All information on our website is based on our own original research in Arabic, Persian and English-language scholarly references. We never copy information from other websites.
«

Yahya

»

A Quranic Name for Boys

Short meaning of YahyaKind, Compassionate and Tenderhearted
See below for detailed meaning
How to pronounce Yahya

Yes + hUmble + Hill + YArd

Each block is a syllable. Thick black border indicates stress/emphasis. Other pronunciations are acceptable.
Arabic Spelling (How to write Yahya in Arabic)يحيى
Quranic Nature
(Learn more...)
Directly Mentioned
Alternate spellings of YahyaYahyaa Yahia Yahea Iahea Ieahia Yehia Yehiaa Yehea Yeheaa Yehya Yehyaa Yahia Yahiaa Yahea Yaheaa
All of the above spellings are acceptable for this name. You may also create your own spelling.

Meaning of Yahya

Yahya is a direct Quranic name for boys. It has a special significance since it was a divinely created and chosen name, as retold in the Surat Maryam 19:7

O Zachariah, We bring you good news of a son whose name shall be Yahya. We have not given such a name to anyone before.

Yahya is one of the high status prophets, mentioned in a number of places in the Quran, such as in the same sura as above:

12. O Yahya! take hold of the Book with strength, and We granted him wisdom while yet a child

13. And hananan (tenderness) from Us and purity, and he was one who guarded (against evil),

14. And dutiful to his parents, and he was not insolent, disobedient.

15. And peace on him on the day he was born, and on the day he dies, and on the day he is raised to life. (Quran 19:12-15)

The meaning of Yahya isn’t certain because it is not necessarily Arabic, though it is likely related to Arabic in being a Hebrew/Aramaic name. In Arabic it literally means “He lives”, and the scholars say this means that his legacy will continue to live forever. It could also refer to the fact that he was brought to life in his mother’s womb even though she was barren and her husband an old man.

The word hananan in verse 13 above, which means tenderness, is only mentioned in that one place in the Quran in regards to Yahya, and it also happens to be the root of the Hebrew name for Prophet Yahya: Yohanan. Due to this relationship between Yahya and Hanan, it is possible that the meaning of Yahya has relations to the word “tenderness”.

Get the QuranicNames Android app!

Most Popular Muslim Names in 2024

Reader Comments:

  1. on Thursday 17th of September 2015 05:27:06 PM

    Beautiful and unique name. My name is Yahya too. I like it.

  2. on Friday 9th of October 2015 07:21:39 PM

    I named my daughter Yahya meaning….in swahili. God’s gift.

  3. on Wednesday 21st of October 2015 01:17:09 PM

    my name is yahya too.. and my frnds love it… it’s beautiful unique name..

  4. on Friday 27th of November 2015 01:27:06 PM

    my 1st name is Faisal-Yahya-Ahmed…. do all the meanings relate to me ?

  5. on Saturday 12th of March 2016 09:15:29 AM

    my little baby brother called yahya i miss him really luv u bro

  6. on Thursday 17th of March 2016 02:36:36 PM

    At Fajr prayer today Allah saw fit for my Imam gave me my name يحيى
    May I serve you to the best of my ability

  7. on Saturday 21st of May 2016 07:14:56 AM

    my name is yahaya. a beautifull name. i like my name too much.

  8. on Friday 24th of June 2016 05:36:36 AM

    I’m yahya ceesay from Gambia I really love Allah Muhammad yahya I’m happy to be call yahya

  9. on Friday 15th of July 2016 08:57:12 PM

    I had a cxousin called yahya, but he sadly died at the age of 3 minths

  10. on Friday 15th of July 2016 08:58:16 PM

    my cousin is yayah and I am hibah
    hibah= meaning gift and present

  11. on Saturday 1st of October 2016 02:28:31 PM

    my name too is yahaya ibn ibrahim two beautiful name…I love my name

  12. on Monday 23rd of January 2017 07:25:01 PM

    me too my name is yahya I like the meaning tenderness

  13. on Friday 2nd of June 2017 08:25:40 PM

    What does “Usairim” means?
    Muhammad usairim is meaningful?

  14. on Sunday 30th of July 2017 05:07:48 AM

    My name is also Mohammad Yahya…. I am thankful to my parents for this Unique name

  15. on Thursday 3rd of August 2017 08:06:00 PM

    My name is yahya and am proud of the name and I thank Allah subhanahu watalla for this n

  16. on Friday 29th of June 2018 12:29:21 AM

    87:13 ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَىٰ

    In which they will then neither die nor live.
    This ayat has the word Yahya in it which is what the reference is to from the above description. It is explained that in Arabic, “Yahya” means “He lives”.

