Zahra (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: زهراء) is a female given name and surname. Among

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

, the name became popularized as a result of being the name of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

’s daughter, Fatimah al-Zahra. The name was also popularized by the Persian empire's influence in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, respectively. ''Zahra'' is also used as a surname, particularly in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. The names are may be transliterated in various ways, such as ''Zehra'' in Turkish language, ''Zahra(h)'', ''Zara'', ''Zuhra'', ''Zahraa'' and '' Zohrah''. In the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

expanded the use of this name to countries like

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

and

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. The is popular among

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

in the former Yugoslav nations and it is written as ''Zehra'' with one of the most famous bearers in the region being

Zehra Deović Zehra Deović (9 December 1938 – 30 October 2015) was a Bosnian sevdalinka-folk singer and was one of the leading female singers of the 1960s and 1970s in Yugoslavia, along with Silvana Armenulić, Nada Mamula and Beba Selimović. Deović ...

. Recently, the name has become popular once again in the form of Zara, becoming one of the most popular girls' names in

.https://namerology.com/baby-name-atlas/most-popular-girls-names-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina/

Female given name

Zahra

* Zahra Abdulla (born 1966), Somali-Finnish politician *''Zahra Abrahimzadeh'', mother of

Arman Abrahimzadeh Arman Abrahimzadeh is an Iranian-Afghan Australian anti-domestic violence campaigner based in Adelaide, South Australia, co-founder of Zahra Foundation Australia. Biography Abrahimzadeh and his family migrated to Australia from Iran in 1997. ...

, murdered by her husband ** Zahra Foundation, named after her *

Zahra Ahmadi Zahra Ahmadi (; born 1982) is a British actress from Plymouth, England of Persian descent. She is best known for playing the original Shabnam Masood in ''EastEnders''. Career She is known for her role as Shabnam Masood in the British televis ...

(born 1983), British actress * Zahra Airall,

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

activist *Zahra Alzubaidi, Iraqi film actress and musician *''Khalub Zahra'', was the mother of the 10th-century

caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

of Baghdad

al-Muttaqi Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Jaʿfar al-Muqtadir () better known by his regnal title al-Muttaqi (908 – July 968, ) was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 940 to 944. His reign marked the start of the 'later Abbasid period' (940–1258). Biography Al- ...

(r. 940–944). * Zahra Amir Ebrahimi (born 1981), Iranian television actress * Zahra Bahrami (c. 1965–2011), Dutch/Iranian executed for drug trafficking * Zahra Baker, Australian murder victim * Zahra Bani (born 1979), Somali-Italian javelin thrower * Zahra Bani Yaghoub (1980–2007), an Iranian doctor who died in prison *

Zohra Bensalem Zohra Bensalem (born April 5, 1990, in Béjaïa) is an Algerian international volleyball player. She competed for Algeria at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Club information *Current club : GSP (ex MC Alger Mouloudia Club d'Alger (), referred ...

(born 1990), Algerian volleyball player *

Zahra Dowlatabadi Zahra Dowlatabadi (Persian: زهرا دولت آبادی; born September 14, 1962) is an Iranian-born American filmmaker and film producer. She is the mother of American singer-songwriter Em Beihold. Biography Zahra Dowlatabadi received her ...

(born 1962), Iranian filmmaker *

Zahra Eshraghi Zahra Eshraghi Khomeini () (born 1964) is an Iranian activist and former government official. Early life and education Eshraghi was born in 1964. She is the granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini. She is a philosophy graduate. Views Zahra Eshraghi ...

(born c. 1964), Iranian feminist and human rights activist * Zahra Freeth (1924 or 1925–2015), a British writer on Middle Eastern subjects * Zahra Jishi, Lebanese-American translator of Arabic literature * Zahra Kamalfar, Iranian refugee to Canada * Zahra Kazemi (1949–2003), Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer * Zahra Aga Khan (born 1970), Swiss-born princess * Zahra Khanom Tadj es-Saltaneh (1883–1936), a Persian princess * Zahra' Langhi, Libyan gender specialist, civil society strategist and political activist * Zahra Lari, Emirati figure skater * Zahra Mansouri, Moroccan poet *

Zahra Mostafavi Khomeini Sayyida Zahra Mostafavi Khomeini (; born 13 November 1940) is an Iranian politician and educator. The daughter of Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian Revolution and subsequent Supreme Leader of Iran, Mostafavi was awarded a PhD in philos ...

(born c. 1940), Iranian politician, daughter of Ayatollah Khomeini * Zahra Rahmat Allah (born 1954), Yemeni short story writer *

Zahra Rahnavard Zahra Rahnavard (; born Zohreh Kazemi; 19 August 1945) is an Iranian academic, artist and politician. Rahnavard is a university professor, artist, and intellectual who was under house arrest from February 2011 to May 2018. In 2009, Foreign Poli ...

(born 1945), Iranian artist and politician *

Zahra Ouaziz Zahra Ouaziz () (born December 20, 1969, in Oulmes) is a retired Moroccan long-distance runner. She was the African record holder at 3000 metres and 5000 metres. Career Ouaziz broke the 5000 metres African Record in 1998, timing 14:40.19. The ...

