Syrian Last Names

These Syrian last names include Arab Muslim, Christian, Druze and Kurdish family names from across Syria, each listed with its meaning and origin, so you can see how cities, crafts and faith shaped the names people carry today.

168 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Abbas عباس

Stern; lion

Arabic
Aboud عبود

Devout worshipper

Arabic
Abu Fakhr أبو فخر

Father of pride; Druze family

Arabic
Abu Hamdan أبو حمدان

Father of Hamdan

Arabic
Agha آغا

Chief, lord

Turkish
Ahmad أحمد

Most praised

Arabic
Ali علي

Exalted, lofty

Arabic
Antaki الأنطاكي

From Antioch

Arabic
Antoun أنطون

Anthony

Arabic
Asaad أسعد

Most fortunate

Arabic
Assad الأسد

The lion

Arabic
Atassi الأتاسي

Homs notable family of uncertain origin

Arabic
Atrash الأطرش

Deaf; Druze family of Jabal al-Arab

Arabic
Attar عطار

Perfumer, spice seller

Arabic
Ayoubi الأيوبي

Descendant of the Ayyubids

Arabic
Aziz عزيز

Dear, mighty

Arabic
Azm العظم

Greatness; Ottoman-era governing family

Arabic
Azzam عزام

Determined, resolute

Arabic

B

Bakr بكر

Young camel

Arabic
Barakat بركات

Blessings

Arabic
Barazi البرازي

Hama family from the Kurdish Barazi tribe

Arabic
Bayrakdar بيرقدار

Standard bearer

Turkish
Bitar بيطار

Farrier, veterinarian

Arabic
Bizri البزري

Seed seller

Arabic
Boulos بولس

Paul

Arabic
Boutros بطرس

Peter

Arabic

C

Chammas شماس

Deacon

Arabic

D

Dabbagh دباغ

Tanner

Arabic
Dabbas دباس

Maker of grape molasses

Arabic
Dahhan دهان

House painter; oil seller

Arabic
Darwish درويش

Dervish, ascetic

Arabic
Deeb ديب

Wolf

Arabic
Deiri الديري

From Deir ez-Zor

Arabic
Dimashqi دمشقي

From Damascus

Arabic

E

Elias إلياس

Elijah

Arabic

F

Farah فرح

Joy

Arabic
Fares فارس

Knight, horseman

Arabic
Farra فراء

Furrier

Arabic
Fattal فتال

Rope maker

Arabic

G

Gerges جرجس

George

Arabic
Ghanem غانم

Successful; winner of spoils

Arabic
Ghazal غزال

Gazelle

Arabic
Ghazzi الغزي

From Gaza

Arabic

H

Haddad حداد

Blacksmith

Arabic
Haffar حفار

Digger

Arabic
Haidar حيدر

Lion

Arabic
Hajjo حجو

Kurdish diminutive of Hajji, pilgrim

Arabic
Hakim حكيم

Wise; physician

Arabic
Halabi حلبي

From Aleppo

Arabic
Hallaj حلاج

Cotton carder

Arabic
Hallak حلاق

Barber

Arabic
Hamawi حموي

From Hama

Arabic
Hamdan حمدان

Praise

Arabic
Hammoud حمود

Praised

Arabic
Hamwi حموي

Variant spelling of Hamawi, from Hama

Arabic
Hamzeh حمزة

Possibly strong or steadfast

Arabic
Hanna حنا

John

Arabic
Hariri الحريري

Silk maker or silk merchant

Arabic
Hassan حسن

Good, handsome

Arabic
Hasso حسو

Kurdish diminutive of Hasan

Arabic
Hassoun حسون

Goldfinch

Arabic
Hijazi حجازي

From the Hijaz

Arabic
Homsi حمصي

From Homs

Arabic
Hourani الحوراني

From the Hauran plain

Arabic
Hussein حسين

Little handsome one

Arabic

I

Ibrahim إبراهيم

Abraham

Arabic
Idlibi إدلبي

From Idlib

Arabic
Imam إمام

Prayer leader

Arabic
Iraqi العراقي

From Iraq

Arabic
Ismail إسماعيل

Ishmael; God hears

Arabic
Issa عيسى

Jesus

Arabic

J

Jaber جابر

Consoler, restorer

Arabic
Jabri الجابري

Descendant of Jabir; Aleppo notable family

Arabic
Jadid جديد

New

Arabic
Jamal جمال

Beauty

Arabic
Jazrawi الجزراوي

From the Jazira region

Arabic
Jundi الجندي

Soldier

Arabic

K

Kaddour قدور

Diminutive of Abd al-Qadir

Arabic
Kallas كلاس

Lime burner

Arabic
Kanawati القنواتي

From the Qanawat quarter of Damascus

Arabic
Karam كرم

Generosity; also vineyard

Arabic
Kassab قصاب

Butcher

Arabic
Kassis قسيس

Priest

Arabic
Kayyal كيال

Grain measurer

Arabic
Khaddam خدام

Servant

Arabic
Khair خير

Goodness

Arabic
Khalil خليل

Close friend

Arabic
Khalo خالو

Maternal uncle, a Kurdish form

Arabic
Khanji خانجي

Innkeeper, from Turkish hancı

Turkish
Khatib الخطيب

