A Name Story by Houdhoud
يَحْيَى
Yahya
YAH-yah
“He shall live.”
About Yahya
Yahya is a Muslim baby boy's name meaning "he shall live" — an Arabic name carried for centuries across the Muslim world.
From the Arabic root ح-ي-ي. Name of the Prophet Yahya ﷺ (John the Baptist).
Origin & roots
Origin
Arabic
Gender
Boy
Also spelled
John
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 Yahya is one such word.
In the Qur’an
Surah 19 : Ayah 7
يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ اسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا
“[He was told], 'O Zakariya, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be Yahya. We have not assigned to any before [this] name.'”
Saheeh International translation · sourced from Tanzil
Yahya appears in the Qur'an directly. The verse above is one of those mentions.
Across history
Who has carried Yahya before.
- The Prophet Yahya ﷺ
How to say it
Stressed syllable in capitals
Discover names like Yahya
Other names with the same heart — close in origin, sound, and spirit.
hu-SAYN · Arabic
“Beautiful (diminutive).”
sa-LAAH · Arabic
“Goodness, righteousness.”
abd-ar-rah-MAAN · Arabic
“Servant of the Most Merciful.”
mah-MOOD · Arabic
“Praised, praiseworthy.”
ka-REEM · Arabic
“Generous, noble.”
MOO-sa · Arabic · Arabic-Hebrew
“Drawn from water.”
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