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Re: Algerian surnames
in reply to a message by Getb2
Bou is the Maghribi version of the standard Arabic abu, 'father'. Boumedienne in standard Arabic would be Abu Madyan, 'father of Madyan', which last is the biblical name Midian. My poor memory may be letting me down here, but I seem to recall that Abu Madyan was an alternative name of Abd-al-Qadir Jilani, founder of thr Qadiri religious order. Certainly there is a Sufi link there.
The Algerian politician, Houari Boumedienne, was originally called Mohamed Boukharouba, a surname not satisfactorily explaine. Two possilities have been suggested: 'father of carob', 'father of cherub'. Neither suggestion clarifies the reason for the adoption or imposition of such a name. Arab nomenclature has many such names, nicknames that have become surnames. Often the original meaning is lost. names beginning in Abu or Bou are known in Arabic by the name 'kunya'. Some are literal, in that the Abu is followed by the name of the original bearer's eldest son. This type of name is one showing respect without formality. Politicians like to be known by this type of name, as it can be considered affectionate but not too familiar.
The other type of kunya is the nickname. Some examples of surnames of this type; Abushara, 'father of hair' (a hairy person?), Abudirham 'father of money', Abulafia 'father of health' (thought to mean a doctor). Abulafia is romanised Bouafia in the Maghrib, and Abushara is Bouchara.
Mostaghanemi denotes someone from the town of Mostaghanem (Algeria). The adjectival
-i ending is usually added to place-names to make surnames, e.g., Baghdadi, Tarabulsi (from Tripoli). It can also be added to ancestral names (e.g., Husseini) or tribal names.
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thanks! But I was told that this man, called Mohammed Ben Brahim Boukharouba already had a "son of" in "ben brahim" which is "Brahim's son"... or is this like someone being called Joseph Davidson Perez?
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Ben Brahim, 'son of Abraham', almost certainly his father's name. Boukharouba, an hereditary surname. So, Mohammed Boukharouba son of Brahim Boukharouba. Arabs often add their father's name to their name, though in most countries the 'ben', or'ibn', would be left out. So Jubran Khalil Jubran is Jubran (given name) Jubran (surname), son of Khalil (given name) Jubran (surname).
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Thanks
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