1000 Most Common Last Names in Pakistan

Muslim: from a personal name or status name based on Turkish khan ‘ruler’, ‘nobleman’. This was originally a hereditary title among Tartar and Mongolian tribesmen (in particular Genghis Khan, 1162–1227), but is now very widely used throughout the Muslim world as a personal name. In Iran and parts of the Indian subcontinent it is used as an honorific title after a person’s name.

Muslim (widespread throughout the Muslim world): from the Arabic personal name ?Ali ‘high’, ‘lofty’, ‘sublime’. Al-?Ali ‘the All-High’ is an attribute of Allah. Abdul-?Ali means ‘servant of the All-High’. ?Ali ibn Abi ?Talib (c. 600–661), the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, was the fourth and last of the ‘rightly guided’ khalifs (ruled 656–61) and the first imam of the Shiite Muslims. His assassination led to the appearance of the Shiite sect.

Muslim: variant spelling of Husain.

Muslim (widespread throughout the Muslim world): from the Arabic personal name A?hmad ‘the most praised’, elative adjective from ?hamid (see Hamid). This is an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad. In the Qur’an (6:16) Jesus foretells the arrival of A?hmad (the Prophet Muhammad) in the words: ‘I have brought good news about a messenger who will come after me, whose name will be A?hmad’.

Muslim: variant of Muhammad.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic mu?hammad ‘praiseworthy’ (derived from the verb ?hamida ‘praise’). This is the name of the founder of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (570–632). He began to receive spiritual revelations at the age of 40. The Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, was revealed to him by the Angel Jibril (Gabriel). As a personal name, this name is extremely common throughout the Muslim world.

Muslim: from the Persian royal title Shah ‘king’, ‘emperor’. This was the title adopted by the kings of the Pahlavi dynasty (1925–79). Shah is found in combination with other words, e.g. Shah Jahan (name of a Mughal emperor, ruled 1628–57) and Shah ?Alam ‘king of the world’ (name of a Mughal emperor, ruled 1707–12). This name is widespread in Iran and the subcontinent. Indian (Gujarat, Rajasthan): Hindu (Bania, Vania) and Jain name, from Gujarati sah ‘merchant’ (from Sanskrit sadhu ‘honest’, ‘good’). This name was originally Sah; it appears to have been altered under the influence of the Persian word for ‘king’ (see 1).

Muslim: variant spelling of Ahmad.

Muslim (especially common in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh): from a personal name based on Arabic ’iqbal ‘prosperity’, ‘success’. Allama Iqbal (1873–1938) was a great poet and philosopher in India.

Muslim: literally ‘of Allah’, usually a suffix attached to another word forming a compound Arabic personal name such as ?Abd-Ullah ‘servant of Allah’ (see Abdullah).

Muslim: shortened form of any of the many Arabic names formed with the word din ‘religion’, for example Saifuddin ‘sword of religion’ or Salahuddin ‘righteousness of religion’. Indian (northern states): Hindu name derived from Sanskrit dina ‘humble’. Scottish: unexplained. According to Black, this is an old Strathblane surname. Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname from Yiddish din ‘thin’.

Muslim (frequent in Pakistan): from a personal name based on Persian nawaz ‘one who caresses, cherishes, or soothes’. Thus, ?Ali Nawaz means ‘cherished by Ali’.

Muslim: from the Persian personal name Akhtar ‘star’, ‘good luck’. Akhtar is used in combination with other words, for example Akhtar-ud-Din ‘star of religion (i.e. Islam)’. The name is found in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as well as Iran.

Muslim (widespread throughout the Muslim world): from the Arabic personal name ?Abbas, literally ‘stern’, ‘austere’. ?Abbas was the name of an uncle (died 652) of the Prophet Muhammad, the ancestor of the Abbasid dynasty (see Abbasi). German: Latinized form of Abt ‘abbot’.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic Aslam ‘most perfect’, ‘faultless’, an elative form of the adjective salim (see Salim).

Muslim: variant of Rahman. Variant of German Rehmann.

Muslim: from an Arabic personal name, Ashraf, meaning ‘most honorable’ or ‘most distinguished’, an elative adjective based on Sharif.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic hassan ‘beautifier’. The poet Hassan bin Sabit was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslim: variant spelling of Hasan. Irish (County Derry): shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÓsáin ‘descendant of Ósán’, a personal name formed from a diminutive of os ‘deer’.

Muslim: from Arabic ud-din (al-din), meaning ‘(of) the religion’, usually a suffix attached to another word forming a compound Arabic personal name such as ?Salla?h ud-Din (see Saladin).

Chinese : probably from the name of a people living to the west of China in ancient times, who integrated with the Han Chinese during the Han dynasty (206 bc–220 ad). The character also means ‘finish’, ‘conclude’. Vietnamese: unexplained. Scandinavian: unexplained.

Muslim: variant of Salim.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic akram ‘most generous’, an elative form of Karim.

Muslim (mainly Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh; also Iran): from a personal name based on Arabic akbar ‘greater’, ‘greatest’, an elative adjective from kabir ‘great’. Allahu Akbar (‘Allah is the Greatest’) is a slogan of Muslims throughout the world. The Mughal emperor known in English as Akbar the Great (Jalal ud-Din Akbar; 1542–1605) extended his rule from a base in Panjab to cover most of the Indian subcontinent by the time of his death. His rule was notable for the integration of Hindus and Muslims in positions of power.

Muslim: variant of ?Siddiq ‘truthful’ (see Siddiqi).

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic zaman ‘time’, ‘age’, ‘era’, often used to form names in combination with other words, for example Nur uz-Zaman ‘light of the era’, Shams uz-Zaman ‘sun of the time’. Zaman is a popular name in the Indian subcontinent.

Muslim (widespread throughout the Muslim world): from a personal name based on Arabic anwar ‘brighter’, an elative adjective derived from nur ‘light’. Anwar (with a long a) is the plural of nur (see Noor) and means ‘rays (of light)’.

Muslim: from Persian afzal (Arabic af?dal), literally ‘better’ or ‘best’, used as an epithet for a learned man.

Muslim (especially common in Pakistan): from a personal name based on Persian javed ‘eternal’.

Iranian: variant of Reza.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Persian Riaz, from Arabic riya?d, plural of raw?dah ‘garden’.

Muslim: variant spelling of Haidar. South German: habitational name for someone from a place called Haid, or a topographic name for someone who lived on a heath (see Heid).

Muslim: variant of Rashid.

Jan is a commonly used word in multiple languages, such as Farsi and Dari. It originally means 'life' and 'soul'. It can also be used as a term of endearment where it would mean 'beloved one' or 'dear'. Being of Iranian origin, it is much used in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Urdu-speaking India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia and other areas influenced by Iranian and Persian culture.

Muslim: from either of two Arabic personal names, based on ?sadiq ‘friend’, ‘companion’ (see the Qur’an 26:101) or ?siddiq ‘righteous’, ‘upright’ (see the Qur’an 19:54).

