Unisex, traditionally a boy's name among Muslims; now also given to girls · Arabic (Urdu and Persian usage) · Muslim
Inayat
عنایتSay it i-NAA-yat
- Meaning
- Care, concern for someone; in Persian and Urdu also favour, kindness, grace Lane, p. 2180
- Say it
- i-NAA-yat
- Written
- عنایت
- Other spellings
- Inayath, Enayat
Inayat
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Inayat meaning
Inayat (عنایت) is a Muslim unisex name of Arabic origin (Urdu and Persian usage), used for both girls and boys.
Care, concern for someone; in Persian and Urdu also favour, kindness, grace
Inayat (عنایت) is the Persian and Urdu form of Arabic ʿināya, from the root ʿ-n-y. Lane's lexicon explains ʿināya as concern or care: having one's mind taken up with someone's affair. In Persian and Urdu the word grew warmer; Steingass's dictionary gives care and concern, help or favour, a gift, and divine grace, and Urdu speakers say ʿināyat for a kindness shown to them. Name lists give "kindness", "favour" or "care". Inayat was long a man's name, as in Inayatullah, and is now also given to girls in India.
Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon (1863–93), Book I, Part 5 (1874), p. 2180 · entry ʿināya (عِنَايَةٌ), root ʿ-n-y · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Lane, Arabic–English Lexicon, ʿināya, Book I p. 2180 · Steingass, ʿināyat, p. 869
Famous namesakes
- Inayat Khan (1882–1927), musician and Sufi teacher from Baroda
Popularity abroad
- #863 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Inayat · Inayath · Enayat