Asad (Arabic: أسد), sometimes written as Assad, is one of many Arabic male given names meaning "lion", each denoting some aspect of the animal. It is used in nicknames such as Asad Allāh one of the nicknames for Ali ibn Abi Talib.
"Assad" is the standard spelling in English, to keep the hissing 's' sound; "Asad" is the more accurate transliteration, corresponding to the Arabic spelling, and is used by scholars.
Among prominent people named Asad or "Assad" are:
Audrey Assad, an American singer-songwriter and Contemporary Christian music artistAsadullah (disambiguation), meaning Lion of God, may refer to several peopleAsad ibn Hashim, maternal grandfather of Ali ibn Abi TalibAsad ibn Saman, an early SamanidAsad ibn Abd-al-Uzza, early Islamic historical figureKhuwaylid ibn Asad, his son, father-in-law of MuhammadAsad ibn al-Furat (759-828) a jurist and theologianMuhammad Asad, born Leopold Weiss, influential 20th-century writer and political theoristTalal Asad, anthropologist, son of Muhammad AsadMirza Asadullah Baig Khan, a famous Urdu and Persian poet of IndiaClarice Assad, a classical and jazz composer, arranger, pianist, and vocalistAsad (tribe), an Arabic Adnanite tribe cousins of MuhammadWarqa Ibn Naufal Ibn Asad, a Muslim ancestor from the same time period as the kuffarAsaduddin Owaisi, a politician from HyderabadAsad Umar, a Pakistani lawmaker and former politicianAsad Shafiq, a Pakistan Test cricketerMohammed Asad Ullah Sayeed, former IAS officer from HyderabadThe Al-Assad family is an Alawite family from the Latakia region (specifically Qardaha), which has held political power in Syria since 1970. The family has produced two presidents:
Hafez al-Assad, President of Syria 1970–2000Bashar al-Assad, current President of SyriaOther family members include:
Basil al-AssadRifaat al-AssadJamil al-AssadMaher al-AssadBushra al-Assad
