Safia

صَفِيَّة

Girl Arabic /sah-FEE-yah/ #2695 in 2023

Safia is a girl name of Arabic origin.

Meaning of Safia

"Pure, chosen, best friend." Safiyya bint Huyayy was a wife of the Prophet, of Jewish origin, who converted to Islam. The word also means "the most precious share of the spoils."

Arabic root: ṣ-f-w — (ص-ف-و, purity)

Regional variants

"Safiyah" is the most common US spelling. "Safietou" is the Senegalese-American form.

Popularity of Safia

Popularity, 1975–2023

65 births in 2023

1975 2023

1,488 U.S. births recorded from 1975–2023.

Peak year

2023

65 babies

First recorded

1975

48 years of history

Recent trend

Steady

Last 5 yrs vs. prior 5

Variants & nicknames

SafiyyaSafiyahSafietou

Famous people named Safia

Safiyya bint Huyayy

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meaning and cultural context drawn from classical sources: Lisan al-Arab, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Qur'an and Sunnah. If you spot an error, please let us know.