Arabic (Maghrebi) Submitted Surnames
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ALAMI Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic عَلِيم
(ʿalīm) meaning "knowing, learned, education" (see
Alim), mainly used in a religious context.
ALAOUI Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "relating to
Ali (1)" in Arabic (chiefly Moroccan). This is the name of the current ruling royal family of Morocco founded in 1631.
ALGERIE Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from the French
Algérie meaning "Algeria" (referring directly to the country itself). It also refers to someone from Annaba, Algeria.
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.
ARFAOUI Arabic (Maghrebi)Possibly derived from Arabic عَرَفَ
(ʿarafa) meaning "to know" or أَرْفَع
(ʾarfaʿ) meaning "high, lofty, elevated" (chiefly Tunisian).
AYARI Arabic (Maghrebi), PersianDerived from Arabic عَيَّار
(ʿayyār) or Persian عیار
(ayyâr) meaning "vagabond, loafer, idler" (chiefly Tunisian).
BEKHTI Arabic (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.
BELHADJ Arabic (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.
BEN Arabic (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 ALI Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "son of
Ali (1)" in Arabic (chiefly Tunisian). A notable bearer is Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1936-), the second President of Tunisia.
BEN HADJ Arabic (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.
BENKIRANE Arabic (Maghrebi)From Arabic بْن
(bn) meaning "son" combined with كِيرَان
(kīrān) meaning "forges, furnaces", possibly denoting descent of a blacksmith or metalworker (chiefly Moroccan).
BENNANI Arabic (Maghrebi)Meaning unknown; mainly found in Morocco. A notable bearer is Princess Lalla
Salma of Morocco (1978–), born as Salma Bennani.
BENZEMA Arabic (Maghrebi)This is the surname of French professional footballer Karim Benzema who is of Algerian descent.
BOUAZIZI Arabic (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. His death initiated the start of the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution.
BOUCHAREB Arabic (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.
BOUHIRED Arabic (Maghrebi)Meaning unknown. A notable bearer is
Djamila Bouhired (1935-), an Algerian militant and nationalist who opposed the French rule over Algeria.
BOUMEDIENE Arabic (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.
BOUTELLA Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "father of the mountain" or "father of the hill", derived from Arabic أَبُو
(ʾabū) meaning "father (of)" and تَلّ
(tall) "hill, foothill"; mainly used in Algeria....
[more] CHERKAOUI Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic شَرْقِيّ
(šarqiyy) meaning "eastern", denoting someone who comes from the east (chiefly Moroccan).
DJAZAIRI Arabic (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.
GADDAFI Arabic (Maghrebi), Northern AfricanFrom 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.
HADJ Arabic (Maghrebi)From Arabic حاج
(ḥājj) meaning "pilgrim", referring to the Islamic hajj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia (chiefly Maghrebi).
JENDOUBI Arabic (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".
JLASSI Arabic (Maghrebi), BerberFrom 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.
LAHLOU Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic حُلْو
(ḥulw) meaning "sweet" or "nice, charming", chiefly used in Moroccan Arabic.
LAZRAK Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic الأزرق
(al ʾazraq) meaning "the blue (one)", from أَزْرَق
(ʾazraq) "blue". It is chiefly used for Moroccan Arabic.
MAGHRIBI Arabic (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.
MARZOUKI Arabic (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.
MAZIGH Arabic (Maghrebi), BerberDerived 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”.
MAZINI Arabic (Maghrebi)Possibly from Arabic مَزِين
(mazīn) meaning “decorated, adorned” or مازن
(mazin) meaning “rain cloud” (see
Mazin; chiefly Moroccan).
MORCELI Arabic (Maghrebi)Possibly from Arabic مُرْسِل
(mursil) meaning "sender, dispatcher" or "sent, transmitted" from أَرْسَلَ
(ʾarsala) "to send, to dispatch".
MOUJAHID Arabic (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).
REZGUI Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic رِزْق
(rizq) meaning "livelihood, subsistence, daily bread" (chiefly Tunisian).
SAHARAOUI Arabic (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] SAHRAOUI Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "relating to the desert" from Arabic صَحْرَاوِيّ
(ṣaḥrāwiyy) meaning "inhabitant of the desert, having to do with the desert" (chiefly Algerian).
SHAKSHUKI Arabic (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.
SHEBANI Arabic (Maghrebi)From the name of an Arab tribe which in turn is derived from Arabic شيب
(šīb) meaning "white hair, grayness" or "cold, snow" (chiefly Libyan).
SOUDANI Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "Sudanese (referring to a person from Sudan)", derived from Arabic سُودَانِيّ
(sūdāniyy).
TOUATI Arabic (Maghrebi), Judeo-SpanishHabitual 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.
TOUNSI Arabic (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.
TRABELSI Arabic (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".
YALAOUI Arabic (Maghrebi)Algerian family name possibly derived from Arabic يَعْلَى
(yaʿlā) or يَعْلَ
(yaʿla) both meaning "exalted, high".
ZEROUAL Arabic (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.
ZIDANE Arabic (Maghrebi)From the given name
Zaydan, which in turn is derived from Arabic زاد
(zāda) meaning "to add, to increase". A notable bearer is
Zinedine "Zizou" Zidane (1972-), a former French footballer of Algerian descent.
ZOUAOUI Arabic (Maghrebi), BerberDerived 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)...
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