Banu (Persian: بانو bânu), is a Persian name for girls used in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan and India. While in Afghanistan it translates to "lady", "princess" or "bride". in India it roughly translates to "little sister". In Turkey, it is a popular female name that refers to the original Persian word. Banu also apparently means "rays from the sun" in Telugu.
Notable figures, people, and institutions named Banu include:
Banu Khorramdin, Babak Khorramdin's wife and companion who fought against the Abbasid Caliphate's Muslim conquest of Persia in ancient Iran (Persia).
Arjumand Banu Begum, Shah Jahan's wife, for whom he built Taj Mahal
Banu-yi Mısr (literally, Banu of Egypt), another name for Zulaikha, Potiphar's wife
Shahrbanu, eldest daughter of Yazdegerd III, the last Emperor of Sassanid Persia and mother of the fourth Shiite imam, Ali ibn Husayn
Saira Banu, a Bollywood actress of the 1960s
Shah Bano
Bhanupriya, an actress from south India
Banu, a South Indian makeup artist
Banu, a south Indian film actress introduced in the film Thamiraparani
Banu, the female side of the deity Barmnu-Banu, a discordian-chaos magick good luck god/goddess