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic faruq ‘distinguisher’, i.e. ‘one who distinguishes truth from falsehood’. Al-Faruq was a byname of ?Umar ibn al-Kha?t?tab, the second ‘rightly guided’ khalif (ruled 634–644), renowned for his stern and uncompromising execution of justice.

Muslim: see Kader.

Muslim: from a personal name based on the Arabic adjective sa?id ‘lucky’, ‘fortunate’. Compare Saad.

Muslim (?Arif): from the Arabic adjective ?arif ‘learned’, ‘expert’.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic mu?s?tafa ‘chosen’, from Arabic ?safa ‘to be pure’, ‘to be select’. For Muslims, Al-Mu?s?tafa is an epithet referring to the Prophet Muhammad, while among Arabic-speaking Christians it is applied to St. Paul. Mu?s?tafa is among the most popular personal names in the Islamic world. In Turkey, it is often chosen in honor of Mustafa Kamal Atatürk (1881–1938), founder of modern Turkey. Spanish (of Arabic origin): from the Arabic personal name (see 1 above). Italian: from the Arabic personal name (see 1 above), or from a nickname from Calabrian mustafà ‘strong man with a walrus moustache’.

Muslim: from the personal name Ibrahim, Arabic form of Abraham. In Islam, Ibrahim is identified as a prophet, the ancestor of all the Semitic peoples, both Hebrew and Arab, and the father of Isma?il (see Ismail) and Is?haq (see Ishak).

from a personal name based on Arabic ?alam ‘emblem’, ‘banner’, hence an epithet for a distinguished man. ?Alam-al-Huda (‘banner of guidance’) is an honorific title of the Prophet Muhammad. Alam is generally found in names in combination with other words. from a personal name based on Arabic ?alam, literally ‘world’. ?Alamgir (in combination with the Persian word gir ‘conqueror’) was a title of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1618–1707), who ruled the Indian subcontinent from 1658 to 1707. This name is found in a variety of compounds, which are popular in the subcontinent, for example Badrul-?Alam ‘full moon of the world’.

English: variant of Shear 1. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): variant spelling of Scher.

Muslim: from Arabic Rama?dan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a sacred month of fasting for Muslims. It is sometimes chosen by Muslim parents as a name for children born in this month. In this month the Qur’an, the Holy Book of Islam, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Jibril (Gabriel). This name is widespread throughout the Muslim world.

Muslim and Hindu (mainly Panjab): status name from a title meaning ‘lord’, ‘ruler’, ‘chief’, from Arabic malik ‘king’. In the subcontinent this is often found as a title for the headman of a village. In Islam Al-Malik ‘the King’ is one of the attributes of Allah, regarded as ‘the king of mankind’ (Qur’an 114:2), and this word is used in combination in names such as ?Abd-ul Malik ‘servant of the King’. This was the name of an Umayyad khalif (685–705). Czech, Slovak (Malík), and Slovenian: nickname for a small person, from a pet form of a vocabulary word meaning ‘small’ (Polish maly, Czech malý ‘small’, Slovenian mali). Compare Maly.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic khalid ‘eternity’, ‘eternal’, ‘remaining’. Khalid ibn-al-Walid (d. 642) was the Muslim military leader who brought about the defeat of the Byzantine Empire and its expulsion from Syria. The Prophet Muhammad called him Sayf-ullah ‘sword of Allah’.

Muslim: variant of Majid.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Arabic: from a distinguishing epithet from Arabic a?sghar ‘younger’, ‘smaller’, comparative of ?saghir ‘young’.

Muslim: see Hamid.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic latif ‘kind’, ‘gentle’. Al-Latif ‘the Kind’ is an attribute of Allah. This name is found in combinations such as ?Abd-al-Latif ‘servant of the Kind’.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic shahid ‘martyr’ (see the Qur’an 57:19) It is a title of honor accorded to those who have embraced death in the cause of Islam. The associated word shafid means ‘witness’. Ash-Shafid ‘the witness’ is an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad.

Dutch, Danish, North German, English, Polish, etc.; Czech and Slovak (Ján): from the personal name Jan, a vernacular form of Latin Johannes (see John). Slovenian: from a pet form of the personal name Janez (see John). Muslim: unexplained. Chinese : variant of Zhan.

Muslim (widespread throughout the Muslim world): from the Arabic personal name ?Abd al-?Aziz ‘servant of the mighty’ or ‘servant of the beloved’. Al-?Aziz ‘the Invincible’ or ‘the Beloved’ is an attribute of Allah. Al-?Aziz (955–996) was the fifth Fatimid khalif of Egypt (975–996), noted among other things for his religious tolerance.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

English: nickname from Middle English dut ‘joy’, ‘delight’. Indian: variant of Datta. German: from the Germanic personal name Dudo (see Due).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim (Iranian and Indian subcontinent): from the Persian form of Arabic ?Uthman. Compare Osman.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ma?hmud, ‘praiseworthy’, ‘commendable’ (a derivative of ?hamida ‘to praise’; compare Muhammad). This is a popular name in all the countries of the Muslim world.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from an Arabic personal name, ’Isma?il, name of a Prophet (Biblical Ishmael), son of Ibrahim (Abraham). Ibrahim left his second wife Hajar (Hagar) and their small son Ismail in the wilderness outside Mecca with only a short supply of food and water. Allah took pity on them and caused the well of Zamzam to spurt up in that desolate place, which saved their lives. Later, Ibrahim sought out his son Ismail, and together they built the Ka‘ba in Mecca, towards which all Muslims turn when praying. Arabs believe that Ismail was the founder of the Arab peoples, and for this reason Arabs are sometimes referred to as Ishmaelites. The term Ismaeli is of much more recent origin; it refers to a sect of Shiite Muslims headed by the Aga Khan, who claim descent from the Fatimid dynasty that ruled Egypt and North Africa from 909 to 1171. They take their name from Isma?il al-?Siddiq (699–765), son of the sixth Shiite imam, because they believe that the divine spirit passed to him and not to his brother Musa.

Muslim: variant spelling of Amin. Swedish: from an unexplained first element (it may be the first part of a place name) + the common surname suffix -én (Latin -enius).

Muslim: variant spelling of Younes.

Muslim: see Kassem.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic hanif ‘upright’, ‘true believer’. The Qur’an (3: 67) mentions the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) as hanif: ‘Ibrahim was not a Jew nor yet a Christian but he was an upright man who had surrendered to Allah accepting Islam.’

Muslim: variant spelling of Azzam.

English: topographic name for someone who lived near a place used for archery practice, from Middle English butte ‘mark for archery’, ‘target’, ‘goal’. In the Middle Ages archery practice was a feudal obligation, and every settlement had its practice area. English: topographic name from Middle English butte ‘strip of land abutting on a boundary’, ‘short strip or ridge at right angles to other strips in a common field’. English: from Middle English butte, bott ‘butt’, ‘cask’, applied as a metonymic occupational name for a cooper or as a nickname possibly for a heavy drinker or for a large, fat man. English: from a Middle English personal name, But(t), of unknown origin, perhaps originally a nickname meaning ‘short and stumpy’, and akin to late Middle English butt ‘thick end’, ‘stump’, ‘buttock’ (of Germanic origin). German and English: in both Middle Low German and Middle English the word but(te) denoted various types of marine fish, originally a fish with a blunt head, for example halibut (German Heilbutt) or turbot (German Steinbutt), and the surname may in some cases be a metonymic occupational name for a seller of fish or salt fish. Kashmiri: variant of Bhatt.

