Save Type Surname (from nickname) Usage Arabic (Maghrebi) Scripts بوتفليقة(Arabic) Pronounced Pron. /buː.te.fliː.ˈqa/(Arabic) /bu.te.fli.ka/(French) [key·simplify] Meaning & History Possibly means "one who makes things explode" in Algerian Arabic. A famous bearer is Abdelaziz Bouteflika (1937-), who served as president of Algeria from 1999 to 2019.