Intikhab as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Intikhab

What is the meaning of the name Intikhab ?

The baby name Intikhab is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced IPA: /ɪn.tɪˈxɑːb/; simple: in-tik-HAAB (kh = Arabic خ).

Intikhab is Arabic in Origin.

Intikhab is an Arabic-derived name (انتخاب), pronounced in-tee-KHAAB, meaning “selection,” “choice,” or “election.” It comes from the triliteral root n-kh-b, “to choose,” and entered naming traditions through Persian and Urdu literary culture, where intikhāb also denotes an anthology or curated collection (e.g., Intikhab-e-Kalam). The name carries connotations of discernment and being “the chosen one.” It is used chiefly among South Asian Muslims - in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh - and became more visible in the 20th century as abstract Arabic nouns gained favor as given names; Pakistani cricketer Intikhab Alam is a well-known bearer.

Common transliterations and variants include Intikhāb, Intekhab, and Intakhab; in Urdu it is written انتخاب and in Bengali ইন্তেখাব. The name is predominantly masculine, though occasionally unisex in modern usage. Related but distinct are Muntakhab (“chosen/selected”) and Ikhtiyar (“choice/discretion”), which share semantic fields but not the same form.