Giving a secular name to a muslim

Question

As far as I know, Muslims should have such names that people find them easily identifiable.

In some countries -

• Muslims are given such a name that people find it difficult to perceive his/her religion.
• Sometimes, it becomes hard to recognize their religion because of the language difference.

For example,

• Turkish names Tansu Çiller, Hulusi Akar, etc.
• American names Linda Sarsour, Sada Cumber, etc.
• Russian names Mikhail Gutseriev, Nail Yakupov, etc.
• Indonesian names Megawati Sukarnoputri, Joko Widodo, etc.
• Pakistani names Gul Panra, Lal Shehjadi, etc.
• Bengali names Siddharth Sazal, Aaruk Munshi, etc.

What does Islam say about that? Please answer according to Quran and/or Hadith.

Note: direct citation of Hadith and Koran needed.

Answer 1

The Prophet Mohamed (saw) suggested his companions to give their children the names of Prophets and not to give names that are bitter and unfriendly names like Harb and Murrah.

Abu Wahb al-Jushami said:

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Give your children the names of Prophets, and the most beloved of names to Allaah are ‘Abd-Allaah and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, and the most truthful are Haarith and Hammaam [these names both refer to one who is always doing something, whether good or bad], and the worst are Harb and Murrah [meaning ‘war’ and ‘bitterness’ respectively].”

[Abu Dawood 4950](Classed as saheeh by al-Albani)

Similarly the most beloved names to Allah are Abdullah and Abd Al-Rahman :). This was also reported by Umar Farooq that Allah's Messenger (saw) said:

The names dearest to Allah are 'Abdullah and 'Abd al-Rahman.

One should not give names of other false deities and evil personalities of Islam for instance naming something Firoun, Iblees etc. This statement has been agreed on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Prohibited naming:

• Names that attribute servitude or worship to anything or anyone but Allah such as ‘Abd Al-Ka‘bah

• Names of Allah that befit Him alone such as ‘Allâm Al-Ghuyûb

• Names of idols, false gods, or demons whatever their linguistic origin, eg Zeus, Krishna etc

Makrooh naming :

• Secular Names are disliked but allowed such as Alessia, Nola etc

• Names in the exclusive province of unbelievers or people of faiths other than Islam such as George, William, Arthur etc

Answer 2

First of all, we must consider, what is a "Muslim" name? What many people consider a "Muslim" name to be are names of Islamic figures mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah.

There is no where in Islam, in the Quran and Hadiths, that a person must have a "Muslim" name.

It is not mandatory and not even encouraged for a Muslim, whether born Muslim or Converted, to change their name unless:

1. When it has a meaning that conflicts with Islamic teachings. For instance, someone who is named ʿAbd al-Masīḥ (Slave of the Messiah), or ʿAbd al-Nabī (Slave of the Prophet). If someone has a name that is to a religion other than Islam it should be changed. Names such as Christian, or Shenouda (which means “the son of God” and a common name among Coptic Christians). Additionally, a name should be changed if it has an attribute that belongs only to Allah such as the name Allah, or Rahman, or King of Kings. These names and attributes are only for Allah and should be changed.
2. If the name has an evil or bad meaning. Most cases where the Prophet peace be upon him asked Companions to change their names belonged to this category. Some companions had names like Ḥarb (war) and the Prophet changed it to Silm (peace). If someone was named Ḥuzun (sadness) their name should be changed to Saʿīd (happy). ʿUmar had a daughter whose name was ʿAṣīyah which means disobedient (this name should not to be confused with Āsīyah the name of Pharaoh’s wife). The Prophet peace and blessings be upon him changed her name to Jamila which means beautiful (Abu Dawud).

Source: Is it Necessary to Change One’s Name After Converting to Islam?

Answer 3

Another thing to consider is that sunnah (hadits is categorized as a part of sunnah) is not only Prophet's sayings, but also his agreement/response to an event. For instance, many of early companions (Umar, Utsman, etc) kept their names unchanged after converting, but some did not because of meaning of their names (as @Jamooly's said in his answer)

Update: Apologize to not quoting such answer, and it's because I agree with @Jamooly's answer that secular name is allowed for some conditions