She’s deeply spiritual in two major religions – and undeniably pretty, too.
Thanks to Sassy for suggesting Fatima as Name of the Day.
Fatima conjures up images of the Middle East. After all, she was the daughter of the prophet Muhammad by his first wife, Khadija. Not only was her dad the founder of Islam, Fatima herself was considered loyal, holy and brave. Some tellings suggest that she died in defense of her husband. I’ll sidestep the various religious schism issues here by simply saying that she is especially significant to Shi’ite Muslims. You’ll also find her listed as Fatima az-Zahra (the shining one or the gracious one), Fatima bint Muhammad (daughter of Muhammad) and either title – as well as a few others – can follow alternate spellings Fatimah, Fatma or Fatemah, too.
Fatima was the daughter of a prophet, but her closest Christian equivalent is a mother – Mary.
That’s where we pick up the second religious reference. Legend has it that Fatima, Portugal got its name when a local princess of Moorish descent converted to Catholicism and married the local aristocrat. That would’ve been the eleventh or twelfth century. Fast forward to 1917, when three little kiddos claimed to witness an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The children – Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco – became famous, as did the tiny village. Ever since, Our Lady of Fatima has had a Christian ring – and emerged as a perfectly valid choice for Catholics, too.
Little wonder then that you’ll hear the name in Spain and Portugal, as well as throughout the Middle East. Interestingly, the Chinese surname Ma may sometimes be adopted by Muslims as a reference to Fatima; though the word literally means horse and probably honors an ancient prince.
If that’s not cross-cultural enough, there’s also a French twist to Fatima. In the fairytale Bluebeard – first published in a seventeenth century French collection – Bluebird’s final wife is sometimes called Fatima.
Today you can find plenty of famous Fatimas, including America’s Next Top Model contestant Fatima Said, choreographer Fatima Robinson and Never Say Never Again character Fatima Blush. In the 1950s, you could smoke Fatima cigarettes.
I’ve heard at least three pronunciations: FAH tee mah, FAH tih mah and fah TEE mah – though that last was in reference to the Hand of Fatima, or Khamsa, an amulet design consisting of a hand with an eye in the middle, said to ward off evil.
Overall, Fatima is culture-spanning and undeniably pretty, but her religious significance can’t be denied. If nodding to your Muslim or Catholic roots, she might be the perfect pick. Otherwise, Fatima could be a bit much on a child – especially since she doesn’t offer up an easy nickname.
But if a spiritual vibe is what you’re after, Fatima is easily more distinctive than nouveau choices like Nevaeh – and slightly more subtle, too.
Fatima is a beautiful name – I love its sound. Every time I meet a Fatima, it strikes me again that it’s such a pretty name. While it’s not a name I’d use for my child (let’s just say I don’t strongly associate with any religion), I love it on others’ kids.
In high school, I knew a Portuguese girl a few years older than me named Fatima; we all pronounced it wrong, FAT-ima instead of Fah-TIMA. The cross-cultural barriers for this name, combined with the f-a-t beginning (yes, I am that superficial) make this name tough to rally for.
Oh I hear you, Allison! It is lovely, but a) it reads so strongly Muslim to me, despite my Catholic roots and b) the F-A-T thing does bother me. My neighbor (from Ecuador) calls his son Gordo – fatty. It’s a perfectly normal term of endearment – and his kiddo is actually kind of on the small side – but it still throws me every time I hear it.
There is also “Fadime”, the turkish version on Fatima. There are also the nicknames Fadik and Fatos (pronounced Fa-tosh).
I went to school with a girl from Spain by this name. It always made me cringe when the other Spanish students would call her Fat or Fati. It was perfectly normal for them because I guess that is the logical nickname in Spanish. Still, if you are an English speaker its not the most appealing. Since I am Catholic, I do tend to associate this name with Our Lady of Fatima v. the wife of Mohammed. I do like its cross-cultural potential even if the sound is rather unappealing to my ears.
Unfortunately I can’t get past the “fat” part of Fatima. I think this would be difficult for a middle school aged girl to wear in the US – kids are mean!!
I don’t like it
Make that another one who doesn’t like the “Fat-” beginning!
It’s one I want to like, and in fact I do appreciate it’s history and everything…but I wouldn’t be able to ever get over the Fat- beginning.
I too went to high school with a girl named this! Sadly, her last name was H0. Lucky for her, she was thin as a rail and rather shy.
Is this name related at all to Famke? As in the Dutch actress Famke Janssen, of the X-Men movies?
Yep, sorry – I’m another that just sees ‘FAT’ at the beginning! It’s a bit too unflattering for me.
Looking through old entries and I came across this one. I love the name Fatima and always have. We’re religious and half of my family was entirely Muslim and so the name doesn’t strike me as odd and I hardly notice the Fat association since I know so much of the names history. I can understand how people who aren’t used to pronouncing it might cringe away from it but for someone who’s heard it and used it all her life, I think it’s lovely. I’m half Hispanic and half Pakistani and I do call girls who have the name Fatima Fah-ti for short. Not Fatty, but Fah ti. We also use Gordo and Flaco/Flaca as nn’s often and no one minds it.
My neighbor calls his son Gordo – he’s from Ecuador – so I’m used to that one. Fah ti is a pretty sound, and Fatima is a graceful name, so it is good to hear it is wearable!
Nicole – one of my best friends is Fatima and some of us call her Fah-ti. She used to be kind of nit-picky about people pronouncing her name (b/c it’s NOT Fa-teema) but now she says it’s better than people giving her a confused blank stare because they’ve never heard it
I also have a few family members named Fatima. It’s a really beautiful name, especially for those of us as you said have heard it all our lives. I myself am Muslim, half Saudi and half Scots-English and I married a man whose heritage is mostly Scottish, so I’m always on the lookout for good crossover names! Omar is another good one that brothers really well with Fatima. All in all, I think that despite the ‘Fat’ association, Fatima is a great name!
love, love love this name, probably my favorite girls name—and its pronounceable in most languages-important since we tend to move a lot.
but on the off chance my child does her schooling in the US; I’ll probably pass– what if she has a weight problem–kids can be cruel. that said fah-ti is cute nickname to my ears.