أُمّ كُلْثُوم
Umm Kulthum: meaning of the name
Girl Arabic origin Umm Kulthūm
Family of the Prophet ﷺ“Mother of Kulthum”; kulthum, “with a full, round face”
Umm Kulthum in Islam
Umm Kulthum, daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadija, married ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan after the death of her sister Ruqayya: this is why ʿUthman was called Dhu al-Nurayn, “the man of the two lights”. She died in the year 9 of the Hijra. The Prophet’s granddaughter ﷺ, daughter of ʿAli and Fatima, also bore this name.
Meaning of the name Umm Kulthum
Umm Kulthum is a kunya, a name of the form “mother of…”, used as a personal name. Kulthum means, according to the lexicographers, a person with a full face and round cheeks, a mark of beauty among the ancient Arabs. Kalthoum or Kulthum alone is also given; in Turkey the name became Ümmü Gülsüm and Gülsüm, associated with gül (“rose”).
- In Arabic
- أُمّ كُلْثُوم أم كلثوم
- Transliteration
- Umm Kulthūm
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Arabic
Is Umm Kulthum in the Quran?
No: the name Umm Kulthum does not appear in the Quran. A name can be beautiful and permissible without coming from the Quran.
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Umm Kulthum in particular: the general rules of Islam apply.
Read the rules for choosing a name
This page is an aid to reflection, not a fatwa. For a personal case, ask a person of knowledge.
Writing Umm Kulthum in each language
- French
- Oum Keltoum, Oumkeltoum, Kalthoum, Kaltoum
- English
- Umm Kulthum, Kulthum
- Spanish
- Umm Kulzum, Kalzum
- Turkish
- Ümmü Gülsüm, Gülsüm
- Arabic
- أُمّ كُلْثُوم
Similar names
See also
- Ruqayyaرُقَيَّة Diminutive from the root r-q-y: rising, ascent
- Zaynabزَيْنَب According to the lexicographers, a tree with a pleasant fragrance; meaning debated
- Fatimaفَاطِمَة “She who weans”; name of the Prophet’s daughter ﷺ
- Uthmanعُثْمَان An old Arabic name: the young of the bustard, or of the snake according to other lexicographers