But it may instead have hypothetical or metaphorical references: an example would be Abu Hurayra, “father of the kitten”, the invariable name used for one of the Companions of Muhammad who was known for his pet cat.
[2] Medieval Jewish names generally had stock kunyas referencing the biblical eponym and not any relative.
[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Abū or Umm precedes the son's or daughter's name, in a genitive construction (ʼiḍāfa).
A kunya may also be a nickname expressing the attachment of an individual to a certain thing: as in Abu Bakr, "father of the camel foal", given because of this person's love for camels; or Abu Hurairah, “father of the cats”, given because of his caring for and adopting stray cats.
Men who do not yet have a child are often addressed by a made-up kunya, most often from a popular or notable figure in Muslim or Arabian History.
A special practice evolved among Arab guerrillas, Islamic terrorism and clandestine operators, is to use real or fictional kunyas as noms de guerre.