Shaista

Syllable breakdown

Name meaning and origin

Origin

Pashto / Persian (Afghanistan, Pakistan)

Meaning

a Pashto and Persian feminine name meaning gentle, polite, well-mannered, or refined, from Persian shayesta/shāyesta (شایسته) meaning worthy, appropriate, decent, or refined — qualities of cultivated deportment and social grace that were highly valued in Persian courtly culture and that were transmitted into Pashto naming through centuries of Persian cultural prestige in the Persianate world; the name evokes the ideal of the refined, gentle, and cultivated woman who embodies good character and social grace; Shaista is common among Pashto-speaking women in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and among the large Afghan diaspora communities in countries such as Germany, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom; it also appears among Urdu-speaking Pakistani women who draw on the shared Persian literary heritage

Gender

female

Also spelled

Shayesta, Shaesta