AISSAOUIAعيساويةArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from the given name AÏSSA (chiefly used in Algeria). This is also the name of a town in Médéa Province, Algeria.
ALAMIعلميArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic عَلِيم (ʿalīm) meaning "knowing, learned, education" (see ALIM), mainly used in a religious context.
ALAOUIعلويArabic (Maghrebi) From the given name ALI (1). This is the name of the current ruling royal family of Morocco, which was founded in 1631.
ALGERIEالجزائرArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from the French Algérie meaning "Algeria" (referring directly to the country itself). It also refers to someone from Annaba, Algeria.
ARFAOUIعرفاويArabic (Maghrebi) Possibly derived from Arabic عَرَفَ (ʿarafa) meaning "to know" or أَرْفَع (ʾarfaʿ) meaning "high, lofty, elevated" (chiefly Tunisian).
AYARIعياريArabic (Maghrebi), Persian Derived from Arabic عَيَّار (ʿayyār) or Persian عیار (ayyâr) meaning "vagabond, loafer, idler" (chiefly Tunisian).
BENبنArabic (Maghrebi) Maghrebi variant of Arabic بْن (bn), a form of اِبْن (ibn) meaning "son (of), offspring". It is often used as a prefix for other Maghrebi patronymic names (such as BENALI "son of Ali" or BEN AMOR "son of AMOR").
BEN ALIبن عليArabic (Maghrebi), Comorian Maghrebi transcription of Arabic بن علي (bin Ali) meaning "son of ALI (1)". A notable bearer was Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1936-2019), who served as the president of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011.
BEN HADJبن حاجArabic (Maghrebi) Means "son of the pilgrim"; the title Hadj refers to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This surname is mainly found in Tunisia.
BENKIRANEبن كيرانArabic (Maghrebi) From Arabic بْن (bn) meaning "son" combined with كِيرَان (kīrān) meaning "forges, furnaces", possibly denoting descent of a blacksmith or metalworker (chiefly Moroccan).
BENNANIبنانيArabic (Maghrebi) Means "my son" in Hebrew, from בן (ben) meaning "son" and אני (ani) meaning "I, me". This is the name of a Moroccan family of Jewish origin that converted to Islam.
BENNOUNAبنونةArabic (Maghrebi) Most likely from Arabic بن (bin) meaning "son" and the given name Nouna, which may have been derived from an Arabic word meaning "whale, big fish" or "sabre, sword". Alternately, it may be from an Arabic name for a variety of melon... [more]
BOUAZIZIبوعزيزيArabic (Maghrebi) Means "father of AZIZ" in Arabic (chiefly Maghrebi). A notable bearer was Mohamed Bouazizi (1984-2011), a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire... [more]
BOUCHAREBبوشاربArabic (Maghrebi) Means "father of the moustache" or "father of the drinker" from Arabic أَبُو (ʾabū) meaning "father" and شَارِب (šārib) meaning "moustache" or "drinker".
BOUHIREDبوحيردArabic (Maghrebi) Meaning unknown. A notable bearer is DJAMILA Bouhired (1935-), an Algerian militant and nationalist who opposed the French rule over Algeria.
BOUKHAROUBAبوخروبةArabic (Maghrebi) Meaning unknown, possibly of Kabyle origin. A notable bearer was Algerian revolutionary and President HOUARIBOUMEDIENE (1932-1978), who was born as MOHAMED ben Brahim Boukharouba.
BOUMEDIENEبومدينArabic (Maghrebi) Means "father of MIDIAN" in Arabic (chiefly Algerian). A notable bearer was HOUARI Boumediene (1932-1978), born as MOHAMED ben Brahim Boukharouba, an Algerian revolutionary who served as the second President of Algeria from 1976-1978.
BOUTEFLIKAبوتفليقةArabic (Maghrebi) 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.
BOUTELLAبوتلةArabic (Maghrebi, Rare) Means "father of the mountain" or "father of the hill", from Arabic أَبُو (ʾabū) meaning "father (of)" and تَلّ (tall) meaning "hill, foothill". Two notable bearers include father and daughter Safy (1950-) and Sofia (1982-) Boutella, an Algerian singer and an Algerian-French actress, respectively.
CHERKAOUIشرقاويArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic شَرْقِيّ (šarqiyy) meaning "eastern", denoting someone who comes from the east (chiefly Moroccan).
DJAZAIRIجزائريArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic الجزائر (al-Jazā’ir) meaning "the islands", referring to the country of Algeria or referring to an Algerian person. This surname could be used to refer to someone from the city of Algiers, or just a general Algerian person.
EL OUAFIالعوافيArabic (Maghrebi) Means "the Ouafi", derived from the given name WAFI. A bearer was AHMEDBOUGHÈRA El Ouafi (1898-1959), an Algerian athlete during the French rule over the country.
GADDAFIقذافيArabic (Maghrebi) From قذاذفة (Qadhadhfa), the Arabic name for a Berber tribe in Libya. The name possibly means "thrower, archer", from Arabic قَذَفَ (qaḏafa) meaning "to throw". A famous bearer was Muammar Gaddafi (1942–2011), a Libyan politician and revolutionary.
