Fatima

Fatima is a traditionally feminine, Muslim name with Arabic roots. Meaning "captivating," Fatima appears in the Koran as the daughter of Muhammed, the prophet. She's supposedly one of the Koran's four "perfect" women (the others are named Mary, Khadijah, and Aisha).

Fans of Fatima may also want to consider Arabic names such as Jameelah, Hinna, Kalila, or Muhsana. More contemporary versions with similar sounds or Arabic roots include Adda, Kaia, Keely, Neely, Molly, Zara, Hinna, Jasmin, Johnna, Kyla, Latasha, Lynne, Millicent, Sena, Taruh, or Waqi. Or explore the more straightforward variations of Fatima: Fatimah, Fateemah, Fatma, Fatmah.

Fatima peaked in popularity in 2007 and has been dropping since, making it a unique pick these days. In 2018 Fatima ranked below the 300th most popular name in the U.S.

Famous Fatimas include actor Fatima Ptacek, designer Fatima Lopes, athlete Fatima Whitbread, politician Fatima Jinnah, actor Fatima Sana Shaikh, artist Fátima Campo, and choreographer Fatima Robinson. Fatima is also the subject of a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, and she's a character in Paul Coelho's novel 'The Alchemist' (Coelho's Fatima is a desert dweller and the lover of the novel's protagonist, Santiago).

Fatima in quotes:

"If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.” The man was speaking the language of alchemy. But the boy knew that he was referring to Fatima." — Paul Coelho, 'The Alchemist'

"O Love, Love, Love! O withering might!
O sun, that from thy noonday height
Shudderest when I strain my sight,
Throbbing thro' all thy heat and light,
Lo, falling from my constant mind,
Lo, parch'd and wither'd, deaf and blind,
I whirl like leaves in roaring wind."
— 'Fatima' by Alfred Lord Tennyson