Kamal

Kamal is a masculine given name that appears in several linguistic and cultural contexts. In Arabic, Kamal (كمال) means perfection, completeness, or excellence, and it is used as a given name throughout the Arab world and in Muslim communities. In Sanskrit and Hindi, Kamal (कमल) refers to the lotus and is a common male given name in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Although the two origins are etymologically distinct, they share a common transliteration in the Latin alphabet.

Transliteration varies by language and region. Common spellings include Kamal, Gamal, Jamal, and Kamel; the forms Gamal and Jamal are frequent in Arabic contexts, while Kamal is widespread in South Asia. In some communities, Kamal may appear as a surname, though it is primarily used as a given name.

Notable people with the given name in its Kamal form include Kamal Haasan (born 1954), an Indian actor and filmmaker known for his work in Tamil cinema and beyond. The variant Gamal (or Jamal) is associated with figures such as Gamal Abdel Nasser, reflecting transliteration differences rather than a different name. The name Kamal also appears in various fields—politics, arts, science—across regions that use Arabic- or Sanskrit-derived languages, illustrating its cross-cultural reach.