Boy names starting with I, with meanings

Here are 15 Muslim boy names starting with I, from Ibrahim to Iyas, each with its Arabic spelling and meaning. 9 of them come from the Quran: Ibrahim, Idris, Ihsan, Ikram, Ilyas, Imran, Isa, Ishaq and Ismail. Tap any name for its root, pronunciation, origin and the people who carried it.

Prophets and companions

The names of prophets here are Ibrahim, Idris, Ilyas, Isa, Ishaq and Ismail. Naming a child after a prophet is a sunnah. This name was carried by companions or the women of the Prophet's ﷺ family: Imran.

How boy names starting with I are written in Arabic

The English letter I can stand for more than one Arabic letter, so names that look alike in English may be spelled differently in Arabic: ا alif in Ibrahim, Idris, Ihsan and Ikram; ع ʿayn in Imad, Imran, Irfan and Isa. Check the Arabic on each name page before you register the name.

Not only Arabic

Most of these names are Arabic. Some are Turkish (Ilhan). A Muslim name does not need to be Arabic: scholars allow any language when the meaning is good.

Choosing a name

Say the name out loud with your family name, and read its meaning in Arabic as well as in English. The Prophet ﷺ said the most beloved names to Allah are Abdullah and Abdur-Rahman,¹ and he changed names with bad meanings.² Any name with a good meaning is a sound choice. See the other letters below, or the full list of Muslim boy names.

Boy names by letter

1. Sahih Muslim 2132: the names most beloved to Allah.
2. Sahih Muslim 2139: the Prophet ﷺ changing a name with a bad meaning.
3. Meanings follow classical Arabic usage and the standard name dictionaries; Persian, Turkish and Urdu meanings follow the standard dictionaries of those languages. Our teachers will check each one.

Our teachers will check the Arabic spellings and meanings on this page before launch.