GHANNOUCHIالغنوشي, غنوشيArabic (Maghrebi) Meaning unknown. A notable bearer is MOHAMED Ghannouchi (1941–), the former Prime Minister of Tunisia.
GHARBIغربيArabic (Maghrebi) Means "westerner, one from the west" from Arabic غرب (gharb) meaning "west, occident". In Tunisia it is typically used as a name for someone originally from Algeria or Morocco (being the two westernmost countries in North Africa).
JENDOUBIجندوبيArabic (Maghrebi) From Jendouba, the name of a large city in northwestern Tunisia. The name itself is derived from Berber (Tamazight) jen meaning "market" and douba meaning "wheat".
JLASSIجلاصيArabic (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.
LAMRANIالعمرانيArabic (Maghrebi) Alternate transcription of EL AMRANI. A famous bearer is former Moroccan prime minister Mohammed Karim Lamrani (1919-2018).
LAZRAKلزرقArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic الأزرق (al ʾazraq) meaning "the blue (one)", from أَزْرَق (ʾazraq) "blue". It is chiefly used for Moroccan Arabic.
MAGHRIBIمغربيArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic المغرب (al-Maghrib) meaning "the west", also referring to the country of Morocco. It could be used to refer to a Moroccan person or (in English) someone from the Maghreb region of Northern Africa.
MAHREZمحرزArabic (Maghrebi) From Arabic مُحْرَز (maḥraz) meaning "accomplished, achieved, attained". A notable bearer is Riyad Mahrez (1991-), an Algerian footballer.
MARRAKCHIمراكشيArabic (Maghrebi) Habitational name for someone originally from the city of Marrakesh in Morocco.
MARZOUKIمرزوقيArabic (Maghrebi) From the given name MARZOUQ (chiefly Tunisian and Moroccan). A notable bearer is Moncef Marzouki (1945-), who was the fourth President of Tunisia from 2011 to 2014.
MAZIGHمازيغArabic (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”.
MAZINIمازني, مزينيArabic (Maghrebi) Possibly from Arabic مَزِين (mazīn) meaning “decorated, adorned” or مازن (mazin) meaning “rain cloud” (see MAZIN; chiefly Moroccan).
MERNISSIمرنيسيArabic (Maghrebi) Possibly a variant of MARNISSI. A famous bearer was Moroccan feminist writer and sociologist Fatima Mernissi (1940-2015).
MORCELIمرسليArabic (Maghrebi) Possibly from Arabic مُرْسِل (mursil) meaning "sender, dispatcher" or "sent, transmitted" from أَرْسَلَ (ʾarsala) "to send, to dispatch".
MOUJAHIDمجاهدArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic مُجَاهِد (mujāhid) meaning "one who is labouring, one who is in distress", also used to refer to a member of a liberation army in Muslim countries (chiefly Moroccan).
SAHARAOUIصحراويArabic (Maghrebi) From Arabic صحراوي (Ṣaḥrāwī) meaning "inhabitant of the desert" (from صحراء (Ṣaḥrā') "desert"), referring to the indigenous Sahrawi people of Western Sahara (see SAHRAOUI)... [more]
SAHRAOUIصحراويArabic (Maghrebi) Means "of the desert" or "of the Sahara" from Arabic صَحْرَاء (ṣaḥrāʾ) meaning "desert".
SHAKSHUKIشكشوكيArabic (Maghrebi) Most likely from Libyan Arabic شَكْشُوكَةٌ (šakšawka) meaning “a mixture”, referring to a type of North African dish made of vegetables and fried eggs.
SHEBANIشيبانيArabic (Maghrebi) From the name of an Arab tribe which is derived from Arabic شيب (šīb) meaning "white hair, grayness" or "cold, snow". This surname is chiefly used in Libya.
TOUNSIتونسيArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic تُونِسِيّ (tūnisiyy) meaning “Tunisian”, ultimately from تُونِس (tūnis) meaning "Tunisia, Tunis". It can refer to a native of the country of Tunisia, someone from the city of Tunis (in Tunisia), or the Tunisian Tounsi dialect of Arabic.
TOUZANIتوزانيArabic (Maghrebi) Possibly derived from Aït Touzine, the name of a Rifian tribe in Morocco.
TRABELSIطرابلسيArabic (Maghrebi) Habitational name for someone originally from the city of Tripoli in Libya from Arabic طَرَابُلُس (ṭarābulus). The city's name ultimately comes from Ancient Greek Τρίπολις (Trípolis) meaning "three cities", from τρι- (tri-) meaning "three" and πόλις (pólis) meaning "city".
ZOUAOUIزواويArabic (Maghrebi) Indicates a member of the Igawawen (called Zouaoua in French) Kabyle tribe, from Maghrebi Arabic زواوة (zwāwa). The tribe's name is of uncertain meaning; it may be derived from the name of a massif in Kabylie, Algeria.