Haydar (), also spelt Hajdar, Hayder, Heidar, Haider, Heydar, and other variants, is an Arabic male given name, also used as a surname, meaning "lion". In Islamic tradition, the name is primarily associated with Ali ibn Abi Talib (first Shia Imam and fourth Rashidun Caliph), the son-in-law and cousin of Muhammad, who was nicknamed "Haydar". The variants Hyder and Hyderi () are Urdu variants used predominantly by Muslims in South Asia. Hajdar Hajdar Blloshmi (1860–1936), Albanian politician Hajdar Muneka (born 1954), Albanian journalist and diplomat Haydar Given name Ali, the son-in-law and cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, said to have been nicknamed "Haydar". Haydar Paşa, Vizier of Ottoman Empire Haydar Aşan, Turkish Olympian Haydar Ergülen, Turkish poet Haydar Ghazi, second Wazir of Sylhet Haydar Hatemi, Iranian artist Haydar al-Kuzbari (1920–1996), Syrian military officer Haydar al-Sadr (1891–1937), Muslim Iraqi cleric and ayatollah Haydar Khan e Amo-oghli (1880–1921), revolutionary and military activist in Iran, Republic of Azerbaijan and Central Asia Haydar Zorlu, Turkish-German actor Haydar Astrakhani, Khan of Astrakhan from 1538 through 1541. Haydar Amuli, or Haydar al-'Obaydi al-Husayni Amoli, a Shi'ite mystic and Sufi philosopher Middle name Ali Haydar Şen, Turkish businessman Mohammed Haydar Zammar (born 1961), Syrian Muslim jihadist and al-Qaida recruiter Surname Darren Haydar (born 1979), Canadian professional ice hockey Kamal Haydar (1933–1980), Yemeni short story writer Paula Haydar, American academic and translator Qutb ad-Dīn Haydar, Persian Sufi saint Shaykh Haydar, a religious leader of the Safaviyya from 1460 to 1488 Sultan Haydar (born 1985), Turkish female long-distance runner of Ethiopian origin Haidar Ibrahim Haidar (1867–1974), Lebanese politician Salim Haidar (1911–1980), Lebanese politician Haidar Abbas Rizvi, Pakistani Politician Hayder Hayder Ali (1720 - 1782) Founder of Mysore Sultanate and Father of Tipu Sultan Baba Hayder e Safdar Wali, a Sufi Saint in Mulbagal, Karnataka, India Hayder of Crimea Other variant spellings For people with these variant spellings, see: Heidar Haider Heydar Hyder (name) Hyderi (name) Jaider - Spanish version See also Asad, an Arabic given name meaning "lion" Hai (surname), a Chinese derivative of Haydar Haider (surname), an unrelated German surname Heider (surname), an unrelated German surname Lions in Islam Qaswarah References Arabic masculine given names Iranian masculine given names Islamic culture Surnames Turkish masculine given names