Persian Names
Persian names carry three thousand years of history. Some go back to the Achaemenid kings (Kourosh is Cyrus, Dariush is Darius), many come from Ferdowsi’s epic Shahnameh, and others arrived with Islam from Arabic. Add Iran’s love of poetry, flowers and the night sky, and you get names like Shirin (“sweet”), Setareh (“star”) and Nilufar (“water lily”).
This guide collects 100+ Persian names with their meanings, grouped by style and story. For deeper lists, see our Persian boy names, Persian girl names and Persian last names. Names of Arabic origin that are widely used in Iran also appear in our Muslim names.
Persian Names: browse all lists
Popular Persian boy names
A mix of pure Persian names and Arabic-origin names that have been used in Iran for centuries. More in our Persian boy names list.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Kian | “Kings”; the legendary Kayanian dynasty | Persian |
| Arash | A legendary archer; possibly “shining” | Persian |
| Arman | “Wish, ideal” | Persian |
| Omid | “Hope” | Persian |
| Parsa | “Pious, devout” | Persian |
| Navid | “Good news” | Persian |
| Kamran | “Successful, fortunate” | Persian |
| Behrouz | “Having good days, fortunate” | Persian |
| Sina | After Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the physician-philosopher | Persian |
| Amir | “Prince, commander” | Arabic |
| Reza | “Contentment”; honors Imam Reza | Arabic |
| Mehdi | “The guided one” | Arabic |
| Sepehr | “Sky, heavens” | Persian |
| Aria | “Noble” | Old Persian |
| Shahin | “Royal falcon” | Persian |
| Babak | “Little father”; after the rebel leader Babak Khorramdin | Persian |
| Farhad | The sculptor who carved a mountain for love of Shirin | Persian |
| Ramin | “Joyful”; hero of the romance Vis and Ramin | Persian |
Popular Persian girl names
Iranian girls’ names are famously lyrical, often built on gol (flower), mah (moon) or naz (grace). Browse more in our Persian girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Shirin | “Sweet” | Persian |
| Roya | “Dream, vision” | Persian |
| Parisa | “Like a fairy” | Persian |
| Nazanin | “Delicate, charming” | Persian |
| Mina | “Azure; blue enamel” | Persian |
| Soraya | “The Pleiades” | Persian/Arabic |
| Leila | “Night”; Leili of the love story Leili and Majnun | Arabic |
| Azadeh | “Free, noble” | Persian |
| Negar | “Beloved; a painted image” | Persian |
| Mahsa | “Like the moon” | Persian |
| Ava | “Voice, song” | Persian |
| Kimia | “Elixir, alchemy” | Persian |
| Bahar | “Spring” | Persian |
| Yasmin | “Jasmine” | Persian |
| Asal | “Honey” | Arabic, popular in Iran |
| Ghazal | “Gazelle”; also a form of love poem | Arabic/Persian |
| Pegah | “Dawn, early morning” | Persian |
| Taraneh | “Song, melody” | Persian |
Names from the Shahnameh, Persia’s Book of Kings
Ferdowsi finished his epic Shahnameh around 1010 CE, and its heroes remain some of Iran’s favorite namesakes.
| Name | Who they are | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Rostam | The mightiest hero of the epic | Boy |
| Sohrab | Rostam’s son, tragically killed by his own father | Boy |
| Zal | White-haired hero raised by the Simurgh bird; Rostam’s father | Boy |
| Siavash | Noble prince who proved his innocence by walking through fire; “owner of black stallions” | Boy |
| Kaveh | Blacksmith who led the uprising against the tyrant Zahhak | Boy |
| Fereydoun | Just king who defeated Zahhak | Boy |
| Jamshid | Legendary king of the golden age; “shining Jam” | Boy |
| Esfandiar | Invincible prince; possibly “given by the holy spirit” | Boy |
| Bijan | Hero famed for his love of Manijeh | Boy |
| Tahmineh | Princess who married Rostam; mother of Sohrab | Girl |
| Rudabeh | Mother of Rostam, praised for her beauty | Girl |
| Manijeh | Princess who rescued Bijan from a pit | Girl |
| Gordafarid | Warrior woman who fought Sohrab | Girl |
| Farangis | Wife of Siavash | Girl |
| Sudabeh | Queen of King Kay Kavus | Girl |
Ancient Persian royal names
The names of Achaemenid and Sasanian rulers are still used today. See also our royal baby names.
