Muhammad bin 'Amr bin 'Ata' reported: I had given the name Barra to my daughter. Zainab, daughter of Abu Salama, told me that Allah's' Messenger (ﷺ) had forbidden me to give this name. (She said): I was also called Barra, but Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Don't hold yourself to be pious. It is God alone who knows the people of piety among you. They (the Companions) said: Then, what name should we give to her? He said: Name her as Zainab.
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: These hadiths establish that names which are disliked or indicate piety should be changed.
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 5609
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
➊ Praising oneself, that is, being self-congratulatory or singing one’s own praises, is very bad.
And this also includes those names in which there is exaggeration.
➋ It is mentioned in the explanation of the meaning of “Zainab” that a large rabbit, a beautiful scene, or a tree with a pleasant fragrance is called Zainab.
Some have also said it is (Zain Ab), meaning “adornment for the father,” as a compound.
(‘Awn al-Ma‘bud)
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 4953