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Arif as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Arif

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The baby name Arif is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced IPA: /ˈʕaːrif/ — Anglicized: 'AH-rif' (stress on first syllable).

Arif is Arabic in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: IPA: /ˈʕaːrif/ — Anglicized: 'AH-rif' (stress on first syllable)

What is the meaning of the name Arif ?

The baby name Arif is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced IPA: /ˈʕaːrif/ — Anglicized: 'AH-rif' (stress on first syllable).

Arif is Arabic in Origin.

Arif is an Arabic masculine name from ʿĀrif (عارف), derived from the root ʿ-R-F “to know, recognize.” It denotes “knowledgeable, wise, perceptive; one who knows.” In Islamic mysticism, al-ʿārif billāh refers to a Sufi “knower of God”; related terms maʿrifa and ʿirfān share the same root. The name spread across the Muslim world - Arab lands, Persia/Iran, Turkey, the Balkans, Central and South Asia, and maritime Southeast Asia - through religious and cultural exchange.

Variants and transliterations include ʿĀrif, Arif (standard), Aref, Aarif, and Indonesian Arief; Turkish also uses Arif, as do Bosnian and Albanian contexts. The feminine counterpart is Arifa (also Arefa/Aarifa), and related male names include Irfan/İrfan (“gnosis”) and Maʿruf (“well-known”). Documented since early Islamic centuries in biographical dictionaries and court poetry, Arif has been borne by scholars, poets, and public figures, maintaining steady use in contemporary Muslim communities and diasporas.

Arif has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Arif

Arif Alvi Politician · Born 1949 · Pakistan Arif Alvi is a prominent Pakistani politician who served as the President of Pakistan. He played a key role in the country's political landscape and was a founding member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Born in 1949, he has been influential in shaping modern Pakistani politics.

