Abbas (name)

ʿAbbes (also Abbass; عباس) is an old Arabic name that means "Lion". The name traces back to Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib in 536 CE (an uncle of Muhammad) and Abbas ibn Ali, a son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, who participated in the battle of Karbala alongside his brother Husayn ibn Ali. Abbas ibn Ali is revered by Muslims, some of whom are named Abbas in remembrance and tribute to him. There is an Arabian tribe of the same name, the Banu Abbas.

The word 'Abbas' is also used as part of a place name (for example, the English villages of Compton Abbas and Milton Abbas). The name usually relates to land previously owned by an abbess (the head of an abbey of nuns).

Notable people with the name include:

Historical figures

 * Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (565–653), uncle of Muhammad and forefather of the Abbasids
 * Abbas ibn Ali (647–680), son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, died at the Battle of Karbala in an attempt to bring water for the thirsty children of his brother Husayn.
 * Abbas ibn al-Walid (died 750), Umayyad prince and general
 * Abbas ibn al-Ma'mun (died 838), Abbasid prince and general
 * Abbas ibn Firnas (810–887), Berber physician, inventor, and musician
 * Abbas ibn Abi al-Futuh (before 1115–1154), Fatimid vizier
 * Wazir Abbas (Died 1545), Grand Vizier of the Adal Sultanate
 * Abbas I of Persia (1557–1628), shah of Persia, known as King Abbas the Great
 * Abbas II of Persia (1632–1666), shah of Persia 1642–1666
 * Abbas III (died 1739?), shah of Persia 1732–1736
 * Abbas Mirza (1783–1833), leader of the Persian armies in the wars with Russia 1811–13 and 1826–28.
 * Abbas I of Egypt (1813–1854), known as Abbas Pasha, Wāli of Egypt 1848–1854
 * Abbás Effendí (`Abdu'l–Bahá) (1844–1921), 2nd head of the Bahá'í Faith
 * Abbas II of Egypt (1874–1944), known as Abbas Hilmi, Khedive of Egypt 1892–1914

Modern era

 * Abbas Ali (disambiguation), several people
 * Abbas Adham (1885–1969), Iranian physician and politician
 * Abbas Aram (1906–1985), Iranian diplomat and politician
 * Abbas Attar (1944–2018), Iranian photographer, member of Magnum Photos
 * Abbas Kaoud (born 1948), Egyptian squash player
 * Abbas Karimi (born 1997), Afghan swimmer
 * Abbas Khalili, also known as Abbas al-Khalili (1896–1972), Iraqi-born Iranian diplomat, newspaper publisher
 * Abbas Kiarostami (1940–2016), Iranian film director
 * Abbas Kazmi (born 1955), Indian criminal lawyer

Middle name

 * Abu'l 'Abbas Al Dandarawi (1898–1953), Egyptian sufi scholar
 * Amir-Abbas Hoveyda (1919–1979), Iranian economist and politician
 * Imran Abbas Naqvi, Pakistani actor, singer and producer
 * Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Indian politician and government minister

Surname

 * Abu Abbas (1948–2004), known also as "Muhammad Zaidan", founder of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) organization
 * Ackbar Abbas, Hong Kong born professor of comparative literature at the University of California, Irvine
 * Ali Asad Abbas (born 1976), United Arab Emirates cricketer
 * Ali Ismail Abbas (born 1991), Iraqi juvenile double amputee, a casualty of the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003
 * Athar Abbas, Pakistani army general
 * Bassim Abbas (born 1982), Iraqi footballer
 * Bonfoh Abbass (1948–2021), former interim president of Togo
 * Ferhat Abbas (1899–1985), political leader and first (provisional) President of Algeria
 * Ghulam Abbas (writer) (1909–1982), Pakistani writer
 * Ghulam Abbas (cricketer) (born 1947), Pakistani cricketer
 * Hadiya Khalaf Abbas (1958–2021), Syrian politician
 * Hiam Abbass (born 1960), Palestinian actress
 * Hisham Abbas (born 1963), Egyptian musician
 * Imad Abbas (1974?–2004), Palestinian militant
 * Imran Abbas (born 1978), Pakistani cricketer
 * Jesus Barabbas (son of Abbas), Jewish rebel leader
 * Khodayyir Abbas, Iraq government official
 * Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (1914–1987), an Indian film director, novelist, screenwriter, and a journalist.
 * Mahmoud Abbas (born 1935) aka "Abu Mazen", President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) January 2005 – January 2009, office disputed since January 2009
 * Mansour Abbas (born 1974), Israeli Arab politician
 * Muhammad Abbas, multiple people
 * Nadeem Abbasi, Pakistani cricketer
 * Nabeel Abbas (born 1986), Iraqi footballer
 * Nader Sufyan Abbas (born 1975), Bulgarian-Qatari weightlifter
 * Qaiser Abbas (born 1982), Pakistani cricketer
 * Roshan Abbas, Indian television and radio host
 * Rushan Abbas, Uyghur American activist
 * Sam Abbas (born 1993), Egyptian film producer and director
 * Sohail Abbas (born 1977), Pakistani field hockey player
 * Suleiman Al Abbas, Syrian engineer and politician
 * Wael Abbas (born 1974), Egyptian human rights activist
 * Yunis Khatayer Abbas, Iraqi journalist
 * Yusef Abbas, Uyghur detainee at Guantanamo Bay
 * Zaheer Abbas (born 1947), Pakistani cricketer