"mighty, powerful"
"from Jilan (honorific for Sufi saint)"
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“Mighty and powerful — a name with East African and Sufi spiritual depth”
Jeylani is a variant spelling of Jelani, a Swahili/Bantu name meaning 'mighty' or 'powerful'. The name has roots in East African naming traditions and is also connected to Jilani, an Arabic-origin name honoring Abdul Qadir Gilani (1078-1166), the revered Sufi saint whose full name included 'Jilani' (from Jilan, a region in Persia). In Somali and East African Muslim communities, the name honors this saint while carrying the Swahili meaning of strength. The -y- spelling variant Jeylani adds a distinctly modern English visual style to the name.
Jeylani and its variants have grown in visibility alongside broader appreciation for East African and Swahili names in the United States, particularly within Somali-American and African-American communities. The melodic three-syllable rhythm makes it immediately appealing.
Abdul Qadir Gilani is one of the most revered figures in Sunni Islam, particularly in Sufi traditions. He founded the Qadiri order of Sufism, the world's largest Sufi order. His name 'Jilani/Jelani' became an honorific used by parents wishing to bless their children with his spiritual legacy.
Writer
1969
American journalist and staff writer for The New Yorker, dean of Columbia Journalism School, known for his incisive writing on race, politics, and American history
Religious
1078
Revered 12th-century Sufi saint from Persia, founder of the Qadiri order of Sufism — the world's largest Sufi order — whose name Jilani/Jelani became an honorific used by parents across the Muslim world
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