1. Key Attributes of the Baby Name Yahya
| How to pronounce Yahya | Yes + hUmble + Hill + YArd British English. Each block is a syllable. Thick black border indicates stress/emphasis. Other pronunciations are acceptable. |
|---|---|
| Original Spelling | يحيى (Yahya written in its original language) |
| Alternate spellings of Yahya | Yahyaa Yahia Yahea Iahea Yehia All of the above spellings are acceptable for this name. You may also create your own spelling. |
2. Detailed Meaning of Yahya
Yahya is a direct Quranic name for boys. It has a special significance since it was a divinely created and chosen name, as retold in the Surat Maryam 19:7
O Zachariah, We bring you good news of a son whose name shall be Yahya. We have not given such a name to anyone before.
Yahya is one of the high status prophets, mentioned in a number of places in the Quran, such as in the same sura as above:
12. O Yahya! take hold of the Book with strength, and We granted him wisdom while yet a child
13. And hananan (tenderness) from Us and purity, and he was one who guarded (against evil),
14. And dutiful to his parents, and he was not insolent, disobedient.
15. And peace on him on the day he was born, and on the day he dies, and on the day he is raised to life. (Quran 19:12-15)
The meaning of Yahya isn’t certain because it is not necessarily Arabic, though it is likely related to Arabic in being a Hebrew/Aramaic name. In Arabic it literally means “He lives”, and the scholars say this means that his legacy will continue to live forever. It could also refer to the fact that he was brought to life in his mother’s womb even though she was barren and her husband an old man.
The word hananan in verse 13 above, which means tenderness, is only mentioned in that one place in the Quran in regards to Yahya, and it also happens to be the root of the Hebrew name for Prophet Yahya: Yohanan. Due to this relationship between Yahya and Hanan, it is possible that the meaning of Yahya has relations to the word “tenderness”.