Boy · Arabic · Muslim
Karim
کریمSay it ka-REEM
- Meaning
- Generous, liberal, honourable, noble; also precious, highly prized Steingass, p. 1026
- Say it
- ka-REEM
- Written
- کریم
- Other spellings
- Kareem
Karim
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Karim meaning
Karim (کریم) is a Muslim boy's name of Arabic origin.
Generous, liberal, honourable, noble; also precious, highly prized
Karim (کریم) is the Arabic karīm, from the root k-r-m. Lane defines it as generous, liberal and honourable, noble and high-born, the opposite of laʾīm, "mean, base"; used of things, it means highly prized, excellent or precious. Al-Karīm, "the Most Generous", is one of the names of God, as in the Quranic verse that asks what has emboldened man against his generous Lord (82:6). Steingass's Persian dictionary adds kind, merciful and forgiving. Name lists give Karim as "generous" or "noble", matching the dictionary. As a personal name it is also used as ʿAbd al-Karīm, "servant of the Most Generous", and the feminine form is Karima.
Source: Steingass, A Comprehensive Persian–English Dictionary (1892), p. 1026 · entry karīm (کریم) · See the entry
In the Quran: 82:6 (al-karīm (ٱلْكَرِيمِ)) · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Lane, k-r-m (Lane's Lexicon view on arabiclexicon.hawramani.com) · Steingass, karīm, p. 1026 · Quran 82:6 · Britannica, Aga Khan IV
Famous namesakes
- Aga Khan IV (Prince Karim al-Husseini), imam of the Nizari Ismailis
Popularity abroad
- #585 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Karim · Kareem