Kunya (Arabic)

A kunya (Arabic: كُنية)^[1] is a teknonym in an Arabic name, the name of an adult derived from their eldest son.

A kunya is used as a component of an Arabic name, a type of epithet. Although in theory it refers to the bearer's first-born son or daughter, it may not do so literally, and by extension it may also have hypothetical or metaphorical references, as in a nom de guerre or a nickname.^[2] Use of a kunya implies a familiar but respectful setting.

A kunya is expressed by the use of abū (father) or umm (mother) in a genitive construction, i.e. "father of" or "mother of" as an honorific in place of or alongside given names in the Arab world and the Islamic world more generally.^[3]

Medieval Jewish names generally had stock kunyas referencing the biblical eponym and not any relative. Those named Abraham received "abu Ishaq", those named Jacob, "abu Yusuf," and so on. In some cases the word abu is construed beyond the traditional sense of "father," so a person named Isaac received "abu Ibrahim" (son of Abraham) and one named Moses received "abu Imran" (son of Amram). Also common are kunyas which reflect qualities, such as "abu al-Afiya" (the Healthy) and "abu al-Barakat" (the Blessed).^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]}