Nasir

Nasir comes from the Arabic nāṣir, meaning helper or defender, a name carried by sultans and scholars across the Islamic world for more than a thousand years, from the Mamluk courts of Cairo to the Mughal palaces of Delhi. In English it reshapes into two graceful syllables, stress on the second, like a gently closing door. At rank 448, Nasir has built a steady American following, popular in African American families and among parents drawn to names with dignity and music. Nas, the Queensbridge poet, gave it a sleek hip-hop echo. Regal in origin, contemporary in sound, and quietly but unmistakably strong.