Preacher

Arabic
Khayyat خياط

Tailor

Arabic
Kheirbek خيربك

Good lord, Arabic khair plus Turkish bey

Arabic
Khoury خوري

Priest; common among Christian families

Arabic
Kilani الكيلاني

From Gilan; linked to the Qadiri Sufi lineage

Arabic
Kurd Ali كرد علي

Ali the Kurd

Arabic
Kurdi الكردي

The Kurd

Arabic

L

Lahham لحام

Butcher, meat seller

Arabic

M

Maarouf معروف

Kindness; well known

Arabic
Mahfoud محفوظ

Protected, preserved

Arabic
Mahmoud محمود

Praised

Arabic
Makhlouf مخلوف

Possibly compensated; left as successor

Arabic
Mansour منصور

Victorious

Arabic
Mardam مردم

Damascus notable family of uncertain origin

Arabic
Mardini مارديني

From Mardin

Arabic
Masoud مسعود

Fortunate, lucky

Arabic
Masri المصري

The Egyptian

Arabic
Mikhail ميخائيل

Michael

Arabic
Mirza ميرزا

Prince, nobleman

Persian
Mohammad محمد

Praised

Arabic
Morcos مرقس

Mark

Arabic
Moualem المعلم

Teacher, master craftsman

Arabic
Mouawad معوض

Compensated

Arabic
Moussa موسى

Moses

Arabic
Mufti المفتي

Islamic jurist who issues rulings

Arabic
Mulla ملا

Mullah, religious scholar

Arabic
Mustafa مصطفى

The chosen one

Arabic

N

Nabulsi النابلسي

From Nablus

Arabic
Nahhas نحاس

Coppersmith

Arabic
Najjar نجار

Carpenter

Arabic
Nakhleh نخلة

Palm tree

Arabic
Naqshbandi النقشبندي

Of the Naqshbandi Sufi order

Arabic
Nasr نصر

Victory

Arabic
Nasrallah نصر الله

Victory of God

Arabic
Nasri نصري

Victorious

Arabic
Nassar نصار

Helper, supporter

Arabic
Nour نور

Light

Arabic

O

Omar عمر

Long-lived

Arabic
Othman عثمان

Name of the third caliph

Arabic

Q

Qabbani قباني

Weigher using the steelyard scale

Arabic
Qadi القاضي

Judge

Arabic
Qahwaji قهوجي

Coffee maker, from Turkish kahveci

Turkish
Qasem قاسم

Divider, distributor

Arabic
Quwatli القوتلي

Possibly from Turkish kuvvetli, powerful

Turkish

R

Radwan رضوان

Contentment; keeper of Paradise

Arabic
Rahhal رحال

Traveler

Arabic
Rifai الرفاعي

Of the Rifa'i Sufi order

Arabic

S

Sabbagh صباغ

Dyer

Arabic
Saleh صالح

Righteous, good

Arabic
Saliba صليبا

Cross

Arabic
Salloum سلوم

Diminutive of Salim or Suleiman

Arabic
Sammour سمور

Sable, the fur animal

Arabic
Sarkis سركيس

Sergius

Arabic
Sarraf صراف

Money changer

Arabic
Sawwaf صواف

Wool merchant

Arabic
Sayegh صايغ

Goldsmith

Arabic
Shahin شاهين

Falcon

Arabic
Shami شامي

Damascene; from the Levant

Arabic
Sharaa الشرع

Law, path

Arabic
Sheikh الشيخ

Elder, chief

Arabic
Sheikho شيخو

Kurdish diminutive of Sheikh, elder

Arabic
Shishakli الشيشكلي

Hama family name of uncertain, possibly Turkish, origin

Turkish
Shukri شكري

Thankful

Arabic
Sibai السباعي

Possibly from sab', lion; Homs family

Arabic
Sukkar سكر

Sugar

Arabic
Suleiman سليمان

Solomon

Arabic

T

Tahhan طحان

Miller

Arabic
Tannous طنوس

Anthony

Arabic
Tarabishi طرابيشي

Fez maker

Arabic
Tartousi طرطوسي

From Tartus

Arabic
Touma توما

Thomas

Arabic

W

Warraq الوراق

Paper seller, copyist

Arabic

Y

Yacoub يعقوب

Jacob

Arabic
Yazigi اليازجي

Scribe, from Turkish yazıcı

Turkish
Younes يونس

Jonah

Arabic
Youssef يوسف

Joseph

Arabic

Z

Zaim الزعيم

Leader

Arabic
Zarzour زرزور

Starling

Arabic
Zein زين

Beauty, grace

Arabic

Generate random syrian surnames

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Results (6)

Mahmoud

محمود

Praised

Arabic
Aziz

عزيز

Dear, mighty

Arabic
Agha

آغا

Chief, lord

Turkish
Dabbagh

دباغ

Tanner

Arabic
Mardam

مردم

Damascus notable family of uncertain origin

Arabic
Jundi

الجندي

Soldier

Arabic

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Syrian last names taken from cities