Arabic: name indicating descent from the Quraish, the leading tribe in Mecca at the time of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (ad 570); the Prophet’s mother was a member of it. The Quraish at first opposed Muhammad’s teachings and persecuted him and his followers, but by the time of his death they had begun to accept the new faith and played an important role in bringing Arabia under the banner of Islam.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: see Youssef.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

from a personal name based on na?sir ‘supporter’, ‘helper’ (Qur’an 9:116). from a personal name based on na?sir ‘protector’. It is found in compounds such as Nasruddin (Arabic Na?sir ud-Din) ‘protector of religion’, i.e. ‘defender of the faith (Islam)’. Compare Nasser.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic nur ‘light’, ‘illumination’. Al-Nur ‘the Light’, is an attribute of Allah. It is also found in compound names such as Nur Allah (Nurullah) ‘Light of Allah’ and Nur ud-Din (Nuruddin) ‘Light of Religion’. Dutch: ethnic name for a Norwegian.

Italian: from a short form of the personal name Benedetta, feminine form of Benedetto.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

English and Irish: variant of Dean. Dutch: ethnic name for a Dane, Middle Dutch Deen.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic rashid ‘wise’, ‘judicious’, ‘rightly guided’, ‘right-minded’. Al-Rashid ‘the Right-Minded’ is an epithet of Allah (see the Qur’an 11:87). Rashid is used in combination with other words, e.g. ?Abd ur-Rashid ‘servant of the Right-Minded’. Harun ur-Rashid (786–809) was the most famous of the Abbasid khalifs. This name is widespread throughout the Muslim world.

Indian (Panjab, Rajasthan): Hindu (Rajput) and Sikh name believed to be from the eponymous ancestor of the Bhatti tribe. Etymologically, the name is related to Sanskrit bha?t?ta ‘lord’ (see Bhat). This tribe is by far the largest and most widely distributed of the Rajput tribes of the Panjab. There is also an area in the Panjab called Bhattiana, which was once ruled by the Bhattis. Bhatti occurs as a personal name in Sanskrit literature and was the name of a well-known Sanskrit poet of the 6th century.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Indian: Hindu name found in several communities, from Sanskrit kumara ‘child’, ‘son’, ‘prince’. It is also an epithet of the god Kartikeya, the son of Shiva. It commonly occurs as the final element of compound given names, and sometimes as a personal name in its own right. Slovenian: either a variant spelling of Kumer or a variant of Humar, a topographic name for someone who lived on a hill, from holm (dialectally hum ‘hill’, ‘height’).

Indian (Gujarat): Muslim name, from Arabic momin ‘believer’. The Memons are a well-known business community of Gujarat.

Muslim (common in Pakistan): from the Turkish word beg ‘bey’, originally a title denoting a local administrator in the Ottoman Empire, but subsequently widely used as a title of respect. Compare Beg.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic wali ‘lord’, ‘guardian’, ‘protector’, ‘saint’, or ‘friend’, often interpreted as a short form of Wali Allah ‘friend of God’, an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad. Indian (Kashmir): Hindu (Brahman) name, probably ulitmately derived from Arabic wali ‘lord’ (see 1). Indian (Karnataka): Hindu (Lingayat) name of unknown meaning.

Muslim and Indian (northern states): from an Arabic personal name based on amin ‘trustworthy’, ‘faithful’, ‘honest’. Al-Amin ‘the trustworthy’ is an honorific title of the Prophet Muhammad. The term is used in combination with other words to form compound names: for example, Ru?h-ul-Amin ‘faithful spirit’ is an epithet of the Angel Gabriel mentioned in the Qur’an (26:193). Al-Amin (787–813) was the name of the sixth Abbasid khalif of Baghdad. In India, the name came to be used as a term denoting a government official concerned with investigation of land claims and revenue claims, collection of revenue, and land surveying.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic wa?hid ‘unique’, ‘matchless’.

Indian (northern states): Hindu name found in several communities, meaning ‘darling’, from Sanskrit lala ‘cajoling’ (related to Sanskrit lalana ‘caressing’). In several modern Indian languages lal is a term of endearment for a child; it is also an epithet of the god Krishna. There is also a homonymous word lal in Hindi, from Persian meaning ‘ruby’, ‘red’, which may have increased the popularity of this name. It occurs more commonly as the final element of a compound personal name, as in Brajlal (Braj being the name of the place where the god Krishna is supposed to have lived as a child) and Motilal (Hindi moti ‘pearl’).

Muslim: from the Arabic family name ?Abbasi, a derivative of the personal name ?Abbas (see Abbas), denoting someone descended from or associated with someone called ?Abbas, in particular a descendant of the Abbasid dynasty of khalifs, who ruled the Islamic world from 750, when they founded a new capital in Baghdad, to 1258, when they were destroyed by the Mongols.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ghani ‘rich’.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?amir ‘prince’, ‘commander’, ‘master’. ?Amri-al-Mu’minin ‘commander of the faithful’ was a title of Muslim khalifs. Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?amir ‘prosperous’. Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Arabic name.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?zafar ‘victory’. It is sometimes found in compound names such as ?Zafarullah ‘victory of Allah’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic farid ‘unique’, ‘matchless’.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic murad ‘will’, ‘purpose’, ‘wish’. This was the name of a son of the 16th-century Mughal emperor Akbar.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic karim ‘kind’, ‘generous’. Al-Karim ‘the Generous’ is an attribute of Allah. The word is found in compound names such as ?Abd ul-Karim ‘servant of the Most Generous’.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?sabir ‘patient’, ‘tolerant’, ‘persevering’, ‘long-suffering’. See the Qur’an 2:153.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a variant of Arabic nadhir ‘warner’. Al-Nadhir ‘the Warner’ is an epithet of the Prophet Muhammad, in the sense ‘one sent by Allah to warn mankind’ (Qur’an 7:188).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from the Arabic personal name ?Abdullah ‘servant of Allah’. This was the name of the father of the Prophet Muhammad, who died before Muhammad was born. In the Qur’an (19:30), Jesus calls himself ?Abdullah: ‘He (Jesus) said: I am the servant of Allah’. The name is also borne by Christian Arabs.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Arabic and Muslim (found in the Indian subcontinent as well as in the Arab world): from a personal name based on Arabic masi?h ‘Messiah’. It is sometimes found in combinations such as ?Abd-ul Masi?h ‘servant of the Messiah’. It is used by Christians as well as Muslims. ?Isa (Jesus) is mentioned as the Messiah and a Prophet in the Qur’an (4:171).

Muslim: from Arabic shaikh, a title denoting a political or spiritual leader of a community. Shaikh ul-Islam ‘leader of Islam’, was the title of the highest religious office in Ottoman Turkey. Shaikh also means ‘chief’ or ‘head’ (Qur’an 28:23). This name is found throughout the Muslim world.

