Shihab

Shihab is a male given name and surname of Arabic origin. It comes from the Arabic shaḥāb meaning meteor or shooting star, and more broadly a flare or blaze of light. The root connotes brightness and illumination. The name is used across the Arab world and among Muslim communities in South Asia, Central Asia, and parts of Africa, with transliteration variants including Shahab, Shihab, Shiḥāb, and Şihab. In Arabic, the spelling شهاب is pronounced shaḥāb.

As a given name, Shihab is common in many countries; as a surname it is found among families that use patronymic or tribal naming patterns influenced by the given name. The term also appears in literature and media as a metaphor for light or guidance.

Variants: Shahab is common in Persian- and Urdu-speaking regions; Shihab is typical in Arabic-language contexts. Other forms include Shiḥāb and Şihab in Turkish or Azerbaijani contexts.

See also: Shahab (disambiguation), Shihab (disambiguation).