  17. on Wednesday 29th of August 2018 12:58:36 PM

    My brothers name is yah ya
    I find it scary how they have all died young
    My brother also died at 3 months

  18. on Tuesday 4th of September 2018 06:22:13 PM

    My brother is called yahya he left after 8 minutes

  19. on Friday 28th of September 2018 07:49:38 PM

    This is my beautiful baby brothers name lit would’ve been his third birthday today

  20. on Saturday 29th of September 2018 07:39:56 AM

    This is my beautiful sons name
    Thanks for the info

  21. on Saturday 29th of September 2018 03:41:10 PM

    My son is yahya
    He left two days after he was born
    Miss you babe

  22. on Monday 8th of October 2018 08:31:20 AM

    I find it scary how all these yahyas have died and the meaning means alive
    My baby yah ya is alive and I love him

  23. on Sunday 21st of October 2018 09:59:49 AM

    My beautiful baby boy is called yahya
    It suits him well
    His father is called zakariyyah

  24. on Monday 26th of November 2018 08:32:12 AM

    My son name is also muhammad Yahya islam. I like this name also my family’s. Praying to Allah give him nake hayath in tayba

  25. on Thursday 6th of December 2018 05:45:08 PM

    Thank you Allah for helping my brave soldier yahya fight through the horrible battle
    And events welcomed him into the world
    So proud of you my little star
    Yahya is a beautiful name for my beautiful boy

  26. on Wednesday 22nd of May 2019 12:29:44 PM

    My name is yahiya too I love
    the name it is a unique name

  27. on Monday 27th of May 2019 06:46:18 PM

    am naqeeb am a muslim and my brother is Yahya and me and Yahya is unquine

  28. on Sunday 30th of June 2019 09:25:07 AM

    Yahya is a beautiful name. Love it
    Thank you for the info
    My baby boy is called yahya
    Big bro Eesa is v.happy to meet him
    Aaaww

  29. on Sunday 18th of August 2019 01:45:03 PM

    My name is Iahia too and where I go all like my name because it is a unique name but I am a girl.

  30. on Saturday 21st of December 2019 11:28:55 AM

    My name Yahya and am verry proud of dat name wallahi.Alhamdulillahi for the gift of Allah

  31. on Sunday 12th of July 2020 03:36:00 PM

    I believe that the word “Yahya”Aleyhi Salam means The Pure

  32. on Saturday 7th of August 2021 07:57:35 PM

    Write your comment boyfriend name is yahya .i love him so much.

  33. on Friday 19th of November 2021 12:21:44 PM

    My name is yahya and I love the name it is unique name.

  34. on Sunday 5th of December 2021 04:49:32 AM

    Yahya is from the Hebrew word Yohanan, a short form of Yehohanan, meaning Yehowah (YHWH) is gracious! YHWH is the God of Abraham.

  35. on Sunday 20th of March 2022 09:34:15 AM

    My name is yahya.I love the name it is unique name

  36. on Wednesday 20th of April 2022 05:10:45 AM

    The English equivalent is “John”.
    Also, it’s kind of well known that Yahya means “YHWH is Gracious” (from Yohanan) or “YHWH Lives” (from Yehia).
    That is, the name in the quran directly refers to the Jewish god YHWH, and not Allah or “god” in general/as a title.
    And YHWH appears nowhere in the quran, because the quran insists that the name of god is actually Allah.
    Oops!
    So, all these people saying what a beautiful name it is are accidentally recognizing that the quran is false.

  37. on Wednesday 20th of April 2022 05:14:11 AM

    Worse, of course, is that “Allah” named the child of Zachariah – which, by the way, means “YHWH Remembers” – himself. But named the baby after YHWH instead of Allah (e.g “Abdullah”).
    Allah doesn’t know his own name.
    Double-oops.

  38. on Friday 5th of August 2022 06:40:06 AM

    My son is Yahya, allahumma barik
    He’s suchha sweet heart and precious

Characters: 0

Categories: All Baby Names Starting With Y | All Muslim Baby Names | Arabic Baby Names | Islamic (Quranic) Boy Names Starting With Y | Islamic Names Meaning Kind, Compassionate and Tenderhearted | Muslim Boy Names - Boy Names from the Quran | Names Directly Mentioned in the Quran | Names of the Prophets | Quranic Names By Meaning
Disclaimer
The content on this site does not constitute any type of legal or religious advice. Always consult your local imam or other knowledgeable individuals before making a decision about choosing a baby name.
Copyright 2011-2024 QuranicNames.com. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use