Q: We have named my son Keyaan. A friend drew our attention to the origin of his name. The name is from Irish mythology, also belonged to pagan Persian kings, also found that it is widely used in hindu and tamil community. I have checked the Arabic meaning and it means entity. As for any words, entity also has a vast array of meanings. One of the meanings is ghost or spirit or anything that is living or non living, anything from the unseen. So far I don’t see anything positive about the name. Please clarify and let me know whether my findings are correct.
A: If the name has shirk, kufr or Hindu connotations or it is known to be a name kept by kuffaar, then it should be changed.
And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by:
Mufti Zakaria Makada
Checked & Approved:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)