Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AISSAOUIA عيساوية Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from the given name
AÏSSA (chiefly used in Algeria). This is also the name of a town in Médéa Province, Algeria.
ALAMI علمي Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic عَلِيم
(ʿalīm) meaning "knowing, learned, education" (see
ALIM), mainly used in a religious context.
ALGERIE الجزائر Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from the French
Algérie meaning "Algeria" (referring directly to the country itself). It also refers to someone from Annaba, Algeria.
ARFAOUI عرفاوي Arabic (Maghrebi)Possibly derived from Arabic عَرَفَ
(ʿarafa) meaning "to know" or أَرْفَع
(ʾarfaʿ) meaning "high, lofty, elevated" (chiefly Tunisian).
AYARI عياري Arabic (Maghrebi), PersianDerived from Arabic عَيَّار
(ʿayyār) or Persian عیار
(ayyâr) meaning "vagabond, loafer, idler" (chiefly Tunisian).
BELARBI بلعربي Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "son of the Arab" from Arabic بْن
(bn) meaning "son (of)" and اَلعَرَبِيّ
(al-ʿarabiyy) meaning "the Arab".
BELHADJ بالحاج Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "son of the pilgrim" from Arabic بْن
(bn) meaning "son (of)" اَلحَاجّ
(al-ḥājj) meaning "the pilgrim".
BEN بن 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 بن علي Arabic (Maghrebi), ComorianMaghrebi 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 HADJ بن حاج 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 بن كيران 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 بناني Arabic (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.
BENNOUNA بنونة Arabic (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... [
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BENZEMA بنزيما Arabic (Maghrebi)This is the surname of French professional footballer Karim Benzema who is of Algerian descent.
BOUAZIZI بوعزيزي 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... [
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BOUCHAREB بوشارب Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "father of the moustache" or "father of the drinker" from Arabic أَبُو
(ʾabū) meaning "father" and شَارِب
(šārib) meaning "moustache" or "drinker".
BOUHIRED بوحيرد Arabic (Maghrebi)Meaning unknown. A notable bearer is
DJAMILA Bouhired (1935-), an Algerian militant and nationalist who opposed the French rule over Algeria.
BOUMEDIENE بومدين 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.
BOUTEFLIKA بوتفليقة Arabic (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.
BOUTELLA بوتلة Arabic (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.
CHERKAOUI شرقاوي Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic شَرْقِيّ
(šarqiyy) meaning "eastern", denoting someone who comes from the east (chiefly Moroccan).
DJAZAIRI جزائري 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 قذافي Arabic (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.
GHARBI غربي Arabic (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).
HADJ حاج Arabic (Maghrebi)From Arabic حاج
(ḥājj) meaning "pilgrim", referring to the Islamic hajj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia (chiefly Maghrebi).
JENDOUBI جندوبي 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 جلاصي 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.
KISSAMI قيسامي Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "descendants of
QASIM" in Arabic. This was the name of a Moroccan family descended from the Idrisid dynasty.
LAHLOU لحلو Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic حُلْو
(ḥulw) meaning "sweet" or "nice, charming", chiefly used in Moroccan Arabic.
LAZRAK لزرق Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic الأزرق
(al ʾazraq) meaning "the blue (one)", from أَزْرَق
(ʾazraq) "blue". It is chiefly used for Moroccan Arabic.
MAGHRIBI مغربي 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.
MAHREZ محرز Arabic (Maghrebi)From Arabic مُحْرَز
(maḥraz) meaning "accomplished, achieved, attained". A notable bearer is Riyad Mahrez (1991-), an Algerian footballer.
MARZOUKI مرزوقي 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 مازيغ 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 مازني, مزيني Arabic (Maghrebi)Possibly from Arabic مَزِين
(mazīn) meaning “decorated, adorned” or مازن
(mazin) meaning “rain cloud” (see
MAZIN; chiefly Moroccan).
MORCELI مرسلي Arabic (Maghrebi)Possibly from Arabic مُرْسِل
(mursil) meaning "sender, dispatcher" or "sent, transmitted" from أَرْسَلَ
(ʾarsala) "to send, to dispatch".
MOUJAHID مجاهد 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 رزقي Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic رِزْق
(rizq) meaning "livelihood, subsistence, daily bread" (chiefly Tunisian).
SAHARAOUI صحراوي 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)... [
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SHAKSHUKI شكشوكي 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 شيباني Arabic (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.
SOUDANI سوداني Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "Sudanese (referring to a person from Sudan)", derived from Arabic سُودَانِيّ
(sūdāniyy).
TOUNSI تونسي 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 طرابلسي Arabic (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".
YALAOUI يعلاوي Arabic (Maghrebi)Algerian family name possibly derived from Arabic يَعْلَى
(yaʿlā) or يَعْلَ
(yaʿla) both meaning "exalted, high".
ZOUAOUI زواوي Arabic (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.