Waris is an Arabic name meaning "heir" or "inheritor"; al-Warith, the Inheritor of all things, is one of the 99 names of God, and the name is popular in Pakistan and the Punjab, where the 18th century poet Waris Shah wrote the romance Heer Ranjha. In the United States Waris is chosen mainly by South Asian families: it ranked number 12015 in 2015, climbed steadily and reached its best position, number 2598, in 2025 with 51 boys.