Arif – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2003 #1 — 569
FJ 0 #6 1 374
BD Boys 0 #7 6,347 10,045
BD 0 #10 512 5,992
BN 0 #12 20 2,297
BN Boys 0 #13 220 6,332
MV 0 #17 3 644
ID Boys 0 #24 144 4,130
AZ Boys 0 #26 190 1,400
ID 0 #26 14 2,238
ET Boys 0 #27 1 678
KR Boys 0 #27 1 897
AZ 0 #28 16 706
TM Boys 0 #28 9 614
MV Boys 0 #29 54 3,375
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
MY Boys 0 #35 7,172 25,439
DJ Boys 0 #36 1 657
OM Boys 0 #36 4,934 17,948
GE 0 #43 2 997
SA Boys 0 #44 20,747 28,008
AE Boys 0 #52 6,407 22,615
BH 0 #52 1,263 17,937
AF 0 #56 21 1,883
AF Boys 0 #59 392 3,535
IN 0 #63 9 2,963
QA Boys 0 #71 1,752 18,093
AL 0 #72 5 2,372
KW Boys 0 #73 2,321 18,755
AZ Girls 0 #74 2 1,051
QA 0 #74 27 7,011
OM 0 #76 41 6,215
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
SI 0 #78 3 1,612
BG 0 #81 2 1,799
TR 0 #83 28,300 19,440
KW 0 #88 29 5,216
AF Girls 0 #89 6 2,402
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
SD 0 #95 8 2,130
GE Boys 0 #96 14 2,055
BN Girls 0 #97 10 5,459
ID Girls 0 #101 2 3,319
TW 0 #102 2 4,523
AE 0 #113 65 10,220
MY 0 #114 248 12,352
CY Boys 0 #125 7 3,473
EE Boys 0 #125 1 2,087
IQ 0 #127 7 3,533
GR 0 #134 2 3,911
Switzerland Boys 2024 #135 3 1,769
MU 0 #137 1 3,613
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
SG Boys 0 #141 1,125 17,960
RS Boys 0 #143 12 2,277
BG Boys 0 #144 78 3,850
OM Girls 0 #148 277 15,987
SI Boys 0 #148 63 3,402
LT Boys 0 #149 3 2,166
BW Boys 0 #153 2 4,685
GR Boys 0 #153 123 6,912
SA 0 #153 148 10,560
IN Boys 0 #162 2,725 16,750
TW Boys 0 #166 80 7,111
AL Boys 0 #170 139 5,122
HU Boys 0 #172 3 3,954
BD Girls 0 #174 249 8,413
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
Sweden Boys 2021 #182 2 1,578
RU 0 #192 3 3,641
DK 0 #202 5 5,198
LU Boys 0 #217 4 4,970
AL Girls 0 #223 5 4,141
KZ Boys 0 #224 66 6,578
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
MO Boys 0 #229 6 5,842
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
QA Girls 0 #239 78 15,378
SD Boys 0 #242 236 10,523
GR Girls 0 #244 6 6,293
JP Girls 0 #248 4 6,592
SG 0 #248 22 11,010
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
HR Boys 0 #252 8 3,997
NA Boys 0 #252 2 6,830
JP Boys 0 #253 45 7,909
YE 0 #274 111 8,639
IL 0 #282 1 6,291
DK Boys 0 #283 43 7,401
TW Girls 0 #284 6 8,139
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
Austria Boys 0 #295 152 2,180
Canada Boys 2024 #301 6 2,588
Finland Boys 0 #302 129 2,041
CN Boys 0 #303 17 9,639
CZ Boys 0 #304 2 6,530
RU Boys 0 #311 211 12,621
SA Girls 0 #312 857 25,931
JO Girls 0 #314 12 7,570
AE Girls 0 #316 241 20,968
JO Boys 0 #328 50 7,057
DK Girls 0 #329 1 7,429
PL Boys 0 #334 7 6,459
MU Boys 0 #344 14 8,477
PT Boys 0 #348 20 7,951
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
SD Girls 0 #357 2 7,678
CN Girls 0 #359 1 8,829
GH Boys 0 #361 1 8,138
MU Girls 0 #361 2 8,539
NL 0 #379 13 2,481
France Boys 2020 #384 8 2,846
IQ Boys 0 #397 299 13,071
PH Boys 0 #401 8 11,440
Germany 0 #405 33 2,542
KW Girls 0 #407 109 19,177
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
Germany Boys 0 #426 722 5,697
LY 0 #436 101 12,703
MX 0 #445 1 8,339
IR Boys 0 #459 94 10,162
ZA 0 #468 7 14,421
HK Boys 0 #482 46 12,905
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
IQ Girls 0 #494 11 11,303
IN Girls 0 #498 134 13,121
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
PA Boys 0 #502 4 9,305
CR Boys 0 #504 7 10,188
RU Girls 0 #522 2 11,913
PS Boys 0 #527 22 10,655
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
SG Girls 0 #551 36 18,916
MA 0 #566 765 20,986
IL Boys 0 #569 39 10,983
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
LB 0 #591 68 13,263
NL Boys 0 #619 351 5,873
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
Finland Boys 2026 #636 47 3,552
HK Girls 0 #643 8 16,104
SY 0 #677 52 11,684
IT Boys 0 #682 1,037 10,046
IT 0 #695 20 4,183
CL Boys 0 #696 5 13,390
EG Boys 0 #752 135 15,035
TN 0 #769 61 13,765
BR Boys 0 #784 2 12,213
MY Girls 0 #795 200 24,821
Spain Boys 0 #803 128 5,610
NG Girls 0 #825 2 15,093
Germany Girls 0 #829 10 4,949
United States Boys 2024 #878 15 7,044
ZA Boys 0 #897 286 25,619
PE Boys 0 #919 8 14,506
DZ 0 #929 248 20,130
NG Boys 0 #934 18 16,906
MX Boys 0 #969 14 16,355
CO Boys 0 #978 4 15,656
EG Girls 0 #1,007 3 14,742
ZA Girls 0 #1,230 7 25,928
IT Girls 0 #1,418 29 9,415

Arif is popular in 89 countries — most recent births per country:

France
United States
Switzerland
Canada
Sweden

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Arif

Arif is predominantly a boy's name.
Arif is a 2 syllable name, pronounced IPA: /ˈʕaːrif/ — Anglicized: 'AH-rif' (stress on first syllable).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Aref, Aarif, Areef, Arief and ʿĀrif.
Yes, very popular — Arif ranked #1 in Ireland in 2003, and appears in official birth registries across 8 countries.
Arif ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2003).
Arif's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #403 in 2010 to #384 in 2020 in France.
Yes — 1 notable people named Arif are in our database, including Arif Alvi (Politician).