Top 100+ Middle Eastern Last Names With Meanings

The Middle East's last names are very common and gained popularity all over the globe.

Surnames from the Middle East carry the culture and history of the people from the area. Most Middle Eastern countries are part of the Arab world and thus, carry Arabic and Persian origins.

The largest Middle Eastern country is Saudi Arabia. Arabic is the most spoken language of the Middle East, followed by Persian and Turkish. Therefore most of the names are of Arabic origin, while some are originated from Persian, Turkish, and other languages spoken in the Middle East region. The Middle East region contains the following countries, along with Saudi Arabia: Kuwait, Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Israel, Qatar, Palestine, Oman, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, Yemen, and United Arab Emirates. Here we have assembled 100 last names from the Middle East to help you.

If you are interested to find out about more cultures, you can read our other articles on Persian Last Names and Egyptian Names For Boys.

A few surnames from the Middle East are so common that they are widespread all over the world. Check out this list of common Middle Eastern names.

1. Abdullah (Arabic origin) meaning "servant of God". This surname is associated with Majed Abdullah, a former footballer from Saudi Arabia.

2. Abtahi (Persian origin) meaning "one who lives in Abtah".

3. Ahmad (Arabic origin) meaning "the praised one".

4. Akhtar (Persian origin) meaning "star".

5. Ali (Arabic origin) meaning "high" or "champion". This surname is associated with Abdulaziz Ali, a Qatari footballer.

6. Asker (Turkish origin) meaning "hardworking soldier".

7. Baser (Turkish origin) meaning "achieve" or "thrive".

8. Bilal (Arabic origin) meaning "water" or "moisture". This surname is associated with the Saudi Arabian footballer Ammar Bilal.

9. Faheem (Arabic origin) meaning "intelligent" or "understanding". This is the last name of Ahmet Faheem, a Turkish theater and film actor.

10. Faiz (Arabic origin) meaning "victorious".

11. Habib (Arabic origin) meaning "beloved" or "friend".

12. Hadi (Arabic origin) meaning "leader" or "guide".

13. Hussein (Arabic origin) meaning "handsome one". This surname is associated with the former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein.

14. Ibrahim (Arabic origin) meaning "father of nations". Waleed al-Ibrahim is an Arab businessman.

15. Irfan (Arabic origin) meaning "knowledge" or "wisdom".

16. Karim (Arabic origin) meaning "noble" or "honorable". This is the last name of Mohammed Karim, an Egyptian film director.

17. Manzur (Arabic origin) meaning "approved" or "accepted". Ibn Manzur was a Maghrebi Arab lexicographer.

18. Mustafa (Arabic origin) meaning "the chosen one". This surname is associated with the former Turkish president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

19. Nahdi (Arabic origin) meaning "strong tree".

20. Rahman (Arabic origin) meaning "the most merciful" or "gracious". This surname is associated with Mufidah Abdul Rahman, one of Egypt's first female lawyers.

21. Rasul (Arabic origin) meaning "messenger" or "apostle".

22. Yusuf (Arabic origin) meaning "God increases". This surname is associated with the UAE footballer, Yousif Hassan.

The Arabic naming conventions are unique with Arab people having a chain of names. One of the most common Arabic surnames is Mohamed. Here is a list of the common Arabic last names.

23. Abadi meaning "endless" or "eternal". This surname is associated with the former Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi.

24. Amin meaning "faithful" or "trustworthy". Samir Amin was an Egyptian political author.

25. Asghar meaning "younger" or "youthful".

26. Ayad meaning "powerful" or "blessings". This surname is associated with the Qatari judoka, Muhammed Ali Ayad.

27. Badawi meaning "bedouin". This surname is associated with the Saudi Arabian human rights activist Samara Badawi.

28. Faizan meaning "blessings" or "ruler".

29. Farooq meaning "one who distinguishes between right and wrong". It is the last name of Mohammed Farooq, a member of the famous Saudi Arabian family.