Muslim and Jewish (Sephardic): from an Arabic personal name based on habib ‘beloved’, ‘friend’, used by both Muslims and Jews. Habibullah ‘beloved of Allah’ is an epithet of Mohammad.

Muslim: from an Arabic personal name, probably based on Awan ‘times’, ‘seasons’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ra?him ‘merciful’, ‘compassionate’. Ur-Ra?him ‘the Merciful’ is an attribute of Allah (see the Qur’an 2:173). The name is also found in combinations such as ?Abd ur-Ra?him ‘servant of the Merciful’.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ra’uf ‘compassionate’. Al-Ra’uf ‘the Compassionate’ is one of the attributes of Allah. This name is found in combinations such as ?Abd al-Ra’uf ‘servant of the Compassionate’.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic rafiq ‘intimate friend’, ‘companion’ (see the Qur’an 4:69). The name is used in combinations such as Rafiq ul-Islam ‘friend of Islam’.

Muslim: from an Arabic personal name, Hashim, the byname of the great-grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad, who provided for pilgrims coming to the Ka’ba (the holy temple) in Mecca each year. Hashim literally means ‘crusher’. Hashim, whose original name was ?Amr, initiated a twice-yearly caravan (trading expedition) to Yemen and the Levant. The story goes that he returned from one such expedition bringing with him bread, which he crushed and distributed, earning him the nickname ‘the crusher’. The Kingdom of Jordan is known as ‘Hashemite’ because its rulers are descended from Hashim.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic abid ‘worshiper’. Abid is also found as a component of compound names referring to one of the attributes of Allah, for example Abidur-Ra?hman ‘worshiper of the Most Gracious’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: variant of Akhtar.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic salman ‘safe’. Salman al-Farsi was one of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad. This name is widespread throughout the Muslim world. Variant of Suleiman. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Salmon 2. English, French, Dutch, and German: from a reduced form of Salomon. Compare Salmon 1.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic islam ‘peace’, the name of the religion of Muslims. Islam is mentioned in several places in the Qur’an, for example at 3:19 ‘Religion with Allah is Islam (peace)’ and 5:3 ‘I have chosen for you Islam (peace) as religion’. This name is often found in combinations, e.g. Nur-ul-Islam ‘light of Islam’.

Muslim: variant of Siddiqi.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?hafiz ‘protector’. This is also an honorific title given to someone who has memorized the whole of the Qur’an. Al-?Hafiz ‘the Protector’ is an attribute of Allah.

Muslim: variant of Sheikh.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic wahhab ‘giver’. Al-Wahhab ‘the All-Giver’ is one of the names of Allah (Qur’an 38:35). As a personal name, this is usually found in compounds such as ?Abd al-Wahhab ‘servant of the All-Giver’. Mu?hammad ibn ?Abd al-Wahhab (1703–87) was the founder of the Wahhabi movement for the purification of Islam.

Muslim: variant spelling of Ayoub.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic khalil ‘friend’. Khalil-ullah ‘friend of Allah’ is an honorific title given to the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). See the Qur’an 4:125: ‘Allah took Abraham as his friend.’

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic munir ‘bright’, ‘brilliant’, ‘radiant’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic shakur ‘grateful’, ‘thankful’. Al-Shakur (Ash-Shakir) ‘the All-Thankful’ is an attribute of Allah (see the Qur’an 64:17). The name is found in combinations such as Abdus Shakoor ‘servant of the All-Thankful’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ra?hman ‘most gracious’, usually forming part of a compound name such as ?Abd ur-Ra?hman ‘servant of the Most Gracious’. ur-Ra?hman (al-Rahman) ‘the Most Gracious’ is an attribute of Allah. ?Abd ur-Ra?hman ibn ?Awf was one of the Companions to whom the Prophet Muhammad gave the good news of entering into paradise. This name is widespread throughout the Muslim world. German (Rahmann): variant of Rademann, topographic name from Low German Rade ‘area cleared of forest’, or a habitational name for someone from any of the places named Rade, from this word. Alternatively, it may be a habitational name for someone from Rahm (see Rahm 1).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from Arabic ya sin, the first two letters at the beginning of sura 36 of the Qur’an, endowed with mystic significance, being interpreted as a divine address to the Prophet Muhammad. This is a popular personal name throughout the Islamic world.

Muslim: variant of Salaam.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic Haqq ‘true’, ‘truth’, ‘real’. Al-Haqq ‘the Truth’ is an attribute of Allah. The name is often found in combinations, for example Abdul-Haqq ‘servant of the truth’, Nur-ul-Haqq ‘light of the truth’.

English: variant spelling of Miner. German: nickname, meaning ‘small(er)’, from Latin minor ‘less’, ‘smaller’. French: nickname meaning ‘younger’, from the same word as in 2.

Indian: variant of Raj in the southern states. Among Tamil and Malayalam speakers who have migrated from their home state, it is a variant of Rajan.

Muslim (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan): from a personal name based on the Persian honorific title Mirza, a shortened form of mir-zadeh ‘child of a prince’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim (common in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan): from a personal name based on Arabic rabbani ‘divine’, a derivative of Arabic rabb ‘lord’, ‘master’. Al-Rabb ‘the Lord’ is an attribute of Allah. See the Qur’an 1:2: ‘All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the universe.’

Muslim: from the Arabic personal name Musa (the Biblical Moses). The Qur’an says (19:51): ‘He was specially chosen, and he was a Messenger and a Prophet.’ Southern Italian: habitational name from a place called Musa, particularly the one in Melito di Porto Salvo in Reggio Calabria, and the one in Nissorìa in Enna province, Sicily.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Italian (Sicily): from the personal name Dino, a short form of various pet names formed with the hypocoristic suffix -ino following the final consonant -d, such as Bernardino (from Bernardo), Gherardino (from Gherardi), Riccardino (from Riccardo).

Muslim: from the Arabic name An?sari ‘one who traces his lineage to one of the An?sar’. An?sar is the plural of Na?sir ‘friend’, ‘supporter’, a term traditionally used to denote the people of Medina who helped the Prophet Muhammad after the Hegira in 622 ad. Thabit ibn Qais al An?sari was one of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, to whom he gave the good news of entry into paradise.

Vietnamese: unexplained. Chinese : origin unknown, although ancient accounts record its use in Guangdong and Henan provinces from an early date. The character for Mai also means ‘wheat’. Dutch, Danish, German, and French: variant of May.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic jamal ‘beauty’, ‘grace’. This name is also found in compounds such as Jamal ud-Din ‘Beauty of Religion’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: see Hakim.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?sali?h ‘pious’, ‘righteous’, ‘virtuous’ (see the Qur’an 26: 83). Saleh is the name of a messenger of Allah (see the Qur’an 7:75). This name is widespread throughout the Muslim world.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic mas?ud ‘lucky’, ‘fortunate’, ‘happy’. ?Abdullah ibn Mas?ud was one of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?samad ‘everlasting’. As-Samad ‘the Everlasting’ is an epithet of Allah (Qur’an 112: 2). As a personal name, this is normally found in the combination ?Abd al-?Samad (Abdus-?Samad) ‘servant of the Lord’.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic kamal ‘perfection’, ‘integrity’. It is found in compound names such as Kamal ud-Din ‘perfection of religion’. Hindu name found among people from Sind, Pakistan, which goes back to the personal name of an ancestor, derived from Sanskrit kamala ‘lotus’. The personal name is common in India, and has become a family name in the U.S. among South Indians.

