Updated January 10, 2024

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Find Baby Names

Boy name origins & meanings

  • Arabic : The king

How Popular Is The Name Shah

Family name origins & meanings

  • Muslim : from the Persian royal title Shāh ‘king’, ‘emperor’. This was the title adopted by the kings of the Pahlavi dynasty (1925–79). Shāh is found in combination with other words, e.g. Shāh Jahan (name of a Mughal emperor, ruled 1628–57) and Shāh ‛Ālam ‘king of the world’ (name of a Mughal emperor, ruled 1707–12). This name is widespread in Iran and the subcontinent.
  • Indian (Gujarat, Rajasthan) : Hindu (Bania, Vania) and Jain name, from Gujarati sah ‘merchant’ (from Sanskrit sādhu ‘honest’, ‘good’). This name was originally Sah; it appears to have been altered under the influence of the Persian word for ‘king’ (see 1).

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