Fatima

About Fatima

Fatima is an Arabic name derived from a verb meaning “to abstain” or “to wean.” Its most important historical bearer is Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. The name also has a separate devotional association through Fátima in Portugal, while writer Fatima Mernissi gives it a modern literary and scholarly connection.

Meaning and international forms

The Arabic root is faṭama, connected with weaning and abstaining. The usual Arabic pronunciation is approximately FAA-ti-mah, with three syllables and stress at the beginning. The first vowel is longer than the unstressed vowels that follow.

Fatimah and Fatma are established alternatives. Fatema and Persian Fatemeh preserve other familiar forms, while Fatoumata is used in West Africa. These spellings belong to the same broad name family, adapted to different languages and writing conventions.

The accented Fátima is familiar in Portuguese usage. Its modern religious associations include the Portuguese shrine as well as the older Arabic personal name.

Fatima in Islamic history

Fatima was Muhammad's daughter and the wife of Ali, who became the fourth caliph. Their sons Hasan and Husayn occupy central places in Islamic history, particularly within Shi'a tradition.

Muhammad, Fatima, Ali, Hasan, and Husayn are remembered together as the Family of the Cloak. Traditions about the gathering place Fatima within a closely connected family group whose importance extends across generations of religious memory.

That history explains the name's enduring significance in Muslim communities. Its recognition rests on a particular woman and her family relationships, giving it a more specific background than the root meaning alone suggests.

The Portuguese shrine

Fátima in Portugal became internationally known through the experiences reported by three shepherd children, Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta. Their first reported Marian apparition took place at Cova da Iria on May 13, 1917.

The events gave rise to the Catholic devotion to Our Lady of Fátima. In that setting, the name refers to the place associated with the reported appearances of Mary.

This devotional route gives Fatima a history among Catholic families as well as Muslim ones. The associations are distinct: one centers on Muhammad's daughter, while the other concerns a Portuguese place and Marian devotion.

Fatima Mernissi and women's lives

Moroccan writer Fatima Mernissi examined gender, social life, and women's experience in Muslim societies. Her book Beyond the Veil: Male and Female Dynamics in a Modern Muslim Society first appeared in 1975.

Her writing also included accounts of childhood and interviews with Moroccan women from different backgrounds. These works connect the name with the study of lived experience as well as with religious and historical traditions.

American popularity

Fatima's strongest American female ranking was #227 in 2001. Its largest annual count came in 2006, with 1,515 births. It was recorded for 1,316 girls in 2000 and 1,213 in 2010.

In 2025, 931 American girls received Fatima, ranking #330. The spelling has remained substantially more visible than in 1980, when 211 girls received it, alongside its much older international history.

How popular is Fatima?

In 2025, Fatima ranked #330 among girls in the United States, with 931 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1919; its largest annual count was 1,515 in 2006. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.