English: nickname from Middle English gulle ‘gull’ or gul(le) (Old Norse gulr) ‘yellow’, ‘pale’ (of hair or complexion). Swiss German: nickname for an irascible or unreliable person, from an Alemannic form of Latin gallus ‘rooster’. See also Guell.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim (common in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India): from a title of Persian origin, a short form of Arabic Amir ‘prince’, ‘commander’. Polish: from a short form of any of various Old Polish personal names containing the element mir ‘peace’, ‘quiet’, ‘esteem’, for example Miroslaw or Jaromir. Catalan: patronymic from Mir, a medieval personal name of Germanic origin (see Miro). French: variant of Mire 1.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic jabbar ‘powerful’, ‘mighty’. Al-Jabbar ‘the All-Compelling’ is an attribute of Allah.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: Arabic family name denoting someone descended from an ancestor called Zaid (‘increase’) or a follower of the Shiite imam Zaid al-Shahid. After the death of the fourth Shiite imam, Zaynul Abidin, a branch of the Shiites chose to follow Zaid as the next imam instead of his brother Mu?hammad al–Baqir. Zaidis are found mainly in Yemen.

Indian (northern states): Hindu name found in several communities, from Sanskrit candra ‘pleasant’, ‘shining’, ‘moon’. It is a common final element of compound personal names, such as Ramchand and Kishanchand, and appears subsequently to have evolved into a surname. Compare Chandra.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from the Arabic personal name ?Husayn, a diminutive of ?Hasan ‘good’, ‘handsome’ (see Hasan). Husain (c. 626–680) and his elder brother Hasan were sons of the khalif ?Ali ibn Abi ?Talib (see Ali) and, through their mother Fatima, grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad. The death of Husain in a massacre at Karbela signaled the beginning of a long period of internecine strife in the Muslim world. Shiite Muslims regard Hasan and his brother Husain as the true successors of Muhammad, and observe the day of his death as a day of mourning. The name is popular among Sunni Muslims as well as Shiites.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic majid ‘glorious’, ‘noble’. Al-Majid ‘the Glorious’ is an attribute of Allah, and this name is found in combinations such as ?Abd-ul Majid ‘servant of the All-Glorious’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Swedish: ornamental name formed with norr ‘north’ + the adjectival suffix -een, variant of -én, a derivative of Latin -enius.

Muslim: adjectival derivative of Arabic naqi ‘pure’, ‘clean’. It is a family name denoting a descendant or follower of ?Ali ibn Muhammad Naqi, tenth imam of the Shiites.

Scottish: habitational name from a small place in the former county of Perthshire called Rhynd, from Gaelic rinn ‘point of land’. German: probably a metonymic occupational name for a cattle dealer or butcher, from Middle High German rint ‘cow’. Jewish (Ashkenazic): from German Rind, Yiddish rind ‘head of cattle’, an ornamental name or otherwise from a house sign.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

French (Alsace), German, Czech, and Polish: from a vernacular pet form of the Latin personal name Bartolomaeus (see Bartholomew). Americanized spelling of Norwegian Bakka, a variant of Bakke.

Shirra or sherra is the Scots pronunciation of sheriff, final f (ff) being absorbed in the preceding vowel. compare Turra = Turriff. Elspeth Shirra was married in Edinburgh, 1676 (Edinb. Marr.). Gaelic siorra, 'sheriff ' may have been borrowed from Lowland Scots form.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Persian zia ‘light’, from Arabic ?diya? ‘light’, ‘illumination’ (Qur’an 10:5). This is used to form names in combinations such as Zia ul-Haq ‘light of the truth’ and Zia ur-Rahman ‘light of the most gracious’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?hamid ‘praising’, ‘praiser (of Allah)’, or ?hamid ‘praised’, ‘praiseworthy’. Al-?Hamid ‘the All-Laudable’ is an attribute of Allah. The name ?Abd-ul-Hamid means ‘servant of the All-Laudable’. The root ?hmd ‘praise’ is one of the most common elements in Arabic name forming; in addition to this name, it also lies behind names such as Ahmad and Muhammad.

Muslim: variant of Muhammad. This is the traditional English-language spelling. It is also common as a name adopted by Black Americans on conversion to Islam.

Muslim: unexplained.

Indian (Gujarat, Bombay city, and Rajasthan): Hindu and Parsi name meaning ‘king’ in modern Indian languages. Rana does not have a Sanskrit equivalent; it is probably a back-formation from ra?ni ‘queen’ (Sanskrit rajñi, based on the analogy that nouns ending in -i and denoting females usually have masculine counterparts ending in -a). The name Rana was used as a title by some Rajput kings. As a surname, it is now found among Rajputs as well as several other communities. It is cognate with the name Rane, which occurs in Maharashtra and Goa. Spanish and Italian: from rana ‘frog’, hence a nickname, perhaps for someone with bulging eyes. Galician (Raña): habitational name from a place so called in the province of A Coruña.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic shakir ‘grateful’, ‘thankful’. Al-Shakir (Ash-Shakir) ‘the All-Thankful’ is an attribute of Allah (see the Qur’an 2:158).

Muslim: variant of Hashemi.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

For the meaning of this name, see: Ud & Deen.

Muslim: variant of Assad.

Iranian: from a Persian form of the Arabic name Ri?dawi, indicating descent from Ri?da ?Ali ibn Musa, eighth imam of the Shiites. See Reza.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: variant of Kazemi.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Chinese : according to legend, this name comes from Bai Huang, the name of a prehistoric Chinese leader. At a later date, the kingdom of Bai in the area of present-day Henan province gave its name to descendants of its ruling clan. The Chinese character for this name may also mean ‘cypress’. Chinese : from the name of the Victorious Duke Bai of the kingdom of Chu, who lived during the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc). This Chinese character may also mean ‘white’ or ‘clear’. Korean: variant of Pae.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic na?z?zar ‘esteem’, ‘regard’. Basque: habitational name from Nazar in Navarre.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from the Arabic personal name ?Hasan ‘good’, ‘handsome’. Hasan (c.625–669) and his brother Husain were sons of the khalif ?Ali ibn Abi ?Talib (see Ali) and, through their mother Fatima, grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad. Shiite Muslims regard Hasan and his brother Husain as the true successors of Muhammad. The name is popular among Sunni Muslims as well as Shiites. Jewish: variant of Hazan.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?hadi ‘leader’, ‘guide’. Al-?Hadi ‘the Guide’ is one of the names of Allah. It is also a title of ?Ali ibn Muhammad Naqi, tenth imam of the Shiites (died 868).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Munsha is a surname of the Bemba tribe, meaning: servant.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ja?far ‘spring’, ‘source’, ‘rivulet’. The warrior Ja?far ibn-Abi-?Talib died heroically at the Battle of Mota (629), holding aloft the Muslim banner proclaiming ‘Paradise!’

