Pakistani Last Names

These Pakistani last names are real family names from across Pakistan, listed A to Z with Urdu script and meanings. Many began as religious lineages, titles or tribal names, and a family may choose which of these to use as its surname.

248 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Abbas عباس

Stern; lion; Prophet's uncle
Abbasi عباسی

Claiming descent from al-Abbas; also hill tribe of Murree
Abro ابڑو

Sindhi Samma tribe
Achakzai اچکزئی

Pashtun tribe of Chaman
Afridi آفریدی

Pashtun tribe of the Khyber Pass
Ahmed احمد

Most praiseworthy
Akhtar اختر

Star
Akhund آخوند

Religious teacher
Ali علی

Exalted; after the fourth caliph
Alvi علوی

Descendant of Ali through non-Fatimid lines
Anjum انجم

Stars
Ansari انصاری

Descendant of the Ansar, Helpers of Medina
Anwar انور

Most luminous
Arain آرائیں

Agricultural community of Punjab
Arshad ارشد

Most rightly guided
Ashraf اشرف

Most noble
Aslam اسلم

Safest; most sound
Awan اعوان

Awan clan of northern Punjab
Aziz عزیز

Mighty; beloved

B

Babar بابر

Pashtun tribe; also tiger (Persian)
Badayuni بدایونی

From Badaun; Muhajir family
Baig بیگ

Lord; Turkic title of Mughal families
Bajwa باجوہ

Jat clan of the Sialkot region
Baloch بلوچ

Of the Baloch people
Bangash بنگش

Pashtun tribe of Kurram and Kohat
Barakzai بارکزئی

Durrani sub-tribe; former Afghan royal line
Bashir بشیر

Bearer of good news
Bhatti بھٹی

Rajput clan claiming descent from Raja Bhatti
Bhurgri بھرگڑی

Sindhi tribe of Mirpurkhas
Bhutto بھٹو

Sindhi tribe of Larkana claiming Rajput origin
Bihari بہاری

From Bihar
Bizenjo بزنجو

Baloch tribe of Awaran
Brohi بروہی

Of the Brahui people
Bugti بگٹی

Baloch tribe of Dera Bugti
Bukhari بخاری

From Bukhara; Syed lineage
Buledi بلیدی

Baloch tribe of Makran
Burney برنی

From Baran (Bulandshahr) in India
Butt بٹ

Kashmiri clan, from Brahmin title Bhat

C

Chandio چانڈیو

Baloch tribe of Sindh
Channa چنا

Sindhi tribe
Chattha چٹھہ

Jat clan of the Gujranwala region
Chaudhry چودھری

Village headman; hereditary landholder
Chauhan چوہان

Rajput clan
Cheema چیمہ

Jat clan of central Punjab
Chishti چشتی

Follower of the Chishti Sufi order

D

Dar ڈار

Kashmiri clan name
Daudzai داؤدزئی

Sons of Daud; Pashtun tribe of Peshawar
Daultana دولتانہ

Landowning Joiya family of Vehari
Dehlvi دہلوی

From Delhi; Muhajir family
Dhillon ڈھلوں

Jat clan of Punjab
Dogar ڈوگر

Agricultural tribe of Rajput descent
Domki ڈومکی

Baloch tribe of the Kachhi plain
Dreshak دریشک

Baloch tribe of Rajanpur
Durrani درانی

Pearl of pearls; royal Abdali confederacy

F

Faridi فریدی

Descendant or follower of Baba Farid
Farooq فاروق

One who distinguishes truth from falsehood
Farooqui فاروقی

Descendant of the caliph Umar al-Faruq

G

Gakhar گکھڑ

Warrior tribe of the Potohar plateau
Gandapur گنڈاپور

Pashtun tribe of Dera Ismail Khan
Gardezi گردیزی

From Gardez; Syed family of Multan
Ghani غنی

Rich; self-sufficient
Ghilzai غلزئی

Major Pashtun tribal confederation
Ghumman گھمن

Jat clan of the Sialkot region
Gilani گیلانی

From Gilan; descendant of Abdul Qadir Gilani
Gill گل

Jat clan of Punjab
Gondal گوندل

Jat clan of the Gondal Bar region
Gorchani گورچانی

Baloch tribe of southern Punjab
Gujjar گجر

Pastoral Gujjar community

H

Haider حیدر

Lion; epithet of Ali
Hakeem حکیم

Physician; wise man
Hamdani ہمدانی

From Hamadan in Iran
Hameed حمید

Praiseworthy
Hanif حنیف

True believer; upright
Hanjra ہنجرا

Jat clan of Punjab
Hasan حسن

Handsome; good; after Imam Hasan
Hashmi ہاشمی

Of the Banu Hashim, the Prophet's clan
Hayat حیات

Life
Hoth ہوت

Baloch tribe of Makran
Hussain حسین

Little handsome one; after Imam Hussain
Hyderabadi حیدرآبادی

From Hyderabad Deccan; Muhajir family

I

Ilyas الیاس

Elijah; my God is the Lord
Imtiaz امتیاز

Distinction; honor
Iqbal اقبال

Good fortune; prosperity
Ishaq اسحاق

Isaac; he laughs

J

Jadoon جدون

Pashtun tribe of Hazara
Jafri جعفری

Syed descendant of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq
Jakhrani جکھرانی