30. Fasih meaning "eloquent" or "literary".

31. Ghulam meaning "servant".

32. Hadid meaning "iron".

33. Hafeez meaning "protector".  This is the last name of Osman Abdel Hafeez, a former Egyptian Olympic fencer.

34. Hakim meaning "wise" or "scholar".

35. Hariri meaning "occupational name for a silk merchant". This surname is associated with the Iraqi minister Fawzi Hariri.

36. Kadir meaning "almighty". Kamal Kadir is a Kurdish human rights activist.

37. Qureshi meaning "descendant of Quraish".

38. Rafiq meaning "intimate friend" or "companion".

39. Saqqaf meaning "quick" or "clever".

40. Sultan meaning "ruler". Sultan is commonly used as a title for Arab rulers.

41. Ubaid meaning "servant of God".

42. Zahir meaning "evident" or "shining". This surname is associated with Ahmed Zaher, an Egyptian actor.

Some last names are popular because they have an appealing meaning and are favored by many people. Check out this list of popular surnames from the Middle East.

43. Agha (Turkish origin) meaning "leader" or "ruler".

44. Ajami (Arabic origin) meaning "mute". Habib al-Ajami was a Muslim Sufi mystic and saint.

45. Alavi (Arabic origin) meaning "follower of Ali".

46. Azmoun (Persian origin) meaning "test" or "exam".

47. Bakir (Turkish origin) meaning "copper". Remziye Bakir is a Turkish women's footballer.

48. Moradi (Persian origin) meaning "son of Morad" or "one from Morad family".

49. Nasri (Arabic origin) meaning "support" or "victory". This surname is associated with the Syrian musical artist Assala Nasri.

50. Nawaz (Persian origin) meaning "prince".

51. Rahimi (Persian origin) meaning "associated with Rahim". Abouzar Rahimi is an Iranian footballer.

52. Rajab (Arabic origin) meaning "seventh month of Islamic calendar".

53. Ramzan (Arabic origin) meaning "to be alive".

54. Reza (Persian origin) meaning "contentment". This surname is associated with Yasmina Reza, an Iranian-French playwright. It is a famous last name.

55. Shariq (Arabic origin) meaning "rising from the east" or "sunlight". Akhnas ibn Shariq was one of the leaders of Mecca.

56. Tawfiq (Arabic origin) meaning "fortunate".

57. Wahed (Arabic origin) meaning "the absolute one".

58. Yasser (Arabic origin) meaning "rich" or "well to do". Hussein Yasser is a Qatari footballer.

59. Yilmaz (Turkish origin) meaning "unbeatable" or "brave". Nese Zara Yilmaz is a popular Turkish folk singer and actress.

60. Zaman (Arabic origin) meaning "person of the era". This name is associated with the Kurdish-Norwegian filmmaker Hisham Zaman.

61. Zayed (Arabic origin) meaning "abundance" or "growth".

If you are searching for some unique surnames from the Middle East, we suggest you check out this list of rare and unique Middle East surnames.

62. Baghdadi (Arabic origin) meaning "someone from Baghdad". Junayd Baghdadi was one of the famous early Islamic saints.

63. Bashar (Arabic origin) meaning "bringer of good tidings".

64. Bayraktar (Turkish origin) meaning "flag-bearer". Gulsen Bayraktar is a Turkish singer-songwriter.

65. Celik (Turkish origin) meaning "steel". Mehmet Zeki Celik is a professional Turkish footballer.

66. Demirci (Turkish origin) meaning "blacksmith".

67. Entezam (Persian origin) meaning "discipline" or "order". This surname is associated with the Iranian politician Abbas Entezam.

