"Obama" is a name from the Luo ethnic group of southwestern Kenya, where Barack Obama, Sr. was born. It was originally the given name of Barack Obama's great-grandfather. It is based on the Luo (technically, Dholuo, the name of the language of the Luo) word bam, which means "crooked, slightly bending."
The prefix O- means "he," and many Luo male names begin with it. Since most traditional Luo names were given by the baby's mother referring to something about the child's birth, the best guess is that when Obama's great-grandfather was born, one of his arms or legs looked slightly bent. email rumors have charged that U.S. President Barack Obama is a practing Muslim -- a rumor that has since been proven false. However, President Obama does have an unusual name, which reflects his African Muslim heritage. He was reportedly named after his father, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr.
The president's first name, Barack, is a Swahili name that has its origins in Arabic. The original Arabic root of the name (B-R-K) means "blessed." In Arabic, the root word is used in many other phrases to denote blessings and to describe people who are blessed:
Obama's middle name is Hussein, which was his grandfather's first name. The name, of Arabic origin, means "good" or "handsome one." It is common in Muslim cultures for children (both boys and girls) to have a middle name, which directly connects them to their father or grandfather.
Obama's surname is not uncommon among the Luo tribe, one of the three largest ethnic groups in Kenya. They speak the Dhoulou language.
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Barak - also Baruch means "Blessed"
Hussein - means "Handsome One"
Obama - is surname based on a given name from the Dholuo language spoken by the Luo people of Kenya. It is based on the verb "bam" meaning "bent", and probably refers either to an infant's arm or leg looking bent just after birth, or to the birth itself having been in the breech position. Barak was also an Israelite general listed in the Book of Judges. He is listed in Chapter 4 as an associate of the Judge Deborah. Barak, directed by Deborah, leads the Israelites in a victory over a Canaanite army under General Sisera. There was also a modern Israeli Prime Minister named Ehud Barak.
The first name, "Barack", means "blessed" and it's of semetic origin. In modern times, it's usually not typical for us in North America to find a fitting name any more. Not one in 10 really know the meaning or the language their name comes from. There are many websites that offer etymologies to names although not all of them have true scholarship behind them.
Obama is a Kenyan surname and therefore has no meaning in Arabic. If it means anything, it would mean something in Swahili or a local Kenyan language. In Arabic, his name is simply transliterated as Ubaamaa (أوباما).