Anwar (or Anwer, Anwaar, Anouar, Anvar, Enver, Enwer) is the English transliteration of two Arabic names commonly used in the Arab world by both Arab Christians and Muslims: the male given name ʼAnwar (أنور), meaning "luminous" or the female given name ʼAnwār (أنوار), meaning "a collection of lights". In Arabic, Anwar is also a comparative adjective with the meaning of "more enlightened".
Both variations may also be encountered as surnames, sometimes also with the accompanying "al" (the definite article "the") as in Al Anwar.
In Francophone countries, both names are usually transliterated as Anoir, Anouar and Al Anouar with the definite article "al". The name is transliterated in Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Turkey as Enver.
Notable people with the name Anwar and variants include:
People with the given name
Anwar
- Anwar (singer) (born 1949), Indian playback singer
- Anwar Ali (banker) (1913–1974), Pakistani economist
- Anwar al-Awlaki (1971–2011), Yemeni-American imam and al-Qaeda leader
- Anwar El Ghazi (born 1995), Dutch-Moroccan footballer
- Anwar Fazal (born 1941), Malaysian environmental activist
- Anwar Gargash (born 1959), Emirati politician
- Anwar Haddam, Algerian politician
- Anwar Hussain (actor) (1928–1988), Indian film actor
- Anwar Hussain (cricketer) (1920–2002), Pakistani cricketer
- Anwar Ibrahim (born 1947), 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia
- Anwar Jassam (1947-2024), Iraqi football manager
- Anwar Jibawi (born 1991), American Internet personality
- Anwar Khan (cricketer) (born 1955), Pakistani cricketer
- Anwar Maqsood (born 1940), Pakistani television entertainer
- Anwar Pervez (born 1935), Pakistan-British businessman
- Anwar Sadat (1918–1981), 3rd President of Egypt
- Anwar Shaikh (critic of Islam) (1928–2006), Pakistani-British author
- Anwar Shaikh (economist) (born 1945), Pakistani-American economist
- Anwer Sultan (born 1962), Indian sport shooter
- Anwar Siraj (born 1978), Ethiopian football defender
- Anwar Tjokroaminoto (1909-1975), Indonesian journalist and politician, former prime minister of Pasundan
- Anwar Wagdi (1904–1955), Egyptian actor and director
Anwaar
- Anwaar Ahmad (born 1947), Pakistani Urdu writer
Anwer
- Anwer Zahidi (born 1946), Pakistani Urdu writer
Anouar
- Anouar Abdel-Malek (1924–2012), Egyptian-French political scientist
- Anouar Ayed (born 1978), Tunisian handball player
- Anouar Benmalek (born 1956), Algerian novelist, journalist, mathematician and poet
- Anouar Ben Naceur (born 1983), Tunisian swimmer
- Anouar Brahem (born 1957), Tunisian oud player and composer
- Anouar Diba (born 1983), Dutch footballer of Moroccan descent
- Anouar Hadouir (born 1982), Dutch footballer of Moroccan descent
- Anouar Kali (born 1991), Dutch footballer of Moroccan descent
- Anouar Marzouki, Tunisian politician
People with the surname
Anwar
- Aamer Anwar (born 1967), Scottish lawyer
- Anan Anwar (born 1986), Thai singer
- Chairil Anwar (1922-1949), Indonesian poet
- Desi Anwar (born 1962), Indonesian reporter
- Faraz Anwar (born 1976), Pakistani guitarist
- Gabrielle Anwar (born 1970), English actress
- Gazi Mazharul Anwar (1943–2022), Bangladeshi film director
- Joko Anwar (born 1976), Indonesian film critic and writer
- Joni Anwar (born 1981), Thai singer
- Rosihan Anwar (1922-2011), Indonesian journalist
- Saeed Anwar (born 1968), former Pakistani cricketer
- Tariq Anwar (film editor) (born 1945), film editor and father of Gabrielle Anwar
- Tariq Anwar (politician) (born 1951), Indian politician
Anwer
- Aiman Anwer (born 1991), Pakistani cricketer
- Khalid Anwer (born 1938), Pakistani jurist
- M. Sawkat Anwer, American bioscientist
Fictional characters with the given name
- Anwar Kharral, character in the British drama series Skins
- Anwar Ibrahim, character in the science-fiction novel series The Familiar by Mark Z. Danielewski
- Anwar, a cat marionette in ITV Meridian children's TV show The Ark
- Suvi Anwar, a character in the science-fiction video game Mass Effect: Andromeda
- Anwar, character in the British comedy-drama series Sex Education
See also
- Ordre du Nichan El-Anouar, a colonial order of merit of the Tajurah sultanate in French Somaliland
- Anvar
- Enver
References
- Judith Rosenhouse (Spring 2002). "Personal Names in Hebrew and Arabic: Modern Trends Compared to the Past". Journal of Semitic Studies. 47 (1): 106. doi:10.1093/jss/47.1.97.
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