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.
AMIDANEاميدينNorthern 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.
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).
BEKHTIبختيArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic بخت (bakht) "fortune, chance" (see the Persian name BAKHTIAR); mainly found in Algeria. A notable bearer is LEÏLA Bekhti (1984-), a French actress of Algerian origin.
BELHADJبالحاجArabic (Maghrebi) Means "son of the pilgrim", from Arabic حَاجّ (ḥājj) meaning "pilgrim" (chiefly Algerian and Tunisian). It mainly refers to a Muslim who has embarked on the Hajj to Mecca.
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) Meaning unknown; mainly found in Morocco. A notable bearer is Princess Lalla SALMA of Morocco (1978–), born as Salma Bennani.
BOUAZIZبوعزيزArabic (Maghrebi), Judeo-Spanish Means "father of AZIZ" in Arabic and Hebrew, used in Algeria and Tunisia. It is also used by North African Sephardic Jews.
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 the Arabic بو (bu) "father (of)" and شَارِب (šārib) meaning "drinking, drinker" or "moustache". It is mainly found in Algeria.
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.
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.
CHERGUIشرقيArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic شَرْقِيّ (šarqiyy) meaning "eastern, one from the east" (chiefly Algerian). It is a cognate of Moroccan CHERKAOUI and Sephardi CHOURAQUI.
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) From Arabic غَرْب (ḡarb) meaning "stranger" or "west, Occident" (chiefly Tunisian).
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.
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.
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).
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 "relating to the desert" from Arabic صَحْرَاوِيّ (ṣaḥrāwiyy) meaning "inhabitant of the desert, having to do with the desert" (chiefly Algerian).
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.
TOUATIتواتيArabic (Maghrebi), Judeo-Spanish Habitual family name denoting someone who originated from the Touat (or Tuat) desert region in Algeria. It is also sometimes used by North African Sephardic Jews.
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.
TRABELSIطرابلسيArabic (Maghrebi) Originally indicated a person who came from the city of Tripoli in Libya. The city's name itself is of Greek origin meaning "three cities", from Greek τρι- (tri-) meaning "three" combined with πόλις (pólis) meaning "city".
ZEROUALزروالArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic أزرق (ʾazraq) meaning "blue" (chiefly Moroccan and Algerian). A notable bearer is Liamine Zéroual (1941–), the former President of Algeria from 1994 to 1999.
ZOUAOUIزواويArabic (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]