Should I Change My Name If It Is Not Arabic?

Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas

Question: My name is Marc and have been muslim my entire life. Do I have to change this name?

Answer: Assalamu alaykum

You do not have to change your name. However, if you would like to then there is no problem with this.

The Prophet (blessing and peace be upon him) advised his community to keep good names and even changed the names of some of his Companions when they had negative meanings. The best of names that he suggested were the names of prophets, as well as Abd Allah and Abd al-Rahman. The sunna practice, however, is to generally choose a name that has a sound meaning. [Muslim, Sahih; Abu Dawud, Sunan]

Please see also: Can a Man Change His Last Name?

Wassalam,
[Ustadh] Salman Younas

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Salman Younas graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Political Science and Religious Studies. After studying the Islamic sciences online and with local scholars in New York, Ustadh Salman moved to Amman. There he studies Islamic law, legal methodology, belief, hadith methodology, logic, Arabic, and tafsir.