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Ilham as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Ilham

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The baby name Ilham is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ʔilˈhaːm/ (Arabic); /ɪlˈhɑm/ (anglicized) — respelling: il-HAM.

Ilham is Arabic in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: /ʔilˈhaːm/ (Arabic); /ɪlˈhɑm/ (anglicized) — respelling: il-HAM

What is the meaning of the name Ilham ?

The baby name Ilham is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ʔilˈhaːm/ (Arabic); /ɪlˈhɑm/ (anglicized) — respelling: il-HAM.

Ilham is Arabic in Origin.

Ilham is an Arabic unisex name meaning “inspiration” or “divine prompting,” from the verb alhama “to inspire” (root L-H-M). In Arabic-speaking countries it leans feminine, while in the Caucasus, Turkey-influenced regions, and Southeast Asia it is often masculine; Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev exemplifies the latter. The concept of ilhām appears in classical Sufi writings to denote inward, non-prophetic guidance, which helped the word migrate into personal naming across the Islamic world.

The name spread via Persian and Ottoman cultural routes and is now common from Morocco to Indonesia. Transliterations and related forms include Elham (Persian, Arabic), Ilhame and Ilhem (Maghrebi/French), and Turkish-influenced İlhami (masculine derivative “inspired”). Additional cognates are Mulham/Mulhim (“inspired/inspirer”). Ilham carries a calm, aspirational tenor, suggesting creativity, insight, and receptivity to guidance - qualities that make it appealing across languages and traditions.

Ilham has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Ilham

Ilham Aliyev Politician · Born 1961 · Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is best known as the president of Azerbaijan, a position he has held since 2003. He is an Azerbaijani politician and has also led the New Azerbaijan Party since 2005.