68. Ghasemi (Persian origin) is derived from the given name Ghasim meaning "distributer".

69. Gokalp (Turkish origin) meaning "sky hero". This surname is associated with Ziya Gokelp, a Turkish sociologist, writer, and poet

70. Jabir (Arabic origin) meaning "comforter" or "healer".

71. Jalal (Arabic origin) meaning "greatness" or "lordliness". This surname is associated with Wahid Jalal, a famous Arabian actor. Jalal is one of the famous Arabic last names.

72. Kaan (Turkish origin) meaning "King of Kings". It is the last name of Kaan Tasaner, a Turkish actor.

73. Laghmani (Persian origin) meaning "one born at nightfall". This surname is associated with the Iranian cinematographer, Ali Laghmani.

Egypt, being a Middle East country of the Arab world, has mostly names originated from Arabic. Check out this comprehensive list of the most common  Egyptian surnames.

74. Amer meaning "prosperous" or "full of life". This surname is associated with the Egyptian contemporary painter Ghada Amer.

75. Ashraf meaning "most honorable one".

76. Gamal meaning "beauty". This surname is associated with the Egyptian film actress, Samia Gamal.

77. Imam meaning "one who leads the way". This surname is associated with the famous Egyptian composer and singer, Sheikh Imam.

78. Kamal meaning "perfection" or "integrity".

79. Magdy meaning "glory" or "praiseworthy".

80. Mahfouz meaning "well-protected" or "safeguarded". This surname is associated with the Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian writer, Naguib Mahfouz.

81. Nabil meaning "noble".

82. Nassief meaning "just" or "fair-minded". It is similar to Abdullah Omar Nasseef is a famous Arab geologist.

83. Saad meaning "felicity" or "prosperity". Mahmoud Saad is a former Egyptian footballer.

84. Saleh meaning "goodness" or "righteousness". Saeed Saleh was one of the best Egyptian comedian actors.

85. Salem meaning "safe" or "perfect".

86. Samir meaning "loyal" or "charming companion".

87. Sherif meaning "noble" or "highborn". Nour-El Sherif was a prominent Egyptian actor.

Syria is a country in the Middle East region. Most Syrian names have Arabic origin. Here is a list of some common Arabic last names from Syria.

88. Abbas meaning "lion". Ali Asad Abbas is a United Arab Emirates cricketer.

89. Ghazali meaning "native of Ghazel". Rustum Ghazali is a Syrian politician.

90. Hassan meaning "manly" or "strong".

91. Khaled meaning "immortal" or "eternal".

92. Saeed meaning "happy".

While Morocco is not in the same geographical area as other Middle Eastern countries, the culture pertains to the Middle East. Many Moroccans have Arabic last names. Check out this list of few common Arabic last names from Morocco.

93. Aziz meaning "beloved".

94. Hajji meaning "one who completed the Hajj to Mecca".

95. Khalil meaning "friend".

96. Naji meaning "survivor".

97. Omar meaning "flourishing" or "long-lived".

Sephardic Jews are a group of Jewish ethnic divisions and some of them inhabited Middle Eastern countries. They have mostly biblical surnames but some names also have Arabic origin. Check out this list of Sephardic last names.

98. Abecassis (Moroccan origin) meaning "father of Cassis". This name is associated with the Israeli actress Yael Abecassis.

99. Abergel (Moroccan origin) meaning "one-footed man". Avital Abergel is an Israeli actress.

100. Abravanel (Hebrew origin) meaning "father of God" or "priest".

101. Abulafia (Hispanic origin) meaning "father of health or well-being". Todros ben Yosef Abulafia was a prominent Sephardic Jew.

102. Bensaid (Arabic and Hebrew origin) meaning "descendent of Said". This surname is associated with the Moroccan singer Samira Bensaid.

103. Camhi (Hebrew origin) meaning "of wheat".

104. Naor (Hebrew origin) meaning "enlightened". Miriam Naor is a former Israeli judge.

Kidadl has lots of great names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for Middle Eastern Last Names then why not take a look at something different like Iranian Girl Names or Arabic Last Names.