Baloch tribe of Jacobabad
Jamali جمالی

Baloch tribe of Jaffarabad
Janjua جنجوعہ

Rajput clan of the Salt Range
Jatoi جتوئی

Baloch tribe of Sindh
Jatt جٹ

Jat agricultural community of Punjab
Javed جاوید

Eternal; everlasting
Jillani جیلانی

From Gilan; descendant of Abdul Qadir Jilani
Joiya جوئیہ

Rajput tribe of the Sutlej valley
Junejo جونیجو

Sindhi Samma sub-tribe

K

Kahlon کاہلوں

Jat clan of Punjab
Kakakhel کاکاخیل

Pashtun Sufi lineage of Nowshera
Kakar کاکڑ

Pashtun tribe of Zhob and Quetta
Kalhoro کلہوڑو

Sindhi clan; Kalhora dynasty
Kalmati کلمتی

Baloch tribe of the Makran coast
Kamboh کمبوہ

Agricultural community of Punjab
Kareem کریم

Generous; noble
Kashmiri کشمیری

From Kashmir
Kasi کاسی

Pashtun tribe of Quetta
Kasuri قصوری

From Kasur
Kazmi کاظمی

Syed descendant of Imam Musa al-Kazim
Khalil خلیل

Pashtun tribe of Peshawar; also friend
Khan خان

Ruler; chief (Turco-Mongol title), widely used by Pashtuns
Khanzada خانزادہ

Son of a khan
Kharal کھرل

Tribe of the Ravi region; Ahmad Khan Kharal
Khattak خٹک

Pashtun tribe of Kohat and Karak
Khattar کھٹڑ

Tribe of the Attock region
Khawaja خواجہ

Master; Sufi or merchant title
Khokhar کھوکھر

Ancient tribe of Punjab
Khosa کھوسہ

Baloch tribe of Dera Ghazi Khan
Khuhro کھوڑو

Sindhi tribe of Larkana
Kidwai قدوائی

Sheikh family of Barabanki in Awadh
Kiyani کیانی

Claiming descent from Persian Kayanian kings
Kundi کنڈی

Pashtun tribe of Tank

L

Lahori لاہوری

From Lahore
Lakhnavi لکھنوی

From Lucknow; Muhajir family
Lashari لاشاری

Baloch tribe; ancient Baloch division
Latif لطیف

Gentle; kind
Leghari لغاری

Baloch tribe of Dera Ghazi Khan
Lodhi لودھی

Pashtun Lodi tribe; Delhi sultans
Lone لون

Kashmiri clan name

M

Magsi مگسی

Baloch tribe of Jhal Magsi
Mahar مہر

Sindhi tribe of Ghotki
Majeed مجید

Glorious
Makhdoom مخدوم

One who is served; Sufi shrine custodian title
Malik ملک

King; chief; title of landowning clans
Mandokhel مندوخیل

Pashtun tribe of Zhob
Marri مری

Baloch tribe of Kohlu
Marwat مروت

Pashtun tribe of Lakki Marwat
Mashhadi مشہدی

From Mashhad in Iran
Mashwani مشوانی

Syed-descended tribe of Hazara
Masood مسعود

Fortunate; lucky
Mazari مزاری

Baloch tribe of Rajanpur
Mehmood محمود

Praised; commendable
Mehsud محسود

Pashtun tribe of South Waziristan
Memon میمن

Trading community from Sindh and Kutch
Mengal مینگل

Brahui tribe of Khuzdar
Mian میاں

Sir; respected gentleman
Minhas منہاس

Rajput clan of Jammu and Punjab
Mir میر

Chief; leader (Kashmiri and Persian)
Mirza مرزا

Prince; son of an emir
Mohammadzai محمدزئی

Sons of Mohammad; Pashtun clan of Charsadda
Mohmand مہمند

Pashtun tribe of the Mohmand agency
Mufti مفتی

