Rokhaya is from the Wolof / Pulaar Rokhaya — West African rendition of Arabic رُقَيَّة (Ruqayya — ascent, rising, also linked to foundational raqā charm/spell) + foundational daughter of Prophet Muhammad. A modern American baby name in the broader Senegalese-Arabic heritage aesthetic. Rokhaya is one of the foundational Senegalese + Wolof feminine names — central to traditional West African Muslim heritage. Notable bearer: Rokhaya Diallo (born 1978) — foundational French-Senegalese journalist + filmmaker + author + foundational anti-racism + intersectional feminist activist + foundational Georgetown University Gender+ Justice Initiative + foundational Washington Post columnist + Director of foundational documentary Where Are You Going? (2024) about post-Charlie Hebdo French Muslim identity. Foundational Wolof-Arabic feminine name reflecting West African Sahel + Mouride-Tijaniyya Sufi heritage.
Featured throughout Senegalese heritage.
Rokhaya reduces to eight.