| Farah | Iman | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Joy, happiness | Faith, belief |
| Origin | Arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | FAH-rah | ee-MAHN |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1960 | 1975 |
| Peak year | 2012 (178) | 1996 (178) |
| In 2025 | 164 | 91 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Farah | Iman |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 973 | 561 |
| 2010s | 1,580 | 1,040 |
| 2000s | 1,185 | 1,555 |
| 1990s | 863 | 1,395 |
| 1980s | 818 | 481 |
| 1970s | 710 | 92 |
| 1960s | 149 | 0 |
Farah means “joy” or “happiness” in Arabic.
Iman (إيمان, iman) means 'faith, belief' (in God) and comes from the root '-m-n, which also carries ideas of security and trust. It is used for both girls and boys and is a central concept in Islam.
Farah is more popular than Iman today: about 164 US babies were given the name Farah in 2025, compared with 91 named Iman.
Farah means Joy, happiness (Arabic origin), while Iman means Faith, belief (arabic origin).
In US records, Farah first appears in 1960 and Iman in 1975, so Farah has the longer recorded history.