Girl, occasionally used for boys · Arabic (Urdu and Persian usage) · Muslim
Sanam
صنمSay it SUH-num
- Meaning
- An idol, an image; figuratively a beloved, a sweetheart Platts, p. 746
- Say it
- SUH-num
- Written
- صنم
- Other spellings
- Sanum
Sanam
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Sanam meaning
Sanam (صنم) is a Muslim girl's name of Arabic origin (Urdu and Persian usage).
An idol, an image; figuratively a beloved, a sweetheart
Sanam (صنم) is an Arabic word for an idol or carved image, as Lane's lexicon defines it. In Persian and Urdu poetry the beloved is often called a ṣanam, someone adored like an idol, and Platts's Urdu dictionary records both senses: an idol or image, and a mistress, lover or sweetheart. Name lists give Sanam as "beloved" or "sweetheart", the poetic sense. Because the literal meaning is "idol", some Muslim scholars advise against the name, but it remains in use for girls in India and Pakistan, and occasionally for boys.
Source: Platts, A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English (1884), p. 746 · entry ṣanam (صنم) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Platts, Urdu–English Dictionary, ṣanam, p. 746 · Lane, Arabic–English Lexicon, ṣanam, Book I p. 1735–1736
Spellings
Sanam · Sanum