Jurist who issues fatwas
Mughal مغل

Descendant of the Mughals (Mongols)
Multani ملتانی

From Multan
Munshi منشی

Scribe; clerk; secretary
Mushtaq مشتاق

Longing; eager

N

Nadeem ندیم

Companion; confidant
Naqshbandi نقشبندی

Follower of the Naqshbandi Sufi order
Naqvi نقوی

Syed descendant of Imam Ali al-Naqi
Nasir ناصر

Helper; supporter
Nawaz نواز

Kind; one who cherishes
Nazir نذیر

Warner; one who cautions
Niazi نیازی

Pashtun tribe of Mianwali
Nizami نظامی

Follower of Nizamuddin Auliya
Noon نون

Landowning clan of Sargodha
Notezai نوتیزئی

Baloch tribe of Chagai

O

Orakzai اورکزئی

Pashtun tribe of Tirah

P

Palijo پلیجو

Sindhi tribe
Paracha پراچہ

Trading community of Attock
Pathan پٹھان

Pashtun; used by Pashtun-descended families
Pervaiz پرویز

Victorious; fortunate (Persian)
Pirzada پیرزادہ

Son of a Sufi master
Popalzai پوپلزئی

Durrani sub-tribe

Q

Qadri قادری

Follower of the Qadiri Sufi order
Qaisrani قیصرانی

Baloch tribe of Taunsa
Qazi قاضی

Judge; Islamic magistrate
Qureshi قریشی

Of the Quraysh, the Prophet's tribe

R

Rafiq رفیق

Companion; friend
Raisani رئیسانی

Brahui tribe of Sarawan
Raja راجہ

King; title of Rajput and Gakhar families
Rajput راجپوت

Son of a king; warrior caste
Rampuri رامپوری

From Rampur; Muhajir family
Rana رانا

Prince; Rajput title
Randhawa رندھاوا

Jat clan of Punjab
Ranjha رانجھا

Jat clan of Sargodha; hero of Heer Ranjha
Rashid راشد

Rightly guided
Rather راتھر

Kashmiri clan name
Rathore راٹھور

Rajput clan
Rauf رؤف

Kind; merciful
Rehman رحمان

Merciful; from Abdul Rehman
Riaz ریاض

Gardens
Rind رند

Baloch tribe; ancient Baloch confederacy
Rizvi رضوی

Syed descendant of Imam Ali al-Rida

S

Sabri صابری

Follower of the Sabiri Chishti order
Sadiq صادق

Truthful; sincere
Saeed سعید

Happy; fortunate
Safi صافی

Pashtun tribe of Mohmand; also pure
Sahi ساہی

Jat clan of Punjab
Sahibzada صاحبزادہ

Son of a nobleman or saint
Samma سمہ

Sindhi Rajput tribe; Samma dynasty
Sandhu سندھو

Major Jat clan of Punjab
Sanjrani سنجرانی

Baloch tribe of Chagai
Sardar سردار

Chieftain; tribal leader
Satti ستی

Hill tribe of the Murree hills
Saudagar سوداگر

Merchant; trader
Sethi سیٹھی

Merchant; banker; Peshawar trading family
Shafiq شفیق

Compassionate; affectionate
Shah شاہ

King; title used by Syed families
Shaikh شیخ

Elder; chief (variant spelling)
Shar شر

Sindhi Baloch tribe
Sharif شریف

Noble; honorable
Sheikh شیخ

Elder; chief; also convert trading families
Shinwari شنواری

Pashtun tribe of the Khyber region
Sial سیال

Jat tribe of the Jhang region
Siddiqui صدیقی

Descendant of the caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
Sidhu سدھو

