| Pronunciation | Arabic: [faː.tˤi.mah] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Arabic |
| Meaning | one who abstains[1][2] |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Fathima, Fatimah, Fadumo, Fadime, Fadima, Fatma, Fatme, Fatemeh, Fathama, Fadma, Fatna, Fatim, Fotima, Patimat, Petimat |
Fatima (Arabic: فَاطِمَة, Fāṭimah), also spelled Fatimah, is a feminine given name of Arabic origin used throughout the Muslim world. Several relatives of the Islamic prophet Muhammad had the name, including his daughter Fatima as the most famous one. The literal meaning of the name is one who separates or one who abstains.[3][4] It is used in the context of "separating people from Hell" "being separated from Hell" "weaning from the punishment of Hell" "separating good from evil" or "being separated from evil," so it is also considered to mean "one who splits from Hell."
The colloquial Arabic pronunciation of the name in some varieties (e.g., Syrian and Egyptian) often omits the unstressed second syllable and renders it as Fatma when romanized. Incidentally, this is also the usual Turkish and Azerbaijani form of the name (another variant, Fadime, is less common). In South Asian countries, such as India (most commonly), Pakistan, it may be spelt as Fathima. In Persian, the name is rendered as Fatemeh in the Iranian dialect, Fatima in Afghan dialect, and Fotima (Фотима) in Tajik dialect. The name Fatima is given in honor of Prophet Muhammad’s daughter Fatima, who, in Islamic traditions, was given this name because she would save her followers from Hell.
Fatima is also used by non-Muslims: the town of Fátima, Portugal (originally named after an Arab princess) was the site of a famous Marian apparition in 1917, after which it achieved some popularity as a female personal name among Catholic populations, particularly in the Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries.