Folio § azad
Azad
Free, freedom
The story of the name
Azad — the word has left its Sasanian-era social sense (the noble-born) and become the everyday word for free. As a name it is a wish: that the child will stand in their own right.
Etymology
Root: āzād · Middle Persian
Azad descends from Middle Persian āzād — at first a social term meaning free, noble (the Sasanian-era āzādān were the lower nobility). In modern Iranian languages including Kurdish it has become the everyday word for free. Closely paired with Azadî (freedom).
Name family
- Azadî · derived — freedom — feminine noun
Linguistic parallels
- Azad آزاد Persiska — Samma rot
- Liber Latin — 'Fri'
- Freeman Engelska — 'Fri man'
Updated: 2026-05-02