Faizel

One of the benefits of having a name blog is that suddenly your friends are also keeping their eyes and ears open for interesting names to send your way. This is one of those names - it caught the attention of a friend of mine when he met a Faizel recently, and he thought I might also find it interesting. He was right, as I also hadn't heard this name before.

Faizel (pronounced fah-ee-ZAL) is an Arabic boys name meaning 'judge'.  I think this is most likely  a pre-Islamic name, as apparently pre-Islamic Arabian names often came from vocabulary words for nature or occupations.

It's mainly used in Arabic speaking countries, which is probably why it seems like such a different name to us in Australia. I'm not sure how common it actually is in other countries, so if you know feel free to let me know in the comments below! In America though it has never appeared on the SSA charts, meaning it has never been given to more than 5 children in any one year.

The pronunciation might be a little tricky for those unfamiliar with the name. To see it written down, your first instinct is probably to say FAY-zel. But this is hardly a huge obstacle, and also not that unique these days as people often use unfamiliar names or names with "creative" spelling in order to find a name that is different and stands out. And Faizel would definitely stand out, plus has the benefit of being a "real" name, for those that want something different but with a history.

I personally have a few reservations about this name. I'm not sure I like the meaning, although it could probably be taken a few different ways, some more positive than others. And I would really, really want to pronounce it FAY-zel, mainly because I think it sounds cooler. Plus, Faze would be a pretty cool nickname (Hey, if the character on 'Life, Unexpected' can get away with the nickname Baze, Faze would definitely work). Mmmmmm- maybe Faze would be a cool middle name to add to my list...........

This is something I love when you look at different names. You're not going to love everything. Otherwise how would you ever settle on a name? But keep looking at new and interesting names and it will get the cogs turning, revealing new possibilities with every turn. I may not adore Faizel, but it's definitely got me thinking. Maybe it will get you thinking too - or maybe Faizel is exactly the rare, exotic sounding name you've been looking for.