".

Other places to visit:

Period Arabic Names and Naming Practices: heraldry.sca.org/names/arabic-naming2.htm

Arabic Naming Practices And Period Names List: www.s-gabriel.org/names/daud/arabic-naming/

Behind the Name: www.behindthename.com/