As a novice student of Arabic, I'm curious what his name in the original tongue is.
Sayid Jarrah could be سعيد جرّاح. In that case, his name would literally mean something like "the happy surgeon" and could be a twisted reference on his past as a torturer. Just a thought. Any Arabic speakers out there who can weigh in?

Sayid ([سيد ) is a common Arabic name meaning 'Master' or 'Lord' (Also often used in the Arabic language as an honorary title for addressing respected people and those of higher positions, much like 'Sir' or 'Mr.' in English). However, Sayid, as pronounced in the show, sounds more like the Arabic name spelled Said ( سعيد ) which ironically means someone who is happy / cheerful and lucky in life.

Sayyid, close but not exactly the same, can mean honorific for a descendant of the prophet Muhammad as well.Sayid's surname, Jarrah (جراح), originally meant a 'Cutter' or a 'Wounder' in traditional is currently the typical Arabic translation for the word 'Surgeon'.

http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Sayid#Trivia