A Name Story by Houdhoud
عِرْفَان
Irfan
ir-FAAN
“Knowledge, gnosis.”
About Irfan
Irfan is a Muslim baby boy's name meaning "knowledge, gnosis", an Arabic-Urdu-Indonesian name carried for centuries across the Muslim world.
From the Arabic root ع-ر-ف meaning 'to know'.
Especially common in Pakistani and Iranian families.
Spellings of Irfan
| Spelling | Births in England and Wales, 2025 | Births in France, 2016 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Irfanthe spelling used on this page | 14 | 110 |
Babies registered with exactly that spelling. England and Wales: Office for National Statistics, 2025 (the list covers names given to 3 or more babies). France: INSEE Fichier des prénoms, 2016 to 2025 added together (INSEE rounds each yearly count to the nearest 5).
Origin & roots
Origin
Arabic · Urdu · Indonesian
Gender
Boy
Root letters
In Arabic, root letters are the seed that gives a word its meaning. Every word built from them inherits that family of meaning, and Irfan is one such word.
How to say it
Stressed syllable in capitals
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Common questions about Irfan
- What does the name Irfan mean?
- Irfan (عِرْفَان) means "Knowledge, gnosis". From the Arabic root ع-ر-ف meaning 'to know'.
- Is Irfan a name from the Qur'an?
- Houdhoud doesn't show a verse for this name. Irfan is an Arabic-Urdu-Indonesian name long carried across the Muslim world. We only show a Qur'anic verse when it's verified against the Tanzil corpus.
- Is Irfan a boy or a girl name?
- Irfan is traditionally a boy's name.
- Where does the name Irfan come from?
- Irfan is an Arabic-Urdu-Indonesian name, built on the root letters ʿ-R-F. Especially common in Pakistani and Iranian families.
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