Husayn, name meaning in Islam

Husayn (حُسَيْن) is an Arabic name for boys. It means little good one. It is the diminutive of hasan.

Meaning and root

In Arabic, words are built from a root of usually three letters. Husayn comes from the root ح س ن, and words from the same root share its core meaning. Similar names from the same family of words are listed below.

Is Husayn in the Quran?

No. Husayn is not a word in the Quran. A name does not need to be in the Quran to be a good Muslim name: what matters is that its meaning is good. The Prophet ﷺ changed names with bad meanings and kept names with good ones.¹

How to say and write Husayn

Say it hu-SAYN. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Hussain, Husain and Hussein. In Arabic it is written with 4 letters, from right to left: ح ḥa + س sin + ي ya + ن nun.

Choosing Husayn

Many parents choose Husayn to name their child after someone from the early generations of Islam, hoping the child will grow up with the same qualities. With the father's name it becomes Husayn bin (and the father's name): see what bin, bint and abu mean.

Famous people named Husayn

• Al-Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet ﷺ, martyred at Karbala

Names like Husayn

• Hasan
• Hasnain
• Ali

1. Sahih Muslim 2139, the Prophet ﷺ changing a name with a bad meaning.
2. Sahih Muslim 2315.
3. Sahih Muslim 2132.
4. Meanings follow classical Arabic usage and the standard name dictionaries; our teachers will check each one.

Our teachers will check the Arabic spelling and meaning on this page before launch.