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Girl name

Arife name meaning

“a knowledgeable, discerning woman”

Arife means a knowledgeable, discerning woman. It comes from Arabic ʿārifa, the feminine counterpart of ʿārif, and is used as a feminine given name in Türkiye. Its clearest linguistic association is with the related name Ârif and the word irfan, which shares its connection with knowledge and understanding.

Ottoman Turkish
/aɾife/
Gender
♀ Girl
Origin
Arabic
Syllables
3
Popularity
In TÜİK lists

What does Arife mean?

A knowledgeable, discerning woman

In Turkish: bilen, anlayan; irfan sahibi kadın

Arife conveys knowledge together with discernment and understanding. It shares its root with Ârif and İrfan. Turkish also has arife for the day before a religious holiday, but that word has a different immediate Arabic source and should be distinguished from this personal name.

#Knowledge#Wisdom

How popular is Arife?

Official figures: TÜİK newborn name lists (2018–2025, the top 30 for Türkiye and each of the 81 provinces every year) and the most common names in the population.

Province lists
3provinces

Where is Arife in the top 30?

3 provinces · the latest year each province listed it

Adana: not in the top listAdıyaman: not in the top listAfyonkarahisar: not in the top listAğrı: not in the top listAmasya: not in the top listAnkara: not in the top listAntalya: not in the top listArtvin: not in the top listAydın: not in the top listBalıkesir: not in the top listBilecik: not in the top listBingöl: not in the top listBitlis: not in the top listBolu: not in the top listBurdur: not in the top listBursa: not in the top listÇanakkale: not in the top listÇankırı: not in the top listÇorum: not in the top listDenizli: not in the top listDiyarbakır: not in the top listEdirne: not in the top listElazığ: not in the top listErzincan: not in the top listErzurum: not in the top listEskişehir: not in the top listGaziantep: not in the top listGiresun: not in the top listGümüşhane: not in the top listHakkari: not in the top listHatay: not in the top listIsparta: not in the top listMersin: not in the top listİstanbul: not in the top listİzmir: not in the top listKars: not in the top listKastamonu: not in the top listKayseri: not in the top listKırklareli: not in the top listKırşehir: not in the top listKocaeli: not in the top listKonya: not in the top listKütahya: not in the top listMalatya: not in the top listManisa: not in the top listKahramanmaraş: not in the top listMardin: not in the top listMuğla: not in the top listMuş: not in the top listNevşehir: not in the top listNiğde: not in the top listOrdu: not in the top listRize: not in the top listSakarya: not in the top listSamsun: not in the top listSiirt: not in the top listSinop: not in the top listSivas: #30 · 3 (2020)Tekirdağ: not in the top listTokat: not in the top listTrabzon: not in the top listTunceli: not in the top listŞanlıurfa: not in the top listUşak: not in the top listVan: not in the top listYozgat: not in the top listZonguldak: not in the top listAksaray: #25 · 3 (2018)Bayburt: not in the top listKaraman: #17 · 3 (2019)Kırıkkale: not in the top listBatman: not in the top listŞırnak: not in the top listBartın: not in the top listArdahan: not in the top listIğdır: not in the top listYalova: not in the top listKarabük: not in the top listKilis: not in the top listOsmaniye: not in the top listDüzce: not in the top list
Rank by province (girls)

Source: TurkStat (TÜİK), Address-Based Population Registration System. The lists cover the top 30 names per year, sex and province; no official counts are published for less common names. All statistics →

Origin of the name Arife

Arife comes from Arabic ʿārifa, the feminine counterpart of Ârif. It derives from the root ʿ-r-f, associated with knowing and recognising.

Linguistic originArabic
Is Arife in the Quran?No
Starts withA · Ar

Double names with Arife

Double-name ideas built from names in our dictionary, with the meaning of each name.

  • Arife Sudenaz

    Meaning of each name

    • Arife: a knowledgeable, discerning woman
    • Sudenaz: a combination of Sude and Naz

  • Gülgün Arife

    Meaning of each name

    • Gülgün: rose-coloured, rosy, pink
    • Arife: a knowledgeable, discerning woman

  • Arife Hividar

    Meaning of each name

    • Arife: a knowledgeable, discerning woman
    • Hividar: hopeful; possessing hope

  • Dilan Arife

    Meaning of each name

    • Dilan: communal folk dance
    • Arife: a knowledgeable, discerning woman

  • Arife Sebiha

    Meaning of each name

    • Arife: a knowledgeable, discerning woman
    • Sebiha: beautiful, fair-faced

  • Beril Arife

    Meaning of each name

    • Beril: beryl, a gemstone mineral
    • Arife: a knowledgeable, discerning woman

Make more with the generator →More girl double names →

How to pronounce Arife

Syllables3 · 5 letters · 5-letter girl names
IPA/aɾife/
Ottoman Turkishعارفه
Arabicعارفة

Ottoman script tool →

Is Arife a girl’s name?

Yes, Arife is used mostly as a girl’s name. See all girl names.

♂ Boys 0%Girls 100% ♀

Arife appears in TÜİK’s most-used name lists. See the statistics section above (Source: TurkStat, ADNKS).

Spellings and similar names

Names that sound like Arife

Names with related meanings

Famous people named Arife

  • Arife Kadriye Sultan · b. 1895
  • Arife Polat Düzgün · b. 1969
  • Arife Kalender · b. 1954
  • Arife Necla Tekinel · b. 1921
  • Arife Alev Karagözler
  • Arife Çimen Atalar
  • Arife Dila Demir
  • Arife Ece Evirgen
  • Arife Merve Kahraman
  • Arife Şimşek

FAQ about the name Arife

What is the meaning of Arife?

Arife means “a knowledgeable, discerning woman”. Arife comes from Arabic ʿārifa, the feminine counterpart of Ârif. It derives from the root ʿ-r-f, associated with knowing and recognising.

Is Arife a girl’s name?

Yes, Arife is used mostly as a girl’s name.

Is Arife in the Quran?

No. Neither the name Arife nor its source word occurs in the Quran.

What is the origin of the name Arife?

Arife is of Arabic origin.

How many syllables does Arife have?

Arife has 3 syllables and 5 letters.

How popular is the name Arife?

Arife appears in TÜİK’s most-used name lists. See the statistics section above (Source: TurkStat, ADNKS).

What names go well with Arife?

Some ideas: Arife Sudenaz; Gülgün Arife; Arife Hividar.

Famous people named Arife?

Notable people named Arife include Arife Kadriye Sultan, Arife Polat Düzgün, Arife Kalender.

Sources and method

Meanings and origins draw on language sources and name dictionaries; popularity figures come from TÜİK’s address-based population register, and notable people from Wikidata.

Entry ID: nm00218 · Updated 2026-10-24 · How we research names · Report a mistake