11 Beautiful Malay Names And What They Mean

Spoken by 290 million people across Southeast Asia, the Malay language is heavily influenced by Sanskrit, Arabic and English. This influence extends to popular Malay names today.

Malay is part of the Austronesian language family and it’s primarily spoken in Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei. Thanks to linguistic influences by Arabic, Sanskrit and English, Malay is a highly-evolved language that also uses the Latin script. Personal names, in particular, celebrate the sophistication of this language while hinting at an individual’s ethnic and cultural lineage.

Popular girl names in Malaysia

Aisha

This popular female name can attribute its popularity to the prophet Muhammad’s third wife, Ā’ishah bint Abī Bakr, who is also known as ‘Mother of the Believers.’ She is widely believed to be Muhammad’s favorite wife. ‘A’isha’ also means ‘alive’ in Arabic. In Malay, the name is also spelled ‘Aishah’ and ‘Aisyah.’

Another popular female name, ‘Amina’ means ‘truthful and trustworthy.’ It is sometimes shortened to ‘Minah,’ and is also spelled as ‘Aminah’ or ‘Ameena.’ Aminah bint Wahb was also the mother of the prophet Muhammad.

Nur

Although recognized as a unisex name, this name is usually reserved for females in Malaysia. It originates from Arabic and means ‘light.’ It is also spelled ‘Noor.’ Famous women named ‘Noor’ include Queen Noor (former Queen of Jordan) and Princess Noor Pahlavi (a princess of Iran).

Putri

This female name hails from Sanskrit, meaning ‘daughter’ or ‘princess.’ The lead female character of Malaysia’s hit TV series Gol & Gincu is named Putri Farhana Aliya (played by actress Nur Fazura).

Farah

Another popular female name, this one has its roots in Arabic. It means ‘joy’ and ‘gladness.’ Malaysia’s award-winning gymnast is named Farah Ann Abdul Hadi.

Sofia

This name can be attributed to Greek, in which it means ‘wisdom,’ or to Urdu, in which it means ‘beautiful.’ Famous people named Sofia include Sofía Vergara and Sofia Coppola.

Popular boy names in Malaysia

Ahmad

Popularly given to males, this name means ‘much praised’ and was one of the many names of the prophet Muhammad. It is also spelled ‘Ahmed.’

Ashraf

This male name has its origins in Arabic, meaning ‘most honorable one.’ The most famous Malaysian celebrity with this name is Ashraf Sinclair, who starred in the well-loved Gol & Gincu series.

Irfan

Originally an Arabic name, Irfan is a male name meaning ‘knowledge,’ ‘wisdom’ or ‘learning.’ Notable people with this name include national discus thrower Mohd Irfan Shamsuddin and musical prodigy Tengku Ahmad Irfan.

Hilmi

This masculine Arabic name is usually associated with kindness, politeness and the appropriate attitude. Malaysia’s deputy health minister is Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya.

Mikhail

Derived from Hebrew, this male name refers to ‘the one who is like God.’ It is the name of one of the main angels of Allah, and is also spelled ‘Mikail.’

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.