Name: Abu Bakr
What names was Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) commonly known by? One of his names was Abu Bakr and there are various reasons as to why he was referred to by this name. According to some, Bakr refers to a young camel. Since he took a keen interest and possessed a great skill in looking after and tending to the camels, therefore people referred to him as Abu Bakr. Another meaning of bakkara is to act swiftly and be the first to do something. According to some, he was referred to by this name because he was the first to accept Islam.
إِنَّهُ بَكَّرَ إلَى الْإِسْلَامِ قَبْلَ غَيْرِهِ
That is, “He was the first one to embrace Islam.”
(Bashir Sajid, Asharah Mubasharah, p. 41, Al-Badr Publications, Lahore, 2000)
Allama Al-Zamakhshari writes that owing to his quality of “Ibtikar” in that he was the first one to do things, he was thus known as Abu Bakr.
(Ali bin Burhan al-Din al-Halabi, Al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 1, Bab Awwal al-Nas Imanan bihisa [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2002], p. 54)