Northern African Submitted Surnames

AÏT     Berber, Northern African
Derived from Tamazight ⴰⵢⵜ (aït) meaning "son", also commonly used a component for compound names and surnames.

AÏTBRAHIM     Berber, Northern African
Means "son of Brahim", from Tamazight ⴰⵢⵜ (ait) meaning "son" combined with the Arabic given name Brahim.

ALBAZ     Jewish, Northern African
Ashkenazic Jewish name meaning, "falconer" found mainly amongst Jewish peoples emigrating from Algeria and Morocco.

AMEZIANE     Berber, Northern African
Variant transcription of Meziane.

AMIDANE     Northern African, Arabic (Maghrebi)
Meaning unknown; used by the native Sahrawi people of the disputed region of Western Sahara. Two known bearers are El Wali Amidane (1986-) and Elkouria Amidane (1985-), both Sahrawi human rights activists.

AZOULAI     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Variant transcription of Azoulay.

AZOULAY     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Sephardic Jewish surname of disputed meaning; it may be derived from French azur or Spanish azul both meaning "blue" (of Persian origin), from Tamazight izîl meaning "good, pure, sublime", or from an acronym of the Hebrew Biblical passage אִשָּׁ֨ה זֹנָ֤ה וַחֲלָלָה֙ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֔חוּ (’iš-šāh zō-nāh wa-ḥă-lā-lāh lō yiq-qā-ḥū) meaning "They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane".

BABIKER     Northern African, Arabic
Possibly from Arabic بَكَرَ (bakara) meaning "first born" or "to be early" (chiefly Sudanese).

BENAYOUN     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Moroccan Jewish surname meaning "son of Ayoun", based off of an Amazigh (Berber) transcription of the Hebrew personal name Chayyim.

BENHAIM     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Variant of Ben Haim used by Jews in North Africa.

BENSIMON     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Variant of Ben Simon used by Jews in North Africa.

BENSOUSSAN     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Maghrebi Jewish surname meaning "son of Shoshannah".

BOUHOUCHE     Berber, Northern African
Kabyle name possibly derived from Arabic أَبُو (ʾabū) meaning "father" and حَوْش (ḥawš) meaning "courtyard, enclosure, farm" (chiefly Algerian).

BOUJETTIF     Northern African (Archaic)
Meaning, "The family of the son of the Clever Head" or "One Whom Possess a Clever Head." Bou (normally used in the North African Regions of the Maghrib Countries) has 2 possible derivative meanings both originating from the Arabic language, "Son of..." or an Arabic word Tho meaning, "One Who Possess A Quality." Jettif is a variance of Jettef, Jeif or Ji'f which is derived from the ancient Tamazight or Imazighen (popularly known as Berber) and is pronounced "j-ixf" which means Clever, head, or brain."

CHETRIT     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Form of Shitrit used by French and North African Jews.

CHOURAQUI     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
North African Jewish surname meaning "the one who comes from the east", ultimately from Arabic شَرْقِيّ (šarqiyy) meaning "eastern". It is etymologically related to Cherkaoui.

CHRIQUI     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Variant of Chouraqui.

DAHMANI     Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber
From the given name Dahmane (chiefly Algerian and Moroccan).

ELBAZ     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Variant transcription of Albaz used by Moroccan Sephardic Jews.

ELHASSAN     Northern African, Arabic
From Arabic حَسُنَ (ḥasuna) meaning "to be good, to be beautiful" (chiefly Sudanese).

ELMALEH     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Moroccan Jewish surname derived from Arabic مالح (malîh) either meaning "good, handsome, charming" or "salty, savoury".

ELMALIK     Northern African, Arabic
From Arabic الْمَالِك (al-mālik) meaning "the king" or "the owner" (chiefly Sudanese).

GADDAFI     Arabic (Maghrebi), Northern African
From the name of an Libyan Berber tribe named Qadhadhfa, possibly meaning "thrower, archer" from Arabic قَذَفَ (qaḏafa) meaning "to throw". A famous bearer was Muammar Gaddafi (1942–2011), a Libyan politician and revolutionary.

GRIGAHCINE     Berber (Rare, ?)
Meaning unknown, perhaps of Kabyle origin. A known bearer is DJ Snake, who was born William Grigahcine (1986-), an Algerian-French musician.

HALICHE     Berber, Northern African
Variant transcription of Halliche.

HALLICHE     Berber, Northern African
Kabyle surname of unknown meaning.

HAMADACHE     Berber, Northern African
Kabyle surname derived from the Arabic given name Hamada.

IZEM     Berber, Northern African
From the given name Izem, directly taken from the Tamazight word ⵉⵣⴻⵎ (izem) meaning "lion".

JLASSI     Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber
From the name of an Tamazight (Berber) tribal confederation in Tunisia; the name could be from Arabic إِخْلَاص (ʾiḵlāṣ) meaning "sincerity, devotion, loyalty" or of unknown Berber meaning.

LELLOUCHE     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Algerian Sephardic surname derived from Tamazight alûsh meaning "lamb".

MAZIGH     Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber
Derived from Arabic أَمَازِيغ (ʾamāzīḡ) the Arabic designation for the Berber (Amazigh) people of North Africa. The word itself is ultimately of Tamazight origin, from Central Atlas Tamazight ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ (Amaziɣ) of disputed meaning; in modern Central Atlas Tamazight, it means “free-man”.

MEZIANE     Berber, Northern African
From the given name Meziane (chiefly Algerian and Moroccan).

MEZIANI     Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber
Variant of Meziane.

MIRGHANI     Northern African, Arabic
Sudanese name of unknown Arabic meaning.

MOKRANI     Berber, Northern African, Arabic (Maghrebi)
Either from the given name Mokrane or derived from El Mokrani, a town in Algeria.

OHAYON     Judeo-Spanish, Northern African
Means "son of Chayyim" from the Berber prefix ou- or au- meaning "son (of)" combined with the Hebrew given name Chayyim.

OUAHMED     Berber, Northern African
Kabyle name meaning "son of Ahmed", from the Berber prefix ou- meaning "son (of)" combined with the Arabic name Ahmed (chiefly Algerian).

OUYAHIA     Berber, Northern African
Means "son of Yahia", from the Berber prefix ou- meaning "son (of)" combined with the Arabic given name Yahia (chiefly Algerian).

SIDDIG     Northern African, Arabic
Derived from Arabic صَدِيق (ṣadīq) meaning "friend" (chiefly Sudanese).

TAMAZIGHT     Berber, Northern African
Derived from ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵗⵜ (Tamaziɣt), the Berber (Amazigh) name for the collective Berber language family used in North Africa.

ZAMMIT     Berber, Northern African
Tunisian Berber name of unknown meaning.

ZAOUCHE     Berber, Northern African
Kabyle name of unknown meaning.

ZEGHLACHE     Berber, Northern African
Kabyle surname of unknown meaning.

ZEMMAMOUCHE     Berber (Rare), Northern African (Rare)

ZERHOUNI     Arabic (Maghrebi), Northern African, Berber
Possibly refers to the Zerhoun mountain in Morocco. The family name originates from the city of Nedroma in Tlemcen, Algeria.

ZOUAOUI     Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber
Derived from French zouave, in turn from Arabic الزواويون (al-zuwâwiyun), referring to a member one of the Algerian Kabyle tribes of Zuwâwa (also spelled Zouaoua; known as the ⵉⴳⴰⵡⴰⵡⵏ (Igawawen) in Tamazight)... [more]