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

German (Naumann) and Jewish (Ashkenazic): see Neumann.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic hakim ‘learned’, ‘wise’. Al-Hakim ‘the All-Wise’ is an attribute of Allah. It may also be a status name from the Arabic noun hakim ‘governor’, ‘judge’, ‘scholar’ or Persian haekim ‘wise man’, ‘philosopher’, or ‘physician’. In the Indian subcontinent it generally denotes a physician, in particular one specializing in traditional herbal remedies. Al-Hakim ‘the Judge’ is also an attribute of Allah.

Czech (Kosar): from an agent noun derivative of kosa ‘scythe’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of sickles and scythes or a metonymic occupational name for a reaper. Hungarian (Kosár): from the southern Slavic loanword kosár ‘basket’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a basketmaker. Bulgarian and Macedonian: from kosar, koser ‘beehive’, hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made skeps or produced and sold honey.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic haidar ‘lion’. This was an epithet of ?Ali ibn Abi ?Talib, fourth of the ‘rightly guided’ khalifs (ruled 656–61), the first imam of the Shiite Muslims.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: status name for a judge, from a Persian form of Arabic qa?di.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Arabic: from a personal name meaning ‘falcon’, borne by, among others, Lebanese Christians. It is also found as a Spanish name, of the same origin.

Indian (Bengal) and Bangladeshi: Hindu (Kayasth) name, from Bengali daš ‘votary’, ‘servant’, from Sanskrit dasa ‘slave’, ‘servant’. It is also commonly used as the final element of compound given names, for example Bhagavandas ‘servant of god’, Mohandas ‘votary of Mohan (an epithet of the god Krishna)’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic jalil ‘great’, ‘exalted’, ‘magnificent’. Jalil ‘the Exalted’ is an attribute of Allah. This name is found in combinations such as ?Abdul-Jalil ‘servant of the Exalted’.

Arabic: variant of Issa. Japanese: written with characters meaning ‘that’ and ‘help’. The name is found mostly in the Ryukyu Islands.

Muslim: variant of Saleh.

Muslim: from Arabic dar ‘house (of)’, ‘family (of)’, commonly used as a prefix in forming Arabic surnames. Indian (Kashmir): Muslim name, probably from the Persian suffix dar ‘holder’, ‘possessor’, ‘master’. Jewish (Israeli): ornamental name from Hebrew dar ‘mother-of-pearl’.

Irish: variant spelling of Maher.

Americanized spelling of German Danisch, perhaps from a pet form of Daniel or the Slavic personal names Bogdan or Niedan. Americanized spelling of Czech and Slovak Daniš, a derivative of Daniel.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic karam ‘generosity’, ‘bounty’. In Arabic this name is usually used in combination with other words, e.g. Karamullah (Karam Allah ‘bounty of Allah’).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Scandinavian, German, and English: topographic name for someone who lived by a grove, Old Norse lundr; the word was adopted into northern dialects of Middle English and also into Anglo-Norman French. There are a number of places in England named with this word, as for example Lund in Lancashire, East Yorkshire, and North Yorkshire, Lunt in Merseyside, and Lound in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Suffolk, and the surname may derive from any of these. The Swedish surname is probably more usually ornamental. When surnames became obligatory in Sweden in the 19th century, this was one of the most popular among the many terms denoting features of the natural landscape which were adopted as surnames, usually compounded with some other such term.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Indian (Panjab): Sikh name based on the name of a Jat clan.

Muslim: variant of Mansur.

Muslim: from an honorific title based on Persian khawaja ‘lord’, ‘master’.

Muslim: variant of Muhammad.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Arabic: variant of Issa.

German: topographic name from Middle High German doste, toste ‘wild thyme’, also ‘bunch’, ‘bouquet’, or a habitational name from a house with a sign depicting such a plant.

North Indian: variant of Chauhan.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim (prevalent in India and Pakistan): from a personal name based on Persian niyazi ‘friend’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

French: Americanized spelling of Hemard. Hindu name found among people from Sind, Pakistan, derived from a personal name based on Sanskrit amar ‘immortal’. Jewish (Sephardic): ornamental name from ’amr, Levantine or Egyptian form of Arabic qamar ‘moon’, or from an Arabic personal name based on ?amr ’long-lived’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

from Arabic bahar ‘spice’, an occupational name for a spicer or perhaps a personal name. perhaps a variant of Bahir, an Arabic personal name meaning ‘brilliant’, ‘superb’.

Muslim (mainly Iranian): from a status name or personal name based on Persian azad ‘free man’ (as opposed to a slave).

Indian (Panjab): Sikh name based on that of a Jat tribe.

The Kalhoro/Kalhora' (written in Sindhi: ڪلهوڙو/ڪلهوڙا) is a Sindhi tribe and are the descendants of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the paternal uncle and Sahabi (Companion) of Prophet Muhammad.

Indian (northern and southern states): Hindu name from Sanskrit rama ‘pleasing’, ‘charming’, name of an incarnation of Vishnu. In the northern states, it probably evolved into a family name from use as the final element of a compound personal names such as Atmaram (with Sanskrit atma ‘soul’) or Sitaram (with Sita, the name of Rama’s wife). In South India it is used only as a male given name, but has come to be used as a family name in the U.S. among people from South India. Among Tamil and Malayalam speakers who have migrated from their home states, it is a variant of Raman. Dutch and English: from Middle Low German ram, Middle English ram ‘ram’, either in the sense ‘male sheep’ or in the sense ‘battering ram’ or ‘pile driver’. Swedish: ornamental name from a place name element, either from Old Norse hrafn ‘raven’ (Swedish ramm) or from dialect ramm ‘water meadow’. Jewish (Israeli): ornamental name from Hebrew ram ‘lofty’. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): acronymic name of uncertain etymology. Southern French: topographic name meaning ‘branch’ and denoting someone who lived in a leafy wooded area.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: variant of Jafari.

Indian (northern states): Hindu and Muslim name meaning ‘clerk’, ‘writer’, from Arabic munshi’. It is widely used as an honorific title for an educated man.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: variant of Omar. French: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements aud ‘wealth’ + mari, meri ‘renowned’. As a Huguenot name, it is also found in Germany. Possibly a respelling of German Ohmer.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Iranian: unexplained. Possibly from a Persian form of Arabic jar ‘neighbor’. Jewish: unexplained; presumably a shortened form of some Ashkenazic surname.

Indian (Panjab): Hindu (Rajput) and Sikh name based on the name of Rajput and Jat tribes. Muslim: possibly an altered form of Minhaj, a personal name based on Arabic minhaj ‘method’, ‘order’, ‘way’. Minhaj al-Siraj was the author of a well-known 13th-century history of India.

Czech (Manák): from the name for a man who was the son or husband of a woman called Marie, from a pet form of the female personal name Mána, itself a pet form of Marie (see Maria).

