Maymuna

Popularity over time

Name story

Maymuna (ميمونة) is a classical Arabic name meaning 'blessed, auspicious, fortunate, of good omen.' It derives from the root 'yamn' (يُمن), conveying luck and divine favor — a meaning that parents across the Arab world, East Africa, and South Asia have found irresistible for more than fourteen centuries. The name is considered deeply propitious: to be called Maymuna is to carry your blessing in your very identity.

The name's most historically significant bearer is Maymunah bint al-Harith al-Hilaliyyah, who became the last wife of the Prophet Muhammad in 629 CE. Revered as one of the 'Mothers of the Believers' in Islamic tradition, her life and character — known for piety, generosity, and scholarship in hadith narration — gave the name an enduring spiritual prestige across the Muslim world. Her tomb near Mecca in Sarif remains a site of veneration.

The name also appears in the 'One Thousand and One Nights' in various forms, threading through Arabic literary culture as a name for wise and capable women. In contemporary use, Maymuna is widespread in Nigeria (particularly among Hausa and Fulani communities), in East African Swahili-speaking countries, across the Arab world, and in Muslim communities of South and Southeast Asia. It has not yet attracted mainstream Western attention, which means it remains a name of deep cultural specificity and integrity — chosen intentionally, carrying real weight, and almost always meaningful to the family who gives it.