| Name | Historical figure | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kourosh | Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire | Possibly “sun” or “humiliator of enemies” |
| Dariush | Darius the Great | “Holding firm the good” |
| Khashayar | Xerxes I | “Ruler over heroes” |
| Ardeshir | Artaxerxes; also Ardashir, founder of the Sasanian dynasty | “Whose rule is through truth” |
| Bardia | Brother of Cambyses II | Possibly “exalted” |
| Anoushiravan | Khosrow I, a famed just ruler | “Immortal soul” |
| Atoosa | Atossa, queen and mother of Xerxes | Possibly “well-bestowing” |
| Mandana | Mother of Cyrus the Great | Possibly “eternal” |
| Pantea | Panthea, noblewoman in Xenophon’s account of Cyrus | Greek form, “all divine” |
| Roshanak | Roxana, Bactrian wife of Alexander | “Little star, luminous” |
Persian nature names
Persian gardens, flowers and skies inspire countless names. For more, try names that mean flower or names that mean rain.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Nilufar | “Water lily” | Girl |
| Laleh | “Tulip” | Girl |
| Nasrin | “Wild rose” | Girl |
| Banafsheh | “Violet” | Girl |
| Golnar | “Pomegranate blossom” | Girl |
| Setareh | “Star” | Girl |
| Mahtab | “Moonlight” | Girl |
| Shabnam | “Dew” | Girl |
| Baran | “Rain” | Unisex |
| Darya | “Sea” | Unisex |
| Khorshid | “Sun” | Unisex |
| Parastou | “Swallow” (the bird) | Girl |
| Kamand | “Lasso” | Girl |
| Bamdad | “Dawn” | Boy |
Persian names with beautiful meanings
Many Iranian names express a hope for the child’s character, just like names that mean hope or joy do in English.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Shadi | “Joy, happiness” | Girl |
| Mehr | “Kindness; love; the sun” | Unisex |
| Roshan | “Bright, luminous” | Unisex |
| Farzaneh | “Wise, learned” | Girl |
| Payam | “Message” | Boy |
| Houman | “Benevolent, good-natured” | Boy |
| Shayan | “Worthy, deserving” | Boy |
| Hasti | “Existence, being” | Girl |
| Arezou | “Wish, desire” | Girl |
| Behnam | “Of good name, reputable” | Boy |
Common Persian last names
Most Iranian surnames date from a 1920s law requiring family names. Many end in -i (“of, from”) and point to a place, an ancestor or a trade. See our full Persian last names.
| Surname | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Hosseini | “Of Hossein”; descent from Imam Hossein | Religious lineage |
| Mohammadi | “Of Mohammad” | Ancestral |
| Ahmadi | “Of Ahmad” | Ancestral |
| Rezaei | “Of Reza” | Ancestral |
| Karimi | “Of Karim”, “the generous” | Ancestral |
| Jafari | “Of Jafar” | Ancestral |
| Tehrani | “From Tehran” | Place |
| Shirazi | “From Shiraz” | Place |
| Esfahani | “From Isfahan” | Place |
| Tabrizi | “From Tabriz” | Place |
| Kermani | “From Kerman” | Place |
| Farahani | “From Farahan” | Place |
| Zargar | “Goldsmith” | Occupation |
| Ahangar | “Blacksmith” | Occupation |
| Mirzaei | “Of the Mirza (prince, scholar)” | Title |
How to choose a Persian name
- Mind the spelling. Persian is written in Arabic script, so one name has several English spellings (Nilufar, Niloufar, Niloofar). Pick one that is easy for your community to read.
- Check the “kh” and “gh”. Names like Khashayar or Ghazal contain throaty sounds English doesn’t have; they’re beautiful but will be approximated.
- Choose the story, not just the sound. Shahnameh names carry whole legends — Sohrab and Siavash both have tragic stories, which some families love and others avoid.
- Look for cross-cultural names. Ava, Aria, Kian, Mina and Darya work easily in English while staying genuinely Persian.
- Compare neighboring traditions. Many names are shared with Turkish names and Arabic names, sometimes with different meanings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Persian and Iranian names?
In everyday use they are the same thing. “Persian” refers to the language (Farsi) and culture, while “Iranian” refers to the country. Iran also has Kurdish, Azerbaijani, Armenian and other naming traditions.
What are the most popular Persian names?
Among Iranian newborns, Fatemeh, Zahra, Helia and Asal have been common for girls and Amir Ali, Mohammad, Ali and Hossein for boys, according to Iran’s National Organization for Civil Registration.
Are Persian names Arabic?
Many are not. Names like Kourosh, Dariush, Shirin and Laleh are purely Persian, while names like Ali, Reza and Leila came from Arabic after the 7th century and are fully part of Iranian culture.
What Persian names are easy to say in English?
Kian, Arash, Omid, Aria, Sina, Ava, Mina, Roya, Leila and Darya are easy to say and spell in English while keeping their Persian meaning.
What does the name Kourosh mean?
Kourosh is the Persian form of Cyrus, after Cyrus the Great. Its original meaning is debated; common interpretations include “sun” and “one who humiliates the enemy in verbal contest”.