Asma

For أسماء: “names”, the plural of the Arabic word for “name”.

Asma is an Arabic feminine name, written أسماء. Its literal word meaning is “names”. There is something quietly distinctive about a name whose meaning points to naming itself, rather than to a flower, a jewel or a personal quality. Asma bint Abi Bakr, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, gives the name a link to early Islamic history. That background can be part of its appeal for someone looking for a name with an established cultural connection and an uncluttered shape. In Arabic, the short opening leads into a long final a, closed by a glottal stop. This gives the two syllables a little more breadth than the four Latin letters suggest; to our ear, the result feels elegant without being elaborate. Asmaa is another Latin spelling. If the meaning matters to your choice, keep the Arabic form in view: أسمى, often also written Asma, is a different word meaning “higher” or “most exalted”.

Etymology: Arabic أسماء (Asmāʾ) is the plural of ism, “name”, and also a feminine given name. The different spelling أسمى (Asmā) means “higher” or “most exalted”.