The story behind Yahya
From Arabic يَحْيَى (yaḥyā), equivalent to John in the Qur'an.
Other language forms and explanations (1)
Turkish entry
Inherited from Ottoman Turkish یحیی (Yahya), from Arabic يَحْيَى (yaḥyā).
Pronunciation
US English (ARPAbet): Y AH1 Y AH0
Regional pronunciation variants
- Turkish: /jahˈjaː/
This is a US English dictionary reading of the spelling; personal pronunciations may differ. Digits mark stress: 0 is unstressed, 1 is primary, 2 is secondary. Pronunciation source and notation.
Popularity
Yahya ranked #616 in US for 2025.
Source: SSA national baby names
Names Similar to Yahya
Yahyā
Borrowed from Classical Persian یحیی (yahyā), from Arabic يَحْيَى (yaḥyā).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Ā
- same syllable count
- similar length
Yisa
From Arabic عِيسَى (ʕīsā).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Aïcha
Borrowed from Arabic عَائِشَة (ʕāʔiša).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Aisha
From Arabic عَائِشَة (ʕāʔiša).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Alya
A variation of Aliye.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Ayesha
A spelling variant of Aisha.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Middle Names for Yahya
Bağır
From Arabic بَاقِر (bāqir).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends R
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Bahriye
Inherited from Ottoman Turkish بحریه, from Arabic بَحْرِيَّة (baḥriyya).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends E
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Berahim
From Arabic إِبْرَاهِيم (ʔibrāhīm), from Hebrew אַבְרָהָם (avrahám). Doublet of Ibrahim.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends M
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Sibling Names for Yahya
Aaliyah
Popularized by American singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001). Transliteration of Arabic عَالِيَة (ʕāliya).
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends H
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Abacar
Borrowed from Arabic أَبُو بَكْر (ʔabū bakr, literally “father of a young camel; father of a person named Bakr”).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends R
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Abaz
Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish عباس (ʼabbas), from Arabic عَبَّاس (ʕabbās, literally “frowning; lion”). For the final /z/ compare abanoz. Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish عباس…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Z
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length