Unisex, mostly girls in India and Pakistan; a boy's name in the Arab world · Arabic (Urdu usage) · Muslim
Mishal
مشعلSay it MISH-al
- Meaning today
- Torch, light
- Original meaning
- "a lamp; a torch" Lane, p. 1564
- Say it
- MISH-al
- Written
- مشعل
- Other spellings
- Mashal, Mishaal, Mishael
Mishal
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Mishal meaning
Mishal (مشعل) is a Muslim unisex name of Arabic origin (Urdu usage), used for both girls and boys.
A lamp; a torch
Also used to mean: light
Mishal (مشعل) is the Urdu way of saying the Arabic mashʿal, from the root sh-ʿ-l, "to kindle a fire". Lane's lexicon gives mashʿal as a lamp of the kind called qindīl, and shaʿala as lighting or kindling a fire; in Urdu mashʿal is a torch, and mashʿal-e-rāh is a torch that lights the way. Name lists give Mishal as "torch" or "light". In India and Pakistan the name is given mostly to girls, as with the British broadcaster Mishal Husain, while in the Arab world Mishʿal is a man's name.
Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon (1863–93), Book I, p. 1564 · entry mashʿal (مَشْعَلٌ), root sh-ʿ-l · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Lane, Arabic–English Lexicon, mashʿal, root sh-ʿ-l, p. 1564 · Wikipedia, Mishal Husain
Famous namesakes
- Mishal Husain, British broadcaster
Spellings
Mishal · Mashal · Mishaal · Mishael