Boy · Arabic · Muslim · International
Hamza
حمزہSay it HAM-zah
- Meaning today
- Lion, strong, steadfast
- Original meaning
- "an acrid sharpness, as of sour milk; the verb means 'was sturdy'" Lane, p. 642
- Say it
- HAM-zah
- Written
- حمزہ
- Other spellings
- Hamzah
Hamza
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Hamza meaning
Hamza (حمزہ) is a Muslim and international boy's name of Arabic origin.
Meaning today
Lion, strong, steadfast
Original Arabic meaning
"an acrid sharpness, as of sour milk; the verb means 'was sturdy'"
Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon (1863–93), Book I, Part 2, p. 642 · entry ḥamza (حَمْزَةٌ), root ḥ-m-z · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Hamza (حمزہ) comes from the Arabic root ḥ-m-z. Lane gives ḥamza as a biting sharpness, as of sour milk or mustard, and records the verb, said of a man, as "he was strong, robust, sturdy". On name lists today Hamza is usually given as "lion", or as "strong" and "steadfast". Strength has dictionary support through that verb, but "lion" is the meaning families use today; Lane's entry for the root does not give it. The name is honoured through Ḥamza ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, the Prophet Muhammad's uncle, known as Asad Allah, "the Lion of God", which is where the popular meaning comes from. He was killed at the Battle of Uḥud in 625 and whom the Prophet called Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ, "chief of the martyrs". Stories about him later grew into the romance of Amir Hamza, illustrated for the Mughal emperor Akbar as the Hamzanama.
References: Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon, root ḥ-m-z (حمز), p. 642 · Britannica, Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib · Wikipedia, Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib · Wikipedia, Hamzanama
Famous namesakes
- Ḥamza ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, the Prophet's uncle, killed at the Battle of Uḥud (625)
Popularity abroad
- #541 United States, boys 2025 (down 14 from 527 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #129 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Hamza · Hamzah