As-salamu alaykum, I really like the name "Natasha" and plan on naming my first daughter "Natasha". According to lots of Muslim/Islamic websites it means "Gift of Allah". However, I have read on non-Islamic websites it is of Russian origin meaning "Birthday, Born near Christmas" (in reference to the traditional birth of Jesus). Apparently, it was traditionally given to girls born around Christmas. Is there any proof that Natasha really is an Islamic name? Like, what stem/root word does Natasha come from (in some other language, most likely Arabic) which makes it mean "Gift of Allah"? Thank you. Please answer in clear detail.
Answer
I do not know of any Islamic or Persian name that sounds like Natasha. The sites that say this is an Islamic name have copied their information from another site that contains many errors. For this reason the Christmas-related meaning is probably the only correct meaning for this name.
Since it is a Christianity-related name, it is best not to use Natasha, unless it is a common name in your culture (for example if you are from Russia). However it is not a forbidden name, as in Islam all names are permissible unless they have a bad meaning.