(born 1969), Moroccan long-distance runner * Zahra Rahimi, Iranian para taekwondo practitioner * Zahra Redwood, Jamaican beauty queen * Zahra Shojaei, Iranian politician * Zahra Universe, American musician and actress * Zahra Hankir, Lebanese-British writer and journalist

Zehra

Given name

* Ada Zehra Anlatıcı (born 2007), Turkish swimmer with Down syndrome * Zehra Bilgin (born 2002), Turkish Olympian swimmer * Zehra Bilir (1913–2007), Turkish folk singer * Zehra Borazancı (born 1989), Turkish Cypriot women's footballer * Zehra Çırak (born 1960), Turkish-German writer *

(1938–2015), Bosnian sevdalinka singer *

Zehra Fazal Zehra Fazal is an American voice actress, known for voicing Nadia Rizavi in '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'' and Halo and Bluebird in '' Young Justice: Outsiders''. Career Prior to her voice acting career, Fazal, who is of Pakistani descent, was ...

(born 1986), South Asian-American voice actresses * Zehra Güneş (born 1999), Turkish volleyball player * Zehra Kaya (born 2004), Turkish karateka * Zehra Khan (born 1983), American artist *

Zehra Nigah Zehra Nigah () is a prominent Urdu poet and scriptwriter from Pakistan, affectionately known as 'Zehra Apa'. As one of the pioneers of Urdu poetry by women, Nigah was one of the first female poets to gain recognition in a male-dominated field. ...

, Pakistani Urdu poet * Zehra Öktem (born 1959), Turkish archer *

Zehra Say Zehra Say (February 18, 1906 – December 16, 1990) was a Turkish painter and first Turkish woman to be officially married under the 1926 Civil Marriage law. She is known as one of the pioneering women of Atatürk's Turkey for her modern look o ...

(1906–1990), Turkish painter * Zehra Sayers (born 1953), Turkish scientist in structural biology *

Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk Koç (born 1979) is a former minister of Family, Labour and Social Services of Turkey. Private life Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk was born in Ordu, Turkey in 1979. She is the daughter of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) po ...

(born 1979), Turkish politician * Zehra Topel (born 1987), Turkish international chess master

Middle name

* Belkıs Zehra Kaya (born 1984), Turkish judoka

Other variant spellings of female given name

Sahra Hausmann Sahra Hausmann (born 6 February 1973) is a Norwegian team handball player who played for the club Bækkelagets SK and on the Norway women's national handball team. She became World champion at World Women's Handball Championship in 1999, won silv ...

(born 1973), Norwegian team handball player *

Sahra Wagenknecht Sahra Wagenknecht (; 16 July 1969) is a German politician. She was a member of the Bundestag from 2009 to 2025, where she represented The Left until 2023. From 2015 to 2019, she served as that party's parliamentary co-chair. With a small team ...

(born 1969), German politician (with Iranian father) * Zohre Esmaeli (born 1985), Afghan model, designer and author * Zuhra Ramdan Agha Al-Awji (active 1920s), Turkish-Libyan educator Binte Muhammad

Fatimah Fatima bint Muhammad (; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs and ...

was the daughter of the Islamic prophet,

, and is greatly revered by Muslims, often under the extended name ''Fatimah az-Zahra' '', , or ''Fatimah Zahra' '', . This has then been used as a female given name. * Fatima Al Zahraa Haider (born ca. 1910), an Egyptian princess *Fatima Zahra Hafdi, known as La Zarra, Canadian-Moroccan singer *

Lalla Fatima Zohra Princess Lalla Fatima Zohra (29 June 1929 – 10 August 2014) was the eldest daughter of Mohammed V of Morocco and his first wife, Lalla Hanila bint Mamoun. Biography Lalla Fatima Zahra was born at the Royal Palace of Rabat, her parents Sultan ...

(1929–2014), Moroccan princess *Fatima-Zohra Imalayen, known as

Assia Djebar Fatima-Zohra Imalayen (; 30 June 1936 – 6 February 2015), known by her pen name Assia Djebar (), was an Algerian novelist, translator and filmmaker. Most of her works deal with obstacles faced by women, and she is noted for her feminist stance ...

(1936–2015), Algerian novelist, translator and filmmaker * Fatima Zohra Karadja (born 1949), Algerian, Vice-President for the African Union's Economic, Social and Cultural Council for Northern Africa * Fatma-Zohra Oukazi (born 1984), Algerian volleyball player * Fatima Zahra Djouad (born 1988), Algerian volleyball player

Male given name

* Zuhrah ibn Kilab, great-great-granduncle of Muhammad

Surname

* Adrian Zahra (born 1990), Australian footballer * Antoine Zahra (disambiguation), several people * Brian K. Zahra (born ca. 1960), American judge * Christian Zahra (born 1973), Maltese-Australian politician *

Francesco Zahra Francesco Vincenzo Zahra (, 15 December 1710 – 19 August 1773) was a Maltese painter who mainly painted religious works in the Neapolitan Baroque style. His works may be found in many churches around the Maltese Islands, as well as in some pri ...

(1710–1773), Maltese painter * Hindi Zahra (born 1979), Moroccan pop singer * Julie Zahra (born 1982), Maltese singer * Mark Zahra (born 1982), Australian jockey *

Muhammad Abu Zahra Muhammad Abu Zahra (; 1898–1974) was an Egyptian public intellectual and an influential Hanafi jurist. He occupied a number of positions; he was a lecturer of Islamic law at Al-Azhar University and a professor at Cairo University. He was also a ...

(1898–1974), Egyptian scholar of Islamic law and author * Scott Zahra, Australian rugby league player * Trevor Żahra (born 1947), Maltese novelist, poet and illustrator

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahra (Name) Arabic-language feminine given names Feminine given names Bosnian feminine given names Pakistani feminine given names