Sharifa

Meaning of Sharifa

Sharifa (Arabic: shah-REE-fah /ʃæˈriːfə/), emerging from the classical Sharīf—literally “noble, highborn”—functions not only as a feminine given name but also as an honorific appellation historically conferred upon women of exalted lineage within Islamic polities; it thus carries an onomastic gravitas analogous to the resonant arches and sun-dappled courtyards of medieval Andalusian alcázars, where tessellated mosaics whisper tales of convivencia. In empirical terms, New York State birth records from 1974 through 1994 document Sharifa’s steadfast yet measured presence in the latter third of the popularity rankings—occupying positions between 230 and 255 and attaining a maximum of thirteen occurrences in 1991—never quite storming the charts with the flamboyance of a flamenco crescendo but persisting with an understated dignity that onomasticians might describe as a “steady-state vector of cultural continuity.” This statistical modesty belies the name’s rich tapestry of associations: from its roots in Arabic philology through its diffusion into Hispano-Mediterranean cultural currents, Sharifa offers parents an appellation that is simultaneously an homage to ancestral esteem and an articulate signifier of refined distinction within the kaleidoscope of contemporary naming conventions.

Pronunciation

Arabic

• Pronunced as shah-REE-fah (/ʃæˈriːfə/)

• Shari
• Shahira
• Sharina
• Sharifah