Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Zuleikha

Meaning — From Arabic "Zulaykha", of uncertain etymology — possibly from an Aramaic or Coptic root. In Islamic and Persian literary tradition, Zuleikha is the name given to Potiphar's wife (unnamed in the Bible) who falls in love with the prophet Yusuf (Joseph) and attempts to seduce him — her story was famously retold by the Persian poet Jami in "Yusuf and Zulaikha" as a Sufi allegory of the soul's love for God.·Arabic origin·Female·zoo-LAY-khah

Zuleikha Zuleikha is the great figure of transgressive desire transformed into spiritual longing — a name for characters who are defined initially by an overwhelming passion that is unacceptable by social standards, and whose journey involves the conversion of that passion into something transcendent. She is complex, suffering, and ultimately redeemable.

Best genres for Zuleikha

Historical FictionRomanceLiterary FictionMythology

Famous characters named Zuleikha

Zulaikha

Yusuf and Zulaikha Jami

In Jami's Sufi retelling, Zulaikha's obsessive love for Yusuf is transformed from mere lust into a spiritual allegory of the soul's yearning for divine beauty, culminating in her redemption.


Variations & nicknames

ZuleikhaZulaykhaZulaikhaZuleika

Pairs well with

Zuleikha Al-HassanZuleikha MansourZuleikha KhalilZuleikha NasserZuleikha RashidZuleikha Aziz

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