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Arabic names do not have middle names or middle initials
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Two names are insufficient to identify someone from the Middle
East. Someone identified by only two names has at least 56
different possible name combinations.
Example: Mohammed Ali Hassan Adnan Abdel-Allah
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Mohamed (1st name)
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Ali (Father’s Name)
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Hassan (Grandfather’s name)
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Adnan (Great-Grandfather’s name)
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Abdel-Allah (Family or Tribal name)
Names will contain the father’s & grandfather’s names and in some
cases the great-grandfather’s name
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ABU – The father of, usually the firstborn male
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IM or UM – The mother of, usually the firstborn male
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BIN or IBN – The son of a well known, respected person
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SHEIKH or SHEIK – A title usually given to elders
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HAJ or HEJ (male) or HAJJEAH or HEJJEAH (female) –
Title given when a person completes a pilgrimage to Mecca
Sometimes people are known by their country or city of origin: •
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Ahmed is from Iran.
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He may be called Ahmed Al-Irani (Ahmed from Iran)
Example: Former head of Al Qaeda - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
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This actually means that he is: Musab’s Father from •
Zarqa, Jordan
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Abu Musab – Father of Musab
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al-Zarqawi – From the town of Zarqa in Jordan
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His real name was: Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh
Sheik Mohammed Al Musseri
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Sheik – TITLE
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Mohammed – First Name
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Al Musseri – From Egypt (Musser)
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OREGON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
REFERENCE GUIDE FOR ARAB NAMES
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Hej Ahmed
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Hej – TITLE (or Haj) (Indicating the person has made a
pilgrimage to Mecca)
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Ahmed – Name
Titles based on country or city of origin or religion:
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Egypt
Musser
Al Musseri
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Jordan
Al Urden
Al Urdoni
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Yemen
Yemeni
Al Yemeni
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Zarqa
Zarqawi
Al Zarqawi
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Christian
Massehee
Al Massehee
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Syria
Soori
Al Soori
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Sudan
Sudani
Al Sudani
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Somalia
Somali
Al Somali
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Palestine
Falesteen
Al Falesteeni
In Saudi Arabia to get a driver's license, a bank account or a phone number,
you are required to have four names -- your first name, your father's name,
your grandfather's name and your family name.
Many Saudi diplomats in the United States use only first and last names and
a middle initial, like the American pattern. First and last names alone are
too common, amounting to Arabic versions of John Smith or Joe Jones.
Often, but not always, the family name is the tribal name, which can be
shared by as many as half a million people.
Saudi passports typically show four names in Arabic. They also give the
passport holder's full first and last names in English, but only the initials of
the second and third names. This is usually done to save space & time.
When issuing visa/passports, U.S. consular officials default to the English
version using first name, middle initials, and last name.
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
REFERENCE GUIDE FOR ARAB NAMES
Classical Middle Eastern names require at least four components. These
are broken down into six general categories (some texts have seven
categories, breaking out into place of birth and occupation). They
generally appear in the following order:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Honorific Name (kunya or agronem) - as the father or mother of.
Usually the eldest son. eg., abu Da'ud (Father of David) or Umm Salama
(Mother of Salama).
Personal Name (ism) - common: Muhammad (Mohammed), Ibrahim
(Abraham), Hasan, Ahmad. Rarely used socially, then only if the person
is famous.
Descriptive Name (lakab or cognomen) – usually religious, relating to
nature or some admirable quality the person has or would like to have.
eg., 'Abd Allah (Servant of God, often written Abdullah), Harun AlRashid (Aaron the Rightly-Guided). Some cognomens are also used as
personal names, eg., Rashid and al-Rashid, by adding ad-din (Nur addin, meaning Light of theReligion).
Patronymic Name (nasab or lineage) - denotes the pedigree, as the son
or daughter of a certain person. eg., ibn 'Umar (son of Omar) or
commonly spelled "bin" Umar (as in Osama bin Laden). Usually limited
to three generations.
Geographical or Tribal Name (hisba or nisba) – derived from the
place of residence or birth or origin of the family by using the prefix al
or el and the suffix i, eg., Yusaf al-Isfahani (Joseph of Isfahan) or
Ahmed Alghamdi (Ahmed of the Tribe of Ghamd).
Occupational Name or nickname (laqab) - derived from a person's
trade or family history, eg., Muhammad al-Hallaj (Mohammed the
Cotton Weaver) or by a nickname bestowed posthumously or during the
person’s lifetime, either as an honorific name or an insult or
distinguishing feature.
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Arabic Calendar conversion tool:
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Islamic Information Website:
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http://www.islamicfinder.com/
Arab Survey
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http://www.oriold.unizh.ch/static/hegira.html
http://www.aaiusa.org/resources/421/test-yourknowledge
Arab American Institute
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http://www.aaiusa.org/
Chris J. Cardona, CCA
Oregon Department of Justice
503.378.5123 ext. 229
[email protected]