What Does NEOM Mean?

The name NEOM combines the Greek word NEO, meaning “new,” with the letter M, which represents Mostaqbal, the Arabic word for “future.” The letter M also corresponds to the first letter of the name of the project’s founder, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz.

The naming process began with approximately two thousand proposed names. Decision-makers narrowed these down to 150, then to five finalists. However, NEOM was not initially among the final candidates, the team developed the name through several stages before ultimately selecting it.

As part of the process, the team identified words that reflected NEOM’s key sectors and strategic pillars. They then combined the initial letters of those words to create a distinctive name that captured the project’s identity. This process first produced the name “NEO MSTACBEL.” The team later merged the letter “M” with “NEO” to create the final name: NEOM.