Yahya (يَحْيَى) is a beautiful Islamic boy name meaning "Prophet John; he who lives". Discover its Arabic origin, pronunciation, Quranic significance and translations in Urdu, Pashto, Farsi, Turkish, Bengali, Hindi, Malay and more.
Yahya is written يَحْيَى in Arabic script and is given to a boy. Its core meaning is "Prophet John; he who lives", a quality Muslim parents have chosen to bless their son with for generations.
Names in Islam are considered an amanah — a trust the parent gives the child for life. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught that on the Day of Judgement people will be called by their names and their fathers' names, which is why a Muslim name should carry a good, dignified meaning such as the one behind Yahya.
| Name | Yahya |
|---|---|
| Arabic script | يَحْيَى |
| Meaning | Prophet John; he who lives |
| Gender | Muslim boy name |
| Origin | Arabic / Islamic |
| Pronunciation | YA-HYA |
| Starts with | Y |
| Letters | 5 |
Because Muslim families live across the Arab world, South Asia, Central Asia, Turkey and Southeast Asia, the name Yahya is written and understood slightly differently in each language. Here is the meaning of Yahya translated into every major Muslim language.
| Arabic | اسم نبي الله يحيى، الذي يحيا |
|---|---|
| English | Prophet John; he who lives |
| Urdu | حضرت یحییٰؑ، زندہ رہنے والا |
| Pashto | د حضرت یحیی نوم |
| Dari | نام حضرت یحیی |
| Farsi | نام پیامبر یحیی |
| Hindi | पैगंबर यहया, जीवित रहने वाला |
| Bengali | নবী ইয়াহইয়া, যিনি বেঁচে থাকেন |
| Telugu | ప్రవక్త యాహ్యా |
| Tamil | இறைத்தூதர் யஹ்யா |
| Punjabi | ਪੈਗ਼ੰਬਰ ਯਹਯਾ |
| Sindhi | حضرت يحيىٰ عليه السلام |
| Balochi | حضرت یحییٰءِ نام |
| Turkish | Hz. Yahya, yaşayan |
| Malay | Nabi Yahya, yang hidup |
Yes. Yahya carries the positive meaning "Prophet John; he who lives", contains nothing that contradicts Islamic belief, and does not claim an attribute reserved for Allah alone. Scholars advise avoiding names with arrogant, hopeless or shirk-related meanings — Yahya falls into none of those categories.
It is customary to name a child on the seventh day after birth, together with the aqiqah, though naming earlier or later is permitted. Many parents pair Yahya with a second name to form a full Islamic name.
Yahya (يَحْيَى) means "Prophet John; he who lives". It is an Islamic boy name of Arabic origin.
Yahya is used as a Muslim boy name.
Yahya is pronounced YA-HYA, following the Arabic pronunciation of يَحْيَى.
In Urdu, Yahya means "حضرت یحییٰؑ، زندہ رہنے والا".
Yahya is an authentic Arabic Islamic name meaning "Prophet John; he who lives". Whether the exact word appears in the Quran, its root and meaning are firmly within the Arabic and Islamic naming tradition.