Boy · Arabic and Persian (from Hebrew) · Muslim
Asif
آصفSay it AA-sif
- Meaning today
- Forgiveness
- Original meaning
- "name of Āṣaf, Solomon's wise minister; hence a wise counsellor" Steingass, p. 69
- Say it
- AA-sif
- Written
- آصف
- Other spellings
- Aasif
Asif
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Asif meaning
Asif (آصف) is a Muslim boy's name of Arabic and Persian origin (from Hebrew).
Meaning today
Forgiveness
Original Arabic and Persian (from Hebrew) meaning
"name of Āṣaf, Solomon's wise minister; hence a wise counsellor"
Source: Steingass, A Comprehensive Persian–English Dictionary (1892), p. 69 · entry āṣaf bin barkhiyā (آصف بن برخيا) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Asif (آصف) is the South Asian pronunciation of Āṣaf, the name Muslim tradition gives to Āṣaf ibn Barkhiyā, the sage held to have been King Solomon's chief minister. Steingass's Persian dictionary notes that his name came to stand for any wise counsellor, as in āṣaf-rāy, "wise as Asaf", and āṣaf-jāh, "dignified like Asaf", the title later borne by the Nizams of Hyderabad. The name goes back to Hebrew Asaph, "collector"; the Bible has an Asaph son of Berechiah, David's chief musician. Name lists often say Asif means "forgiveness", but we found no dictionary support for this. It is also distinct from the Quranic word ʿāṣif, "stormy" (10:22), which is spelled with different letters.
References: Steingass, āṣaf, p. 69 · Strong's H623, Asaph · Quran 10:22 · Wikipedia, Asaf Jahi dynasty
Famous namesakes
- Āṣaf ibn Barkhiyā, King Solomon's minister in Muslim tradition
Spellings
Asif · Aasif