Southern Italian: either from pari ‘equal’, ‘same’, or from a short form of Paribene or some other omen name formed with this element.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ghazi ‘conqueror’, ‘fighter for the faith’. This was a title borne by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1658–1707).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Perhaps a corruption of some local name like Bowhurst. Some thirty years ago, a worthy possessor of this name, while dressing one winter morning, wrote it with his finger nail upon a frosted pane of his window-"Boast"-and then added-"notthyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Muslim: from Arabic Ayyub, the Arabic form of the Hebrew (Biblical) name Iyob ‘Job’. In the suras he is regarded as a messenger of Allah. This name is borne by Christians (in Lebanon and elsewhere) as well as by Muslims. The spread of the name among Muslims is partly due to the fame of ?Sala?h ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (Saladin), founder of the Ayyubid dynasty.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Italian: patronymic from a short form of the medieval personal name Ademaro, Adimaro, derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements adal ‘noble’ + mari, meri ‘famous’. In southern Italy, it is more often from a short form of Amari, or a nickname from amaro, amaru, also maru ‘unlucky’. Italian: patronymic from the personal name Mario. Catalan (Marí): occupational name from marí ‘mariner’ or nickname for someone who lived by the sea. Hungarian: from the personal name Mári, a pet form of Márton (see Martin) or Márkus (see Mark), or of the female name Mária (see Maria).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

This surname means 'purity' or 'what is pure'. It is from the Arabic root ta-ha-ra, which is related to purification.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

English: status name for someone who farmed a hide of land (see Hyde).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

From Persian/Urdu, meaning 'honouring the throne' or 'ornament of the throne'. The most popular individual with this name was the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb who ruled over most of the South Asian continent.

Japanese (Koda): ‘rice paddy of happiness’; also pronounced Sakita and Yukita, found mostly in western Japan.

“Lion” in Sanskrit (Sinha). Hence Singapore - “City of the Lion”.

Muslim: from a title of respect, Urdu mian ‘sir’ (from Persian miyan ‘between’), used to address an older man. In Bangladesh this is common as a suffix added to the name of a respected person, especially a senior member of a village community.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic sami? ‘hearing’, ‘listening’, or on sami ‘august’. As-Sami? ‘the All-Hearing’ is an attribute of Allah. It is found in combinations such as ?Abd al-Sami? (Abdus-Sami) ‘servant of the All-Hearing’. Indian: variant of Swamy.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: Arabic family name (?Siddiqi) meaning ‘descended from or associated with ?Siddiq’. ?Siddiq is a personal name meaning ‘truthful’ or ‘righteous’; it was an epithet of the first ‘rightly guided’ caliph, Abu Bakr, who ruled 632–634 (see Abu). This name is also found in combinations such as ?Siddiq-ullah ‘truthful to Allah’, an epithet of the prophet Yusuf.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Chinese : variant of Zhang 1. Chinese : The emperor Huang Di (2697–2595 bc) had two advisers whose names contained this character; descendants of both of them are believed to have adopted Chang as their surname. Additionally, in the state of Wei during the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc) there existed a fief named Chang, the name of which was adopted by descendants of its ruling class. The Chinese character also has the meanings ‘often’ and ‘ordinary’. Chinese : variant of Zhang 2. Chinese : a rare name whose Chinese character also means ‘prosperous, flourishing’. This name is said to have originated 4500 years ago with Chang Yi, son of the legendary emperor Huang Di and father of emperor Zhuan Xu. Korean: there are 33 Chang clans in Korea, all but three of which use the same Chinese character for their surname. All of the Korean Chang clans had their origins in China, and, apart from the T{ou}ksu Chang clan and the Ch{ou}lgang Chang clan, they all originated from a single founding ancestor, Chang Ch{ou}n-p’il. He was born in China in 888 ad and fled to Korea with his father during a tumultuous period of Chinese history. The T{ou}ksu Chang clan’s founding ancestor, Chang Sul-long, stayed in Korea, having escorted Kory{ou} King Ch’ungy{ou}l’s queen-to-be from China to Korea in 1275. Most of the founding ancestors of the other Chang clans arrived in Korea from Y{uu}an China during the Kory{ou} period (ad 918–1392) or during the early Chos{ou}n period.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic yamin ‘right-hand side’ (see the Qur’an 56:38). Jewish (from Belarus): unexplained.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Indian (northern states): Hindu name (Bania, Kayasth), from Hindi lala, a term of respect, used especially for members of Vaisya and Kayasth communities; typically bankers, merchants, tradesmen, schoolmasters, and clerks. It is probably related to Lal. Southern Italian: from modern Greek Lalas; the frequency of the name in the parochial records of Piana degli Albanesi leads Caracausi to suggest it may have been taken to Italy by Albanian settlers.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Vietnamese: unexplained.

Indian (Panjab): Hindu (Arora) and Sikh name of unknown meaning, based on the name of a clan in the Arora community.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

German (Höss): variant of Hess.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Indian (Andhra Pradesh): Hindu name from Sanskrit kala with several meanings, including ‘art’, ‘skill’, and ‘a part of division of something’. Indian (Panjab): Hindu (Brahman) name of unknown origin. Indian (Kashmir): variant of Kalla. Polish: see Kalis.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Americanized spelling of German Ammann. Muslim (widespread throughout the Muslim world): from the Arabic personal name Aman ‘trust’, ‘safety’, ‘protection’, ‘tranquility’. Aman is often used in combination with other names, for example Aman Allah (Amanullah) ‘trust of Allah’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Arabic and Jewish (Sephardic): variant of Sayed or Saeed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: variant of Rashid.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: see Youssef.

Italian (Sicily): unexplained. It may be from the Albanian personal name Maqo. Derivation from a Greek name ending in -akis, which has been suggested, is implausible. Japanese: ‘town’ or ‘street’, not common in Japan. Some occurrences in America could be shortened versions of longer names beginning with this element.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic kabir ‘splendid’, ‘magnificent’. Al-Kabir ‘the Magnificent’ is an attribute of Allah.

Dutch: topographic name for someone who lived by a body of water, Middle Dutch mere ‘lake’. Jewish: variant of Meyer 2. Muslim: from a Persian title, a shortened form of Arabic amir ‘prince’, ‘commander’ (see Amir). This name is found throughout the Indian subcontinent.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: variant of Rahman.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Indian (Bengal) and Bangladeshi: variant of Chowdhury.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from Turkish agha ‘leader’, ‘ruler’. Aga Khan is the title of the leader of the Ismaili sect of Shiite Muslims.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic rasul ‘messenger’. The Prophet Muhammad is the messenger of Allah (see the Qur’an 48:29).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Southern Italian: possibly a variant of Fato, a short form of Bonifato (see Bonifacio), but more likely a nickname from fata, meaning ‘fairy’ in standard Italian or ‘praying mantis’ in Calabrian dialect. Hungarian (Fáta): from the old pagan personal name Fáta.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Indian (Panjab): Sikh name, probably from Panjabi m??n?d ‘skill’. It is based on the name of a Jat clan. Dutch: from a short form of the personal name Amand(us).

