There are two types of Quranic names, those that are directly mentioned in the Quran, and those that derive from a Quranic root.
The status and virtue of a name is not decided by whether it is directly or indirectly mentioned in the Quran, since in the Arabic language the root is what matters, and if the name is on our site, you can rest assured that it is a high-status and exalted name.
For those interested in the technical details, read below:
In Arabic, almost every word comes from a root, usually made up of three letters. An example is the best way to demonstrate this. The name Muhammad derives from the root H-M-D. These three letters can be rearranged in various ways to create new words:
- Hamada: he/she praised (someone).
- Yahmadu: he/she is praising (someone).
- Ihmad!: praise him! (a command).
- Muhammad: Someone who is praised often.
- Ahmad: Someone who is worthy of praise.
- Hameed: Someone who is very worthy of praise.
- Mahmood: Someone who is praised.
- Haamid: Someone who praises (someone else).
- Hamda: A woman who is worthy of praise.
These are all Quranic words because they derive from a Quranic root. The names Muhammad, Ahmad, Mahmood, and Hameed are directly mentioned in the Quran, meaning that if you look in the Quran, you will find these words mentioned in it:
Muhammad is the Messenger of God… {Quran 48:29}
[Prophet Isa/Jesus said] “I am a bringer of glad tidings about a prophet that will come after me whose name is Ahmad.” {Quran 61:6}
And perform tahajjud (salah, i.e. voluntary late night prayer) so that Your Lord may raise you to a mahmood (much exalted and praised) station. {Quran 17:79}
[This Quran] guides people to that path of al-Aziz [The Almighty] al-Hameed [The Worthy of All Praise] [i.e. Allah SWT]
The name Hamda (the feminine version of the name Ahmad) however is not mentioned in its current form anywhere in the Quran. What makes it a Quranic name, as stated, is that it comes from the Quranic root of H-M-D, and there is no reason to think that the status of this name is below the status of the rest of the names, since what matters is the root, which links all of the names together. Thus you can think of Hamda as belonging to the H-M-D group of names and as similar, or close, to the other names (Muhammad, Ahmad) in status.