Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Siavash

Meaning — From Avestan "Syāvarshān" or Middle Persian "Syāwaxsh", meaning "owner of the black stallion" or "black stallion" — combining "siyāh" (black) and "asp" (horse). Siavash is one of the most beloved and tragic figures in the Shahnameh: a prince of exceptional purity and beauty who is falsely accused by his stepmother and seeks exile, only to be murdered in a foreign land.·Persian origin·Male·see-ah-VASH

Siavash Siavash embodies the devastating fragility of absolute virtue in a corrupt world — a name for characters of extraordinary moral beauty who are destroyed precisely because their goodness makes them unable to compromise with the forces arrayed against them. Characters named Siavash inspire fierce protectiveness in those who love them.

Best genres for Siavash

MythologyHistorical FictionLiterary FictionFantasy

Famous characters named Siavash

Siavash

Shahnameh (Book of Kings) Ferdowsi

The prince of unimpeachable virtue who passes through fire to prove his innocence, yet cannot escape a destiny of exile, betrayal, and death at the hands of enemies — a symbol of tragic, persecuted purity.


Variations & nicknames

SiavashSiyavashSiyavosh

Pairs well with

Siavash ShiraziSiavash TehraniSiavash EsfahaniSiavash HosseiniSiavash MoradiSiavash Rashidian

Writing a character named Siavash?

Hearth's distraction-free editor helps you develop characters and write every day.

Start writing free

Related names

Rostam

Persian · “Derived from Old Iranian "Raodhastakhma" meaning "with a strong body" or "stout as a bull", rooted in Avestan words for strength and might. Rostam is the greatest hero of the Persian national epic, the Shahnameh (Book of Kings) by Ferdowsi, whose seven labors (Haft Khan) and tragic killing of his own son Sohrab are among the most dramatic episodes in world literature.

Bahram

Persian · “From Avestan "Verethragna", the Zoroastrian deity of victory and the personification of martial triumph, whose name passed through Middle Persian as "Wahram" and then "Bahram". Bahram is a name of kings and heroes in the Shahnameh, most notably Bahram Gur, the legendary Sassanid king celebrated for his hunting prowess and love of poetry.

Kaveh

Persian · “From Avestan "Kavi" or Old Persian "Kāva", relating to the ancient priestly-royal caste of seers in Iranian tradition. In the Shahnameh, Kaveh the Blacksmith is the heroic commoner who rises against the serpent tyrant Zahhak and whose leather apron, raised as a standard, becomes the legendary Derafsh Kaviani — the royal banner of Persia for over a thousand years.

Fereydun

Persian · “From Old Iranian "Thraetaona" or Avestan "Θraētaona", a name of ancient mythological resonance connected to the concept of the threefold power of the universe. Fereydun is the heroic king of the Shahnameh who slays the serpent-tyrant Zahhak with the divine club (gorz), divides his kingdom between his three sons, and whose story echoes the most ancient Indo-Iranian mythological patterns.


More Persian names

Firdaus

From the Persian "firdaws" meaning paradise or garden of paradise, derived from Old Iranian or possibly Avestan roots — the word passed into Arabic and then into the English word "paradise" via Greek "paradeisos". Firdausi (Abu'l-Qasim Ferdowsi) was the great 10th–11th century Persian epic poet who composed the Shahnameh, spending thirty years on his masterwork.

Shahram

From Old Persian and Middle Persian "shāh" (king) and "rām" (peaceful, tranquil, happy), meaning "peaceful king" or "king of peace". The name Rām is also associated with the Zoroastrian deity of joy and peace, giving the name a spiritual resonance in Persian tradition.

Tahmineh

From Persian "Tahmineh", possibly derived from Middle Persian elements meaning "strong" or "the mighty one". In the Shahnameh, Tahmineh is the daughter of the King of Samangan who seeks out the hero Rostam to bear his child, and becomes the mother of the tragic Sohrab — a woman who acts with agency and desire in a world that rarely allows women either.

Jasper

Jasper is a masculine given name of Persian origin, derived from the Old Persian yashp meaning "treasurer." It became widely used in medieval Europe through the tradition of naming one of the Three Wise Men Jasper (or Caspar). The name has no etymological connection to the gemstone jasper, which derives from a different root.

Kaveh

From Avestan "Kavi" or Old Persian "Kāva", relating to the ancient priestly-royal caste of seers in Iranian tradition. In the Shahnameh, Kaveh the Blacksmith is the heroic commoner who rises against the serpent tyrant Zahhak and whose leather apron, raised as a standard, becomes the legendary Derafsh Kaviani — the royal banner of Persia for over a thousand years.

Tahmina

A variant of Tahmineh, from Middle Persian meaning "strong" or "mighty one". Tahmina is the Central Asian and Uzbek form of the Persian name, widely used across Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, where the Shahnameh tradition is deeply embedded in culture. The name carries all the associations of Ferdowsi's brave, bold princess who seeks out the hero Rostam.


Explore more