Girl · Arabic (modern South Asian name) · Muslim
Ilma
علمہSay it IL-ma
- Meaning today
- Knowledge, knowledgeable
- Original meaning
- "knowledge, learning (from ʿilm)" Lane, p. 2140
- Say it
- IL-ma
- Written
- علمہ
- Other spellings
- Ilmah, Ilmaa
Ilma
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Ilma meaning
Ilma (علمہ) is a Muslim girl's name of Arabic origin (modern South Asian name).
Knowledge, learning (from ʿilm)
Also used to mean: knowledgeable
Ilma (علمہ) is a modern girl's name built on Arabic ʿilm, "knowledge", from the root ʿ-l-m. Lane's lexicon treats ʿilm as the noun of ʿalima, "he knew", and notes the later plural ʿulūm, "the sciences". Ilma itself is not a classical Arabic word: it adds a feminine ending to ʿilm, and some also hear in it the Quranic prayer rabbi zidnī ʿilmā, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge" (20:114). Name lists give Ilma as "knowledge". The Finnish word ilma, "air", is unrelated.
Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon (1863–93), Book I, Part 5, p. 2140 · entry ʿilm (عِلْمٌ), root ʿ-l-m · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Lane, Arabic–English Lexicon, ʿilm (root ʿ-l-m), Book I p. 2140 · Quran 20:114
Spellings
Ilma · Ilmah · Ilmaa