İkbal is the Turkish form of Iqbal, an Arabic name meaning "fortunate". The name is derived from the Arabic root ق-ب-ل (q-b-l), which conveys the concept of facing, meeting, or receiving, and by extension, prosperity and good fortune. In Turkish, the dotted İ (İkbal) follows the language's orthographic conventions, where the letter I without a dot represents a different vowel sound.
The name gains particular distinction through the figure of Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938), the celebrated poet, philosopher, and political thinker of British India who is widely regarded as having inspired the Pakistan Movement. His poetry in Persian and Urdu, which often touched on themes of spiritual awakening and self-realization, has made the name Iqbal iconic across South Asia and the broader Muslim world. Subsequently, the Turkish variant İkbal also carries these cultural and intellectual associations, though it is used independently in Turkey.
As a Turkish male given name, İkbal is part of a broader tradition of names with Arabic origins that were adopted into Turkish during and after the Ottoman period. It is occasionally used for girls as well, though it remains predominantly masculine. The name is not among the most common in contemporary Turkey but maintains a steady presence, partly thanks to the enduring legacy of Iqbal's work among Turkish intellectuals and religious circles.
- Meaning: Fortunate
- Origin: Arabic via Turkish
- Type: First name
- Usage regions: Turkey, Turkish diaspora