Rashida

Meaning of Rashida

Rashida is a female name of Arabic origin, built on the triliteral root R-Š-D, which conveys the ideas of “being rightly guided” or “possessing mature judgment.” In its original Arabic pronunciation (rah-SHEE-duh) and its Anglicized form (ruh-SHEE-duh), the name strikes a balance between clarity and warmth, much as a Persian gazelle treads softly yet unmistakably across an open plain. Though never rising to the very top of U.S. popularity charts, California birth records from 1973 to 1993 reveal a steady, if modest, presence—peaking in 1977 when forty newborns bore the name (rank 258) before settling into the high-300s by the early ’90s. Beyond its statistical footprint, Rashida carries associations of wisdom and moral rectitude, appealing to parents who value a name that resonates both with classical Islamic virtue and with a nuanced, cross-cultural elegance.