altfl.com — الطفل
Arabic baby names, done properly. Research and product concept, 23 Sep 2026. Private page, not indexed.
The idea in one line: the one Arabic names site parents can trust. Every meaning is quoted from a
classical dictionary with a link to the source. Every name is checked against Saudi registration rules and comes with
a clear English spelling for the passport. No horoscopes, no "personality of the name", no copy-paste.
See the screen mockups →
See the screen mockups →
1. The market today
Parents search for names constantly, and the results are poor. The big players:
| Who | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| almaany.com | Ranks #1 for «معنى اسم», big dictionary | Heavy, cluttered, meanings not tied to a named source |
| mawdoo3.com | One article per name, English spellings | Invented "personality traits", dream interpretation, references are other websites |
| News and lifestyle sites (al-ain, sayidaty…) | Own the "اسماء بنات 2026" lists | Mix Turkish/Western names, some even recommend names on the 2014 "banned" list |
| Apps | Offline A–Z lists, favourites | Thin, copied content, nothing Saudi-specific |
Across every page sampled, nobody cites a real dictionary. Meanings are copied from site to site. That gap is the opening.
2. What people search for
- معنى اسم …: the steady, all-year query, one per name. This is the bulk of the traffic.
- Boys/girls lists with a year (اسماء بنات 2027). These spike around New Year.
- By first letter; rare or new names; Quranic names; companions' names.
- Nicknames (دلع اسم نورة). Real demand; mawdoo3 even runs a separate Q&A page for it.
- Dream interpretation of names. We deliberately skip this.
No search-volume numbers yet; the traffic-data tool failed to connect. Worth pulling Google Trends before launch, but the pattern above is clear from what ranks.
3. Saudi facts that give us an edge
- The "50 banned names" list is a myth that won't die. Media reported it in 2014. Civil Affairs later said there is no fixed list, and on 8 Sep 2026 the Civil Status Authority restated the real rules: no titles (السيد، الشريف، الحاج), no compound names (قمر الزمان), nothing against Sharia (عبدالرسول). Names starting with «ال» such as العنود، الجوهرة، الهنوف are allowed. A clear, sourced "can I register this name?" check is something nobody offers.
- Official popularity data exists, but it's old. The newest official Civil Affairs list is 1441 AH (≈2019–20). Boys: سلمان، محمد، عبدالله، عبدالعزيز، فهد. Girls: ملك، حور، ديم، ورد، كيان، ليان. We use real Saudi data only, dated, and never mix in Western "top names" stories (a 2025 Saudi news site did exactly that).
- English spelling for the passport has no official standard. The spelling entered at registration sticks across every government system; it can be changed later through Absher. Parents need guidance: Majid, Majeed or Mejeed? We show the common spelling, the alternatives, and what the passport's machine line will read.
4. Where the content comes from (legally)
| Source | Use | Status |
|---|---|---|
| لسان العرب, القاموس المحيط, مختار الصحاح | Meanings, quoted and linked | Public domain full text on Arabic Wikisource |
| Wikidata given names | Starting list, gender, English forms (~2,200 names with Arabic labels) | Free to use (CC0) |
| Civil Affairs popularity lists | "Most popular in Saudi" with year | Public statements, cite them |
| Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia, almaany, mawdoo3, GitHub "Arabic-Names" dump | — | Do not copy copyrighted or unlicensed |
I tested the pipeline by hand on the name ريم. A search of Wikisource finds the exact entry:
«والرِّيمُ: الظَّبْيُ الأَبيض الخالص البياض» — لسان العرب، مادة ريم
That is what every name page shows: the quote, the root, and a link anyone can check. Claude drafts the plain-language explanation from the quote, and a spot-check review keeps it honest. This is the 10ashya newsroom pattern.
5. The product
Every name gets its own page (altfl.com/ريم) carrying:
- Meaning in plain Arabic, plus the dictionary quote and its link
- Registration check: ✓ يُسجَّل or a clear reason why not
- English spelling: the recommended one, the alternatives and the passport machine form
- Gender, origin (Arabic / Persian / Turkish…), whether it's in the Quran (with the verse), companions who carried it
- Common nicknames (دلع)
- Similar names and good sibling matches
Browse pages: boys, girls, by letter, Quranic, companions, rare, "most popular in Saudi (1441)".
Two features that make people share the site:
- Shortlist for two. A mother builds a shortlist and sends one link on WhatsApp. The father opens it and marks ❤️ or ✗ on each name, and both see where they agree. No accounts; the list lives in the link.
- Name card. A beautiful Instagram/WhatsApp-sized card with the baby's name and its meaning, for birth announcements. Every card carries altfl.com: free advertising at every birth.
What we leave out on purpose: personality readings, dream interpretation, name numerology. Leaving them out is part of why people trust it.
6. How it's built
- Static site like 10ashya and alhijri: one data file per name becomes a fast page. Nothing to run, nothing to break.
- Shortlist and name card work inside the browser. No server, no accounts, no personal data stored.
- Umami analytics (already on the box); ads later, once there is traffic.
7. Plan
| Step | What |
|---|---|
| Now | This concept + screen mockups. altfl.com shows a "coming soon" page (hidden from Google). |
| v1 | The 300 most-searched names, fully sourced. Name page, browse pages, registration check, English spelling. Launch and let Google index. |
| v2 | Grow to 1,500+ names through the research pipeline; shortlist-for-two; name card. |
| v3 | Sibling matcher, audio pronunciation, yearly "اسماء 2027" lists built from our own data. |
8. Decisions for you
- Arabic web addresses (altfl.com/ريم) or Latin ones (altfl.com/reem)? I recommend Arabic; it matches what people type and what Google shows.
- Names from other languages (Turkish, Persian, e.g. ليان، ديم، كيان): include them, clearly labelled with their origin? I recommend yes. They are among the most popular names in Saudi, and saying honestly where they come from is itself useful.
- Religious rulings on names (e.g. disliked names): state only the published registration rules, and leave scholarly opinion out? I recommend yes; it keeps us factual and uncontroversial.