Variant of Zahra, meaning "flower" or "blossom" in Arabic.
Zahrah is a classical Arabic name meaning "flower" or "blossom," with the additional sense of something radiant, luminous, and in full bloom. It derives from the Arabic root "z-h-r," which generates words for brightness, flowering, and the appearance of beauty — the same root that gives Arabic the word for Venus ("al-Zahra"), the planet's brilliance equated with the name's core meaning. The name is written and pronounced with slight variations across the Arab world: Zahra, Zahrah, and the Persian-inflected Zahra all share the same essential identity.
The name's most celebrated bearer is Fatimah al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and wife of Ali ibn Abi Talib, who holds a place of singular reverence in Islam. Her epithet "al-Zahra" — the radiant, the blossoming one — transformed the name into something deeply devotional for Muslim families, particularly in Shia communities where Fatimah is venerated with special intensity. Across Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and throughout the broader Muslim world, Zahrah and its variants consistently rank among the most beloved feminine names, chosen by parents who wish to honor this central figure of Islamic heritage.
In contemporary use, Zahrah has spread well beyond its Arabic-speaking heartland into South Asian, East African, and Western Muslim communities. Its appeal is both spiritual and aesthetic: it sounds beautiful in virtually any language, its meaning is universally positive, and its connection to one of history's most honored women gives it a weight that purely invented or secular names cannot match. In the English-speaking world, the "h" ending of Zahrah gives it a slightly more formal, classical appearance than the more common Zahra, marking a family's careful attention to traditional spelling.