Boy · Arabic · Muslim
Owais
اویسSay it o-WAIS
- Meaning today
- Little wolf, gifted
- Original meaning
- "diminutive of aws, 'a wolf'; aws also means a gift" Murtaḍā al-Zabīdī
- Say it
- o-WAIS
- Written
- اویس
- Other spellings
- Awais, Uwais, Uways
Owais
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Owais meaning
Owais (اویس) is a Muslim boy's name of Arabic origin.
Diminutive of aws, 'a wolf'; aws also means a gift
Also used to mean: little wolf, gifted
Owais (اویس), also spelled Awais or Uwais, is the Arabic Uways, the diminutive of aws. The classical Arabic dictionaries give aws two senses: the wolf, and a gift or compensation, from a verb meaning to give. Tāj al-ʿArūs notes that men were named after the wolf, and Ibn Fāris lists Uways as the diminutive of the wolf-name, so the name can be read as "little wolf" or as "a small gift". Name lists give both, most often as "gifted". The name is cherished in South Asia through Uways al-Qaranī, a Yemeni ascetic of the Prophet's time who never met him but whom the Prophet is reported to have praised to ʿUmar, and who is remembered for his devotion to his mother.
Source: Murtaḍā al-Zabīdī, Tāj al-ʿArūs (18th century) · entry aws (أَوْسٌ), Uways (أُوَيْسٌ) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tāj al-ʿArūs and Ibn Fāris, aws (arabiclexicon.hawramani.com) · Wikipedia, Uwais al-Qarani
Famous namesakes
- Uways al-Qaranī, Yemeni ascetic of the Prophet's time
Spellings
Owais · Awais · Uwais · Uways