Jat clan of Punjab
Sipra سپرا

Jat clan of Punjab
Solangi سولنگی

Sindhi tribe of Rajput descent
Soomro سومرو

Sindhi tribe; medieval Soomra dynasty
Sufi صوفی

Sufi mystic
Suharwardy سہروردی

Follower of the Suhrawardi Sufi order
Sukhera سکھیرا

Jat clan of Punjab
Swati سواتی

From Swat; tribe of Mansehra
Syed سید

Master; descendant of the Prophet

T

Tahir طاہر

Pure; chaste
Talpur ٹالپر

Baloch tribe; Talpur rulers of Sindh
Tanoli تنولی

Tribe of the Hazara region
Tarar تارڑ

Jat clan of central Punjab
Tareen ترین

Pashtun tribe; ancestor Tarin
Tariq طارق

Morning star; night visitor
Tirmizi ترمذی

From Termez in Central Asia
Tiwana ٹوانہ

Landowning clan of Shahpur
Turi طوری

Pashtun tribe of Kurram

U

Umar عمر

Long-lived; after the second caliph
Usman عثمان

After the third caliph Uthman
Usmani عثمانی

Descendant of the caliph Uthman

V

Virk ورک

Jat clan of the Sheikhupura region

W

Waheed وحید

Unique; singular
Wani وانی

Merchant; trader (Kashmiri)
Warraich وڑائچ

Jat clan of Gujrat district
Warsi وارثی

Follower of the saint Waris Ali Shah
Wassan وسان

Sindhi tribe of Khairpur
Wattoo وٹو

Rajput tribe of Pakpattan and Okara
Wazir وزیر

Pashtun tribe of Waziristan; also minister

Y

Younis یونس

Jonah; dove
Yousaf یوسف

Joseph; God increases
Yousafzai یوسفزئی

Sons of Yousaf; Pashtun tribe of Swat and Mardan

Z

Zafar ظفر

Victory
Zaidi زیدی

Syed descendant of Zayd ibn Ali
Zehri زہری

Brahui tribe of Zehri valley
Zuberi زبیری

Descendant of Zubayr ibn al-Awwam

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Zuberi

زبیری

Descendant of Zubayr ibn al-Awwam
Ashraf

اشرف

Most noble
Dogar

ڈوگر

Agricultural tribe of Rajput descent
Yousaf

یوسف

Joseph; God increases
Palijo

پلیجو

Sindhi tribe
Bihari

بہاری

From Bihar

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Pakistani last names from Arabic and Persian roots

A large group of names in the list records descent from early Muslim figures or Arab tribes. Qureshi refers to the Quraysh, the Prophet's tribe, and Hashmi to his clan, the Banu Hashim. Siddiqui claims descent from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Farooqi from Umar al-Faruq, Usmani from Uthman and Abbasi from al-Abbas. Ansari recalls the Ansar, the people of Medina who welcomed the Prophet. These names are found in every province.

Other names are simply Arabic or Persian given names used as surnames, such as Ahmed, Hussain, Ali, Iqbal, Rehman, Aslam and Akhtar. Some families pass them down, while others use a father's given name, so the surname changes with each generation. Persian words also appear in names like Mirza, from amirzada, meaning son of a prince, and Baig or Beg, a Turkic title for a chief, both linked with Mughal era nobility.

Titles that turned into family names

Many Pakistani surnames started life as titles. Chaudhry was a title for a village headman or landholder in Punjab and is now used by families from several communities. Malik means king or chief, Khan a ruler, Sardar a leader and Rana or Raja a Rajput prince. Sheikh can mean elder or chief and is used by various groups, while Khawaja was a title for merchants and Sufi figures. Makhdoom and Pirzada mark families linked to Sufi shrines.

Because these words were once titles, they tell you less about a family than they seem to. A Chaudhry family may be Jat, Arain, Gujjar or Rajput, and a Khan may be Pashtun, Punjabi or of mixed background. Kashmiri families are an exception with distinct names: Butt, Dar, Mir, Lone and Wani are strongly associated with Kashmiri heritage, and many such families have lived in Punjab for generations.

How families choose a surname in Pakistan

Surnames in Pakistan are more flexible than in many Western countries. Children may take a father's given name, a grandfather's name, a tribal or caste name, a title or a pen name. Muhammad Ali Jinnah's surname came from his father, Jinnahbhai Poonja. Poets often adopt a takhallus, or pen name, which can become a family name, as with the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Siblings may end up with different last names.

Married women may keep their father's name, add the husband's name or replace their surname with it, and all three are common. On passports and forms, families tend to fix one name for convenience. If you are building a Pakistani character or family, decide early whether they use a tribal, title, religious or given name surname, since that choice says a lot about their region and background.

Frequently asked questions

Why do Pakistani siblings sometimes carry different names?

Pakistani families do not always use a fixed surname. Parents might give one child the father's given name as a surname and another a tribal name, a title or the grandfather's name. Official documents then record whatever was chosen, so siblings can end up with different names.

What does Qureshi mean?

Qureshi refers to the Quraysh, the Arab tribe of the Prophet Muhammad. Families with this name claim descent from the tribe. It is widely found in Pakistan and India and is often linked with families of scholars, traders and religious figures.

Is Chaudhry a surname or a title?

It began as a title for a village headman or landholder in Punjab and gradually became a surname. Today families from several different communities, including Jat, Arain, Gujjar and Rajput groups, use Chaudhry, so the name alone does not identify a particular community.

Which Pakistani last names come from Kashmir?

Butt, Dar, Mir, Lone and Wani are strongly associated with Kashmiri families. Many came to Punjab cities such as Lahore, Sialkot and Amritsar over the past two centuries. Butt, for example, is a common surname in Punjab and is linked with Kashmiri heritage.