Sephardic names are used by Sephardic Jews, who are Jews from the Iberian Peninsula and their descendants in the diaspora. See also about Jewish names.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AbadJudeo-Spanish Nickname from abad ‘priest’ (from Late Latin abbas ‘priest’, genitive abbatis, from the Aramaic word meaning ‘father’). The application is uncertain: it could be a nickname, an occupational name for the servant of a priest, or denote an (illegitimate) son of a priest.
AbecassisאבקסיסJudeo-Spanish From Hebrew אָב (áv) meaning "father" and Arabic قَصَّاص (qaṣṣāṣ) meaning "storyteller, narrator" (used as a title for community leaders and rabbis among North African Jews).
AbitbolאביטבולJudeo-Spanish Means "father of drums" (figuratively referring to a drum maker) from Arabic أَبُو (abū) meaning "father" and طَبْل (ṭabl) meaning "drum".
AbulafiaאבולעפיהJudeo-Spanish From Arabic أبو العافية (abū l-ʿāfiya) meaning "father of health" from أبو (abū) meaning "father" and عافية (ʿāfiya) meaning "health, well-being".
AlhadeffJudeo-Spanish Possibly an occupational name for a weaver from Arabic الهداف (al-̣haddāf) meaning "the weaver's shuttle". Alternately, it may be from Arabic الهدى (al-hadā) meaning "the guided one".
AlmosninoאלמושנינוJudeo-Spanish Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from Catalan or Spanish limosna meaning "alms, charity" or from an Arabic word denoting an orator.
AmsalemאמסלםJudeo-Spanish From an uncertain first element, perhaps the Tamazight prefix 'am denoting an agent, combined with Hebrew שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace".
AtlanאטלןJudeo-Spanish From an Arabic word originally meaning "noble" but later taking on the pejorative meaning of "spoiled, worthless" or "crippled, infirm".
AzoulayאזולאיJudeo-Spanish Meaning uncertain. It may derived from Spanish azul or French azur meaning "blue" (both ultimately derived from Persian via Arabic), possibly used as a nickname for someone with blue eyes or an occupational name for a maker of blue ceramic ware... [more]
BacriבכריJudeo-Spanish Possibly derived from Arabic بكر (bikr) meaning "firstborn, eldest". Alternately it may be an occupational name for a cowherd or cattle merchant from بقر (baqar) meaning "cattle".
BaranesבראנסJudeo-Spanish From the name of the Baranis tribe of the Amazigh (Berber) people, derived from an Arabic plural form of the name of the tribe's founder, Burnus. His name has been connected to the Arabic word برنس (burnus) meaning "burnoose, cloak".
CarbajalSpanish, Judeo-Spanish Probably a habitational name denoting someone originally from any of the multiple locations called Carbajal in León, Asturias, or Zamora in Spain. Alternatively, it may be of pre-Roman origin from the word carbalio meaning "oak", denoting someone who either lived near an oak tree or who was like an oak tree in some way.... [more]
CaslariJewish (Archaic), Judeo-Provençal, Judeo-Catalan, Judeo-French Abraham ben David Caslari was a Catalan-Jewish physician. Abraham Caslari (presumably a different man) is also listed in the index of known Jews in France in the late middle ages in the book Judaia Gallica by Heinrich Gross.
ChemlaשמלהJewish (Sephardic) Derived from Arabic ﺷﻤﻠﺔ (shamlah) meaning "cloak, mantle", probably used as a name for someone who wore, made or sold cloaks.
FitoussiפיטוסיJewish (Sephardic) Meaning uncertain, possibly from the Tamazight place name Fitous located in present-day Libya. Alternately it may be related to the Arabic root ف ط س (f-t-s) meaning "flatness", possibly used as a nickname for someone with a flat nose.
GabisonגביסוןJudeo-Spanish From the name of a town located in either the province of Valladolid or near the city of Santander in Spain. It has also been connected to the Spanish word cabeza, used as a nickname for a stubborn person.
GuedjיגדגJudeo-Spanish Possibly derived from the Kabyle word agaji related to movement, though it may in fact be a variant of the surname Guez.
GuettaגואטהJudeo-Spanish Meaning uncertain, possibly from the name of a tribe from northwestern Libya or from the name of the town of Huete in Cuenca province, Spain.
GuezגזJudeo-Spanish Either derived from Hebrew גָּזַז (gazaz) meaning "to shear, to cut (hair)" or Arabic قزاز (qazzaz) meaning "silk merchant, sericulturist".
HaccounJudeo-Spanish Derived from Arabic حق (haqq) meaning "truth", used as a nickname for an honest person.
HaikחיאקJudeo-Spanish From the name of a garment worn by Algerian women, derived from Arabic حاك (hak) meaning "to weave". It was used as an occupational name for a maker of these garments.
IferganאיפרגןJudeo-Spanish From the name of the village of Ifergan in Morocco, itself derived from Tamazight afrag meaning "enclosed place, cloister".
JaouiזיאוויJudeo-Spanish Derived from Arabic لبان جاوي (luban jawiyy) referring to a type of balsamic resin used in perfumes and incense (literally meaning "Javanese frankincense").
JournoגיורנוJudeo-Spanish Derived from Italian giorno meaning "day", taken from the given name Bongiorno meaning "good day".
KnafoכנפוJudeo-Spanish Likely derived from Tamazight akhnif referring to a type of woolen hooded cloak (a type of burnous). It has also been connected to the Hebrew word כָּנָף (kanaf) meaning "wing".
OhanaאוחנהJudeo-Spanish From a name meaning "son of Hanna" in Tamazight, either from the given name Hanna 1 or perhaps Tamazight ḥenna meaning "grandmother".
OhayonאוחיוןJudeo-Spanish Means "son of Chayyim" from the Berber prefix ou- or au- meaning "son (of)" and the given name Chayyim.
SarfatiצרפתיJudeo-Spanish From Hebrew צרפתית (tsar'fatit) meaning "French". It was originally used to refer to the Biblical place name Tzarfat, which has come to be identified as modern-day France.
SuissaסויסהJudeo-Spanish From the name of the town of Suesa in Cantabria, Spain.
SusanEnglish, Dutch, Jewish (Sephardic) As an English (London) and Dutch surname, it comes from the feminine personal name Susanna, from Hebrew שושן (shushan) meaning "lily, lily of the valley".... [more]
TouitouJudeo-Spanish Likely a variant of Touati, though it has also been connected to the Arabic word نونو (nunu) meaning "thrush, blackbird" (a dialectal term).