It's definitely not the Arab version for two fundamental reasons. Somalis never use Arab root words and add affixes to ascribe Somali meaning in names. If "Sahar" stood for Sahara, then you would have a Somali root word with
-diid in the end. This sort of Arab root to ascribe a Somali suffix is a hybridization that is entirely unfounded. Arab names are vernacularized at best, not culturally symbolized through Arab roots with added Somali context.
That's one.
Secondly, and probably the most important rationale, Somalis and their ancestors were well acquainted with desert environments. What you see among such ecological specialists is a cultural exploration of such terrain, not negation or antagonism, as that would incentivize bad cultural mental framing for a chance at survivability. Furthermore, if it were the case, you'd see Somalis in the deep tropics of Ethiopia or Kenya living mainly as agrarians, moving away from what they hated if they literally named their children that. Somalis lived in the deserts, but harnessed it and created a sophisticated network that leveraged arguably one of the most significant trade networks in antiquity and during the medieval period, scaling the economic enrichment to quite high per capita, as noted by the high density of luxury ware, and globalized connectivity through ocean systems and foreign port-hubs. These people flourished in those lands, and as such, the barrier to entry was impossible for others to supplant and monopolize, as you had to deal with the Somali desert, a terrain only the Somali knew. There were practical cultural ways Somalis also gatekept the land use, of course.
Instead, what is more likely, in diverse cultural tones and filters, Somalis would fill in the symbolic meaning as to encode endurance, mastery, and harmony of the desert -- not rejection. The Somali horse -- mind you, not a pony -- was pony-sized (but not rigid and stocky, just a smaller normal horse) but super strong and durable, as noted by equisterians. The camels had the highest endurance per size compared to any other camel populations noted by a traveler who inspected these animals across the Nile Valley and Arabia. Basically, we adapted very well to the environment for the desert conditions, and this led us to not avoid the desert, but enjoy in its potential that many miss.
I remember one guy said that one Somali who ended up being treated for a stab wound walked for many miles in the scorching desert, without available water, and consumed liquid through the contents of a specific plant. He noted the knowledge the Somali had of the desert ecological diversity and his endurance and mental strength, which he almost framed as inhuman. This is the culmination of descending from people well acquainted with many desert zones since literally the Neolithic and beyond.
In the vocabulary, you will find various aspects that are rooted in
saxar, which means dirt, excrement, filth, dust, sand in the eye, suffering, misery, and actually various semantics for shit (literally).
So no, it is definitely more rational that it roots from the more negatively loaded language around those mentioned, given the broader context, rather than naming one's child, the rejection of one's daily surroundings, reconstructed from an unlikely linguistic method that never occurs. Totally bogus onomastic claim.