A large group of Syrian surnames end in i, an Arabic suffix called the nisba that means of or from. Halabi means from Aleppo, whose Arabic name is Halab. Homsi comes from Homs, Hamwi from Hama and Idlibi from Idlib. Shami and Dimashqi both point to Damascus, often called al-Sham in everyday Arabic. A family usually took such a name when it moved to a new town and was known there by the city it came from.

Because families moved often across the Levant, these names now appear well beyond Syria. Halabi and Shami families live in Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, and many emigrated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to Brazil, Argentina, the United States and West Africa. Some names point the other way, such as Masri, meaning Egyptian, or Nabulsi, from Nablus in Palestine, and show a family that once arrived in Syria from elsewhere.

Crafts, church roles and faith in names

Many Syrian names record a trade from the old souks. Haddad was a smith, Najjar a carpenter, Khayyat a tailor, Sabbagh a dyer and Attar a perfumer or seller of spices. Kassab was a butcher, Tahhan a miller and Hallak a barber. These names are shared by Muslims, Christians and in some cases Jews, because the crafts themselves were practised by every community in cities such as Damascus and Aleppo.

Syrian Christians often carry names linked to church life. Khoury means priest, and it marks a family descended from a married parish priest, which Eastern churches allow. Saliba means cross, Nasrallah means victory of God, and Boutros and Hanna are Arabic forms of Peter and John. Kurdish families in the north east may carry names such as Kurdi, Sheikho or Hasso, and in the south the Druze Atrash clan is linked to Jabal al-Arab.

Spelling and pairing names from Syria

Arabic has several sounds English lacks, so one name can appear in many forms. French influence during the mandate period left spellings with ch and ou, which is why Shami can also be Chami and Khoury is sometimes Khouri. The article al or el may be joined, separated or dropped, giving al-Halabi, El Halabi or simply Halabi. In Latin America, families often adapted names to Spanish or Portuguese spelling.

When pairing names, think about the family's background. Omar Halabi or Rania Haddad sound natural for a Muslim family from Aleppo or Damascus, while Georges Khoury or Maya Saliba suggest a Christian family. Writers building a character, researchers tracing an ancestor from the Levant and game designers creating a cast can use the search box and letter bar to explore the list, then check the meaning shown with each name.

Frequently asked questions

Why do so many Syrian last names end in i?

The ending is the Arabic nisba suffix, meaning of or from. It turns a place, tribe or trade into an adjective, so Halabi means from Aleppo and Homsi means from Homs. The nisba was once added to a person's full name and later became a fixed family name.

Is Haddad a Syrian name?

Haddad means smith in Arabic and is widespread in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Iraq. It is carried by Christian, Muslim and Jewish families, since metalworking was a common trade in every community. Families of Levantine descent in the Americas also carry it.

What does Khoury mean?

Khoury comes from the Arabic word for a priest. In Eastern churches, parish priests may marry, so a priest's descendants could be known as the priest's family, and the title became a surname. Khoury, Khouri and El Khoury are common among Syrian and Lebanese Christians.

Why do some names start with Al or El?

Al is the Arabic definite article, meaning the. Al-Halabi literally means the one from Aleppo. It is often written El in French influenced spelling and is frequently dropped in everyday use or in emigrant records, so the same family may appear with or without it.