Boy · Persian · Muslim
Shahnawaz
شاہنوازSay it shah-na-WAAZ
- Meaning today
- Cherisher of kings, kind king
- Original meaning
- "cherisher of kings; from shāh, king, and nawāz, one who cherishes" Steingass, p. 1429
- Say it
- shah-na-WAAZ
- Written
- شاہنواز
- Other spellings
- Shah Nawaz, Shahnavaz
Shahnawaz
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Shahnawaz meaning
Shahnawaz (شاہنواز) is a Muslim boy's name of Persian origin.
Cherisher of kings; from shāh, king, and nawāz, one who cherishes
Also used to mean: kind king
Shahnawaz (شاہنواز) is a Persian compound of shāh, "king", and nawāz, which Steingass defines as one who caresses, soothes or cherishes, a form used at the end of compounds, as in the title Gharib Nawaz, "cherisher of the poor", given to the Sufi saint of Ajmer. By that pattern Shahnawaz means "one who cherishes kings"; name lists give "cherisher of kings" or "kind king". Steingass has no entry for the compound itself, so the meaning is built from its parts. Indian bearers include Shah Nawaz Khan, a general of the Indian National Army, and the politician Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.
Source: Steingass, A Comprehensive Persian–English Dictionary (1892), p. 1429 · entry nawāz (نواز), with shāh (شاه), p. 726 · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Steingass, Persian–English Dictionary, nawāz, p. 1429 · Steingass, Persian–English Dictionary, shāh, p. 726 · Wikipedia, Shah Nawaz Khan (general) · Wikipedia, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain
Famous namesakes
- Shah Nawaz Khan, general of the Indian National Army
- Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, Indian politician
Spellings
Shahnawaz · Shah Nawaz · Shahnavaz