Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Irfan as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Irfan

♡Add to my Name List

The baby name Irfan is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Arabic IPA: [ʕɪrˈfaːn]; English approximation: ir-FAHN (/ɪrˈfɑːn/).

Irfan is Arabic in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: Arabic IPA: [ʕɪrˈfaːn]; English approximation: ir-FAHN (/ɪrˈfɑːn/)

What is the meaning of the name Irfan ?

The baby name Irfan is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Arabic IPA: [ʕɪrˈfaːn]; English approximation: ir-FAHN (/ɪrˈfɑːn/).

Irfan is Arabic in Origin.

Irfan is an Arabic masculine given name (Arabic: عرفان, ʿIrfān) deriving from the root ʿ-R-F, “to know, to recognize.” In classical Arabic it denotes “gnosis, knowledge, insight,” and by extension connotes discernment and spiritual understanding. The term passed into Persian and Urdu as erfān/irfān, where it also names the field of Islamic mysticism, and into Turkish as İrfan, preserving the sense of cultivated wisdom. Common variants and spellings include Irfaan, Erfan, Arfan, and the diacritic form Irfān.

As a personal name, Irfan appears across the Middle East, South and Central Asia, Anatolia, the Balkans, and Muslim communities worldwide. It gained particular currency through Sufi literature and philosophical texts that valorized erfān as inner knowledge. Modern bearers span scholars, artists, and athletes, helping maintain steady, cross-regional usage. Regional preferences vary - İrfan in Turkey, Erfan in Iran, Irfan/Irfaan in South Asia - yet the name consistently signals aspiration toward understanding, wisdom, and recognized truth.

Irfan has the following similar or variant Names

Irfan – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2009 #1 — 756
FJ Boys 0 #17 1 603
KR Boys 0 #26 2 897
ID 0 #27 13 2,238
BN 0 #28 5 2,297
SA Boys 0 #31 27,174 28,008
DJ Boys 0 #36 1 657
AE Boys 0 #39 8,000 22,615
BN Boys 0 #46 97 6,332
OM Boys 0 #58 3,732 17,948
IN 0 #59 12 2,963
MY Boys 0 #59 5,444 25,439
AF 0 #60 17 1,883
ID Boys 0 #70 65 4,130
OM 0 #73 45 6,215
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
MV Boys 0 #76 4 3,375
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
SI 0 #77 4 1,612
QA 0 #79 22 7,011
RS 0 #81 4 923
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
GR Boys 0 #83 290 6,912
QA Boys 0 #83 1,544 18,093
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
AF Girls 0 #87 8 2,402
AE 0 #90 88 10,220
KW Boys 0 #92 1,985 18,755
RS Boys 0 #95 65 2,277
SD 0 #101 2 2,130
ID Girls 0 #102 1 3,319
TW 0 #102 2 4,523
KW 0 #105 12 5,216
BN Girls 0 #110 5 5,459
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
BH 0 #112 730 17,937
AF Boys 0 #123 184 3,535
CY Boys 0 #123 9 3,473
GR 0 #123 12 3,911
IN Boys 0 #125 3,813 16,750
SA 0 #129 182 10,560
IQ 0 #130 4 3,533
MU 0 #134 4 3,613
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
BD 0 #147 82 5,992
BW Boys 0 #153 2 4,685
SI Boys 0 #163 47 3,402
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
MT Boys 0 #175 5 4,064
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
BD Boys 0 #178 738 10,045
TR 0 #178 14,113 19,440
Sweden Boys 2022 #180 3 1,509
LU Boys 0 #199 20 4,970
BG Boys 0 #202 18 3,850
DK 0 #204 3 5,198
TW Boys 0 #216 26 7,111
MY 0 #230 105 12,352
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
Finland Boys 0 #245 203 2,041
GR Girls 0 #245 5 6,293
AL Boys 0 #247 52 5,122
HR Boys 0 #248 11 3,997
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
SG 0 #252 18 11,010
JP Boys 0 #258 40 7,909
SG Boys 0 #261 608 17,960
DK Boys 0 #265 61 7,401
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
MU Boys 0 #276 82 8,477
OM Girls 0 #277 120 15,987
QA Girls 0 #278 39 15,378
TW Girls 0 #288 2 8,139
KZ Boys 0 #293 4 6,578
CN Boys 0 #294 26 9,639
Canada Boys 2024 #300 7 2,588
CZ Boys 0 #303 3 6,530
SA Girls 0 #314 839 25,931
Austria Boys 0 #325 120 2,180
AE Girls 0 #332 225 20,968
JO Boys 0 #335 43 7,057
PL Boys 0 #336 5 6,459
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
SD Girls 0 #356 3 7,678
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
PT Boys 0 #358 10 7,951
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
YE 0 #364 18 8,639
BD Girls 0 #368 19 8,413
France Boys 2021 #379 9 2,865
SD Boys 0 #400 46 10,523
PH Boys 0 #404 5 11,440
Germany 0 #406 32 2,542
EG 0 #409 4 6,387
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
KW Girls 0 #433 83 19,177
ZA 0 #437 11 14,421
Spain 0 #443 10 2,326
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
HK Boys 0 #490 38 12,905
LY 0 #492 44 12,703
RU Boys 0 #493 13 12,621
IN Girls 0 #496 136 13,121
IQ Boys 0 #499 169 13,071
PA Boys 0 #501 5 9,305
Germany Boys 0 #504 549 5,697
CR Boys 0 #508 3 10,188
IR Boys 0 #517 36 10,162
RU Girls 0 #520 4 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #524 2 11,303
IR Girls 0 #542 4 8,334
PS Boys 0 #557 5 10,655
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
SG Girls 0 #575 12 18,916
IL Boys 0 #621 5 10,983
HK Girls 0 #646 5 16,104
Finland Boys 2026 #650 33 3,552
LB 0 #687 4 13,263
IT 0 #692 23 4,183
CL Boys 0 #700 1 13,390
SY 0 #712 17 11,684
NL Boys 0 #735 218 5,873
Spain Boys 0 #751 182 5,610
MY Girls 0 #755 243 24,821
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
IT Boys 0 #800 763 10,046
EG Boys 0 #833 54 15,035
TN 0 #860 6 13,765
United States Boys 2024 #876 17 7,044
ZA Boys 0 #882 305 25,619
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
NG Boys 0 #940 12 16,906
EG Girls 0 #1,008 2 14,742
DZ 0 #1,108 69 20,130
MA 0 #1,116 13 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #1,232 5 25,928
IT Girls 0 #1,437 10 9,415

Irfan is popular in 80 countries — most recent births per country:

France
United States
Canada
Sweden
Scotland, United Kingdom

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

People also ask about Irfan

Irfan is predominantly a boy's name.
Irfan is a 2 syllable name, pronounced Arabic IPA: [ʕɪrˈfaːn]; English approximation: ir-FAHN (/ɪrˈfɑːn/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Irfan, Irfaan, Irfān, Erfan, Erfaan and İrfan.
Across languages, Irfan has these equivalents: Aqil / Akeel (Arabic, 'wise'), Hakim / Hakīm (Arabic, 'wise, judicious'), Hikmat / Hikmet (Arabic/Turkish, 'wisdom'), Sage (English, 'wise person').
Yes, very popular — Irfan ranked #1 in Ireland in 2009, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Irfan ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2009).
Irfan's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #404 in 2011 to #379 in 2021 in France.