Kulthum, name meaning in Islam

Kulthum (كُلْثُوم) is an Arabic name for girls. It means full-cheeked. Kulsoom is the South Asian form, often used with Umm.

Meaning and root

In Arabic, words are built from a root of usually three letters. Kulthum comes from the root ك ل ث م, and words from the same root share its core meaning. Similar names from the same family of words are listed below.

Is Kulthum in the Quran?

No. Kulthum 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 Kulthum

Say it kul-THOOM. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Kulsoom, Kalsoom and Kulsum. In Arabic it is written with 5 letters, from right to left: ك kaf + ل lam + ث tha + و waw + م mim.

Choosing Kulthum

Many parents choose Kulthum 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 Kulthum bint (and the father's name): see what bin, bint and abu mean.

Famous people named Kulthum

• Umm Kulthum, daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and wife of Uthman

Names like Kulthum

• Ruqayyah
• Zaynab
• Fatimah

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.