Alessandro Riolo
Jihad feels weird as a forename. I'm not an expert in Arabic monikers, but I am – a bit 😇 – in Sicilian ones. I can't recall a Sicilian moniker rooted in Jihad itself. However, many Sicilian surnames derive from the very adjacent Mujahid. Whoever taught Arabic to ancient Sicilians clearly preferred Mujahid over Jihad as a forename. Mujahid and Jihad share the same trilateral root ج-ه-د (j-h-d). Jihad is the act – e.g. the struggle – while Mujahid is the person performing it – e.g. the struggler. Or the warrior. Sicilian families with surnames such as Bucaria, Bucaida, Bucaira, Mucaria, Musciaira, and more may trace their founders to Latinized forms like Mugiade, Muxaido, Bugiadus, etc.
Tom Harwood
Last year, The Guardian reported Scotland had a record year for ‘quirky’ baby names like Banksy, Alloy, - and Jihad. How whimsical.