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic mannan ‘benevolent’, ‘bountiful’. Al-Mannan ‘the Bountiful’ is an attribute of Allah, and this name is found in combinations such as ?Abd-ul Mannan ‘servant of the Bountiful’. This is a common name in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Indian (Tamil Nadu): Hindu name meaning ‘king’ in Tamil. It is found as a personal name in India, but is also used as a family name in the U.S. among families from Tamil Nadu.

Muslim and Jewish (Sephardic): from a personal name based on Arabic salim ‘perfect’, ‘faultless’, ‘safe’, ‘secure’. Salim bin Thabet was one of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad. The Mughal emperor Jahangir (1605–1627) was also known as Prince Salim. This is a widespread name in all Muslim countries.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Scottish: reduced form of McBee, a variant of McBeth. English: from Middle English be ‘bee’, Old English beo, hence a nickname for an energetic or active person or a metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper. Compare Beeman 2.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

English and French: from an Old Norse personal name, Farmaðr, denoting a seafarer or traveling merchant. English: occupational name for a peddler or itinerant merchant, Middle English far(e)man, from an Old Norse word meaning ‘traveling man’ (see 1). Muslim: from the Arabic personal name based on faraman ‘command’, ‘order’, ‘decree’. It is also found in compound names such as Faraman-ullah ‘order of Allah’.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Muslim, Balkan, and eastern Mediterranean: status name or honorific title from Turkish basa ‘pasha’, a title of rank for a regional governor in the Ottoman Empire.

English: variant spelling of Gee. Korean: variant of Chi.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

Indian (Gujarat and Bombay): Parsi name based on the Old Persian royal name Darayavahush ‘possessor’ (see Darius). Indian (Panjab): Sikh name of unknown meaning.

Jewish: from the Biblical personal name Hanan or a short form of Elchanan or Johanan for example.

The meaning of this surname is not listed.

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Indian (Bengal) and Bangladeshi: variant of Chowdhury.

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Muslim: see Daoud.

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Muslim: variant of Javed.

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North German: occupational name for a bargee, from Low German kane ‘boat’. German: from a short form of the Germanic personal name Cagano, itself a short form of a personal name formed with gagan, gegen ‘against’. Jewish (Ashkenazic): one of the many variants of Cohen.

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Italian: from the female personal name Dina.

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Portuguese: ethnic name for someone from or who had been to the (Costa da) Mina in Africa. Spanish: habitational name from any of the numerous places named Mina, La Mina, from Spanish and Portuguese mina ‘mine’. Greek: variant of Minas. Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic mina?h ‘gifts’, ‘favors’.

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Indian (Panjab): Hindu (Khatri) and Sikh name based on the name of a Khatri clan of the Bahri subdivision. The same clan is also called Seth.

Japanese: from a word meaning ‘horse-riding ground’, ‘race track’; a common place name. The surname is found mostly in west central Japan. One Baba family in Kai (now Yamanashi prefecture) were samurai, vassals of the Takeda family. Czech, Slovak, Polish, and Hungarian: from the Slavic word baba ‘old woman’, ‘grandmother’, ‘witch’, hence an unflattering nickname for a man thought to resemble an old woman. In Czech baba can also mean ‘coward’. Hungarian (Bába): habitational name from one of many places called Bába, in Abaúj, Borsod, Somogy, and Vas counties of Hungary, and Közép-Szolnok county, now in Romania. Arabic (Baba): from a diminutive of Abu ‘father’.

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Samina is a surname of the Bemba tribe, meaning: "Lean on…". A person on whom everyone relies for emotional support.

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Spanish: nickname from abad ‘priest’ (from Late Latin abbas ‘priest’, genitive abbatis, from the Aramaic word meaning ‘father’). The application is uncertain: it could be a nickname, an occupational name for the servant of a priest, or denote an (illegitimate) son of a priest. Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic ?Abbad ‘devoted worshiper’ or ‘servant’. The banu (tribe) ?Abbad claims descent from the ancient Lakhmid kings of al-?Hirah. The founder of the ?Abbadids of Seville was Muhammad bin ?Abbad (1023–42), whose son ?Abbad succeeded his father as chamberlain to the pretended khalif, but was soon ruling in his own right under the honorific title al-Muta??did ‘petitioner for justice (from Allah)’.

Muslim (widespread throughout the Islamic world): from a personal name based on Arabic iman ‘belief’, ‘faith’ (see the Qur’an 4:25).

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English: from a short form of the personal names Giles, Julian, or William. In theory the name would have a soft initial when derived from the first two of these, and a hard one when from William or from the other possibilities discussed in 2–4 below. However, there has been much confusion over the centuries. Northern English: topographic name for someone who lived by a ravine or deep glen, Middle English gil(l), Old Norse gil ‘ravine’. Scottish and Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Gille (Scottish), Mac Giolla (Irish), patronymics from an occupational name for a servant or a short form of the various personal names formed by attaching this element to the name of a saint. See McGill. The Old Norse personal name Gilli is probably of this origin, and may lie behind some examples of the name in northern England. Scottish and Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac An Ghoill (see Gall 1). Norwegian: habitational name from any of three farmsteads in western Norway named Gil, from Old Norse gil ‘ravine’. Dutch: cognate of Giles. Jewish (Israeli): ornamental name from Hebrew gil ‘joy’. German: from a vernacular short form of the medieval personal name Aegidius (see Gilger). Indian (Panjab): Sikh name, probably from Panjabi gil ‘moisture’, also meaning ‘prosperity’. There is a Jat tribe that bears this name; the Ramgarhia Sikhs also have a clan called Gill.

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Chinese : from the title Marquis of Ji, which was awarded to a descendant of an ancient emperor. In due course his descendants adopted Ji as their surname. This character also means ‘write down’ or ‘record’. Chinese : from a term meaning ‘youngest brother’, which was also used as a personal name. The descendants of some of these youngest brothers adopted Ji as their surname. Chinese : there are two sources of this character as a surname. The first is from Bo Shu, a great-grandson of the legendary emperor Huang Di (2697–2595 bc). He was given an honorary surname, Ji, which was adopted by his descendants and later slightly altered to another character for Ji (a prescient decision, as the older character now means ‘prostitute’ in modern Chinese, while the altered form means ‘auspicious’). The second source is from Manchuria. Chinese : from the state of Ji during the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc). Chinese : from a byname of the legendary emperor Huang Di (2697–2595 bc), who supposedly acquired the name from the Ji river, by which he lived as a boy. A branch of his descendants kept the surname, and it was from this branch that the rulers of the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc) claimed descent. Chinese : from one of the characters in the word dianji ‘library’, ‘collection of classical books and historical records’. In the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 bc), there existed an official in charge of classical books and historical records. Descendants of at least one such official adopted this character as their surname. Chinese : from part of the name of an area called Huiji. A king of the Xia dynasty (2205–1766 bc) granted this area to his son, and its name was subsequently adopted by the son’s descendants as their surname. At the beginning of the Han dynasty (206 bc–220 AD) a branch of this clan move to an area in present-day Anhui province called Ji Mountain. The characters for Ji in the names Huiji and ‘Ji mountain’ are very similar and are pronounced the same; this branch of the family modified the surname to correspond to the name of their new home in Ji mountain.

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Muslim: variant spelling of Ayoub.

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