Ilham – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
AZ Boys 0 #17 256 1,400
DJ 0 #17 1 322
MV 0 #18 2 644
BN 0 #28 5 2,297
DJ Girls 0 #29 1 488
TM Boys 0 #31 6 614
ID 0 #33 7 2,238
AZ 0 #34 10 706
MV Girls 0 #34 2 2,021
GE 0 #43 2 997
ID Boys 0 #66 69 4,130
MA 0 #67 30,197 20,986
AZ Girls 0 #72 4 1,051
AF 0 #73 4 1,883
MV Boys 0 #74 6 3,375
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
MD Boys 0 #81 1 756
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
GE Boys 0 #90 20 2,055
AF Girls 0 #93 2 2,402
BN Boys 0 #97 37 6,332
TW 0 #97 7 4,523
SD 0 #99 4 2,130
QA 0 #101 6 7,011
ID Girls 0 #102 1 3,319
BN Girls 0 #113 2 5,459
KW 0 #119 3 5,216
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
IQ 0 #132 2 3,533
Switzerland Boys 2024 #136 2 1,769
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
AE 0 #166 12 10,220
Sweden Girls 2017 #169 6 1,647
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
LU Girls 0 #185 6 4,850
Belgium Girls 2007 #188 27 407
KZ Boys 0 #189 107 6,578
Sweden Boys 2016 #191 2 1,526
RU 0 #193 2 3,641
TW Boys 0 #196 46 7,111
DK 0 #204 3 5,198
PS 0 #222 5 5,692
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
AF Boys 0 #235 36 3,535
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
JO Girls 0 #254 73 7,570
MY Boys 0 #258 1,778 25,439
MO Girls 0 #262 2 7,056
MY 0 #267 64 12,352
TW Girls 0 #267 10 8,139
QA Girls 0 #269 48 15,378
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
Canada Girls 2020 #278 6 2,919
SA 0 #279 17 10,560
IL 0 #280 3 6,291
SG 0 #280 3 11,010
SD Girls 0 #286 60 7,678
JP Boys 0 #288 10 7,909
DZ 0 #295 2,243 20,130
DK Girls 0 #302 15 7,429
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
OM Girls 0 #310 87 15,987
GH Girls 0 #311 14 6,973
RU Boys 0 #316 205 12,621
DK Boys 0 #330 3 7,401
Canada Boys 2017 #331 5 2,609
CN Girls 0 #358 2 8,829
GH Boys 0 #359 3 8,138
MU Girls 0 #360 3 8,539
YE 0 #368 14 8,639
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
France Boys 2021 #375 13 2,865
NL 0 #378 14 2,481
PT Boys 0 #380 2 7,951
France Girls 2021 #386 20 3,185
JO Boys 0 #386 4 7,057
EG 0 #390 11 6,387
BD Girls 0 #398 9 8,413
AE Girls 0 #405 149 20,968
IQ Girls 0 #411 94 11,303
PS Girls 0 #414 110 10,981
Spain 0 #443 10 2,326
SD Boys 0 #462 5 10,523
PT Girls 0 #469 3 7,952
LB 0 #472 191 13,263
ZA 0 #473 2 14,421
KW Girls 0 #495 21 19,177
LY 0 #507 29 12,703
HK Boys 0 #516 12 12,905
RU Girls 0 #519 5 11,913
IL Girls 0 #523 95 11,648
BH 0 #531 23 17,937
IR Girls 0 #544 2 8,334
CM Girls 0 #558 3 11,671
PS Boys 0 #559 3 10,655
SY 0 #559 175 11,684
BD Boys 0 #562 15 10,045
IR Boys 0 #564 2 10,162
CR Girls 0 #572 2 11,342
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
SG Girls 0 #577 10 18,916
IL Boys 0 #620 6 10,983
SG Boys 0 #623 75 17,960
HK Girls 0 #647 4 16,104
IQ Boys 0 #648 20 13,071
IN Girls 0 #653 2 13,121
Spain Girls 0 #655 354 5,561
QA Boys 0 #657 51 18,093
NL Girls 0 #661 303 5,933
SA Girls 0 #674 262 25,931
TN 0 #677 153 13,765
IT 0 #686 29 4,183
NG Girls 0 #698 89 15,093
Finland Girls 2026 #705 34 3,895
IT Girls 0 #735 957 9,415
MY Girls 0 #753 245 24,821
KW Boys 0 #757 13 18,755
TR 0 #777 534 19,440
Germany Girls 0 #778 61 4,949
EG Girls 0 #778 183 14,742
EG Boys 0 #855 32 15,035
OM Boys 0 #866 16 17,948
United States Boys 2023 #891 8 7,053
United States Girls 2024 #904 13 8,487
CL Girls 0 #915 1 14,098
PE Boys 0 #921 6 14,506
Germany Boys 0 #938 15 5,697
NL Boys 0 #938 14 5,873
BR Girls 0 #992 1 12,708
NG Boys 0 #995 7 16,906
IN Boys 0 #1,038 2 16,750
AE Boys 0 #1,053 40 22,615
ZA Girls 0 #1,118 24 25,928
MX Girls 0 #1,267 1 17,781
SA Boys 0 #1,347 268 28,008
IT Boys 0 #1,431 41 10,046

Ilham is popular in 69 countries — most recent births per country:

France
United States
Brussels, Belgium
Switzerland
Flanders, Belgium

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People also ask about Ilham

Ilham is predominantly a unisex name, used for both boys and girls.
Ilham is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ʔilˈhaːm/ (Arabic); /ɪlˈhɑm/ (anglicized) — respelling: il-HAM.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Elham, Ilhām, İlham, İlhām and الهام (Arabic script).
Across languages, Ilham has these equivalents: Ilhami (Turkish masculine form), Elham (Persian/Arabic variant), Muse (English, literal equivalent meaning 'inspiration').
Yes — Ilham ranked #136 in Switzerland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Ilham ranks highest in Switzerland (#136 in 2024).
Yes — 1 notable people named Ilham are in our database, including Ilham Aliyev (Politician).