said

Said is a masculine given name and surname of Arabic origin. It derives from the Arabic سعيد (sa‘īd), meaning “happy,” “fortunate,” or “blessed.” The root of the word is s-ʿ-d, associated with felicity and luck. The name has many transliterations, including Said, Saïd, Saeed, Sayed, and Seyed. While primarily a given name, Said also appears as a surname in various cultures. In some contexts, related spellings such as Sayyid or Sayyed function as honorific titles indicating descent from the Prophet Muhammad; these are related in meaning but distinct in usage from the given name.

Usage of Said spans the Arabic-speaking world and extends into Iran, South Asia, Turkey, and diaspora communities, where it appears in local languages with respective phonologies. As a result, the spelling and pronunciation can vary by region, even when referencing the same name.

Notable people with the name include Said Aouita, a Moroccan former middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist; Edward W. Said, a Palestinian-American literary critic and scholar best known for Orientalism; and Saïd Taghmaoui, a French actor of Moroccan descent known for roles in La Haine and Wonder Woman. These examples illustrate the name’s cultural reach across different fields and regions.