Bibi, also spelled Bebe, means

Miss Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as " Doctor" or " Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

and is frequently used as a respectful title for women in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

when added to the given name. Bibi, like

Begum Begum (also begüm, bagum, begom, begam, baigum or beygum) is a royal and aristocratic title from Central and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title ''baig'' or '' bey'', which in Turkic languages means "higher official". It us ...

, is used as a surname by many women in the region. In

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The ''Oxford English ...

, the term bibi came to be seen as a synonym for mistress.

Notable people known by this title

Aisha Bibi The Aisha-Bibi ( kz, Айша бибі) is an 11th or 12th-century mausoleum for a noble woman located in the village of Aisha Bibi, west of Taraz, Kazakhstan on the Silk Road. It is locally famous as a monument to love and faithfulness. ...

, 12th-century noble woman, after whom a memorial and village are named in modern Kazakhstan * Bibi Ambha, the Hindu mother of

Sikandar Lodi Sikandar Khan Lodi (died 21 November 1517), born Nizam Khan, was a Pashtun Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate between 1489 and 1517. He became ruler of the Lodi dynasty after the death of his father Bahlul Khan Lodi in July 1489. The second and mo ...

Asia Bibi In 2010, a Pakistani Christian woman, Aasiya Noreen ( ur, , translit=Āsiyāh Naurīn, ; born ), commonly known as Asia Bibi () or Aasia Bibi, was convicted of blasphemy by a Pakistani court and was sentenced to death by hanging. In October ...

, a Catholic Christian worker accused of blasphemy in Pakistan * Bushra Bibi, wife of Imran Khan and First Lady of Pakistan * Sultana Chand Bibi (1550–1599 CE), also known as Chand Khatun or Chand Sultana, Indian Muslim woman warrior * Islam Bibi, (1974–2013), Afghan policewoman and human right activist. * Noorjahan Kakon Bibi, female freedom fighter in Bangladesh *

Mukhtaran Bibi Mukhtaran Bibi ( ur, ; born Kristof, N & Wudunn, S, (2009), "Half The Sky", Virago), now known as Mukhtār Mā'ī, is a Pakistani human rights activist from the village of Meerwala, located in the rural '' tehsil'' of Jatoi in the Muzaffargar ...

(born 1972, now known as Mukhtār Mā'ī), survivor of a gang rape in Pakistan * Pari Bibi, noblewomen of

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the ...

buried in

Lalbagh Fort Lalbagh Fort ( bn, লালবাগ কেল্লা) is a fort in the old city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Its name is derived from its neighborhood Lalbagh, which means Red Garden. The term Lalbagh refers to reddish and pinkish architecture from ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

* Taramon Bibi, female freedom fighter in Bangladesh * Taj Bibi, Empress consort of Emperor Jahangir and mother of Emperor Shah Jahan

References

{{reflist Titles in Pakistan South Asian culture Urdu-language words and phrases Hindi words and phrases Titles in Bangladesh Titles in India Women in Asia