Fatima

Where Fatima comes from

From Arabic فَاطِمَة (fāṭima). The name Fatima is from the Arabic root f-t-m (lit. 'to wean') and signifies the Shia belief that she, her progeny, and her adherents (Shi'a) have been spared from hellfire. Alternatively, the word Fatima is associated in Shia sources with Fatir (lit. 'creator', a name of God) as the earthly symbol of the divine creative power.
— Wiktionary's entry for Fatima
  • Arabic
  • 3 syllables
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 604
    Fatima born
    daughter of Muhammad
  2. 1893
    Fatima Jinnah born
    Pakistani dental surgeon, biographer and stateswoman
  3. 1919
    First appearance
    #4,251 among girls, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  4. 2001
    Peak, #227
    1,408 babies named Fatima — more than any year before or since.
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from Arabic, of Muslim and Catholic usage, in the latter case in honor of Our Lady of Fátima.
Namesakes
  • Fatima · daughter of Muhammad, 604–632
  • Fatima Jinnah · Pakistani dental surgeon, biographer and stateswoman, 1893–1967
  • Fatima al-Fihriya · Legendary founder of the al-Qarawiyyin mosque, 800–880
  • Fatima Sana Shaikh · Indian film and television actress, born 1992
  • Fatima Whitbread · British athlete; former javelin thrower, born 1961

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.