Albanian Last Name Generator

Generate Albanian last names in their Albanian spelling: widely carried names like Hoxha, Krasniqi and Berisha, highland -aj names like Haradinaj and Gjonbalaj, trade and title names like Prifti and Nallbani, and place names like Frashëri and Prishtina. Surnames only, for family research, fiction and game characters.

About Albanian last names

Most Albanian surnames are in the definite form, which is why so many end in -i, -a or -u: Hoxha is literally the hoxha, a Muslim teacher, and Prifti is the priest. This list holds surnames only, as they are written in Albania, Kosovo and the diaspora, with the letters ç and ë kept.

Several sources feed the stock. The largest is a father's or grandfather's given name, which gives Ahmeti, Hasani, Rexhepi and Osmani as well as Gjoni, Marku and Leka. Names of northern highland clans and districts, such as Krasniqi, Berisha, Gashi, Kelmendi, Shala and Hoti, are carried by very many families in Kosovo and northern Albania. The same highlands favor the ending -aj, which marks a family group: Haradinaj, Gjonbalaj, Nikprelaj, Berishaj. Religious titles gave Hoxha, Shehu, Dervishi and Myftiu, and trades gave Nallbani the farrier, Terziu the tailor, Kasapi the butcher and Kovaçi the smith, many of them through Ottoman Turkish. Others name a home town or village: Frashëri, Prishtina, Vlora, Konica.

A last group gathers well-known family names of central and southern Albania, such as Kadare, Xhuvani, Çabej and Noli. Arbëreshë names from Italy and Arvanite names from Greece are left out. A surname shows nothing certain about a person's religion or region, since families move and names are shared.

How to choose Albanian last names

• Keep the Albanian letters. Çela, Frashëri, Thaçi and Muçaj lose a sound when ç and ë are flattened to c and e, though diaspora families often drop them on foreign documents.
• Learn five sounds before you say a name aloud: xh is the j of jam, q is close to the ch of cheese, gj is a soft dy, ë is the a of sofa and ç is the ch of church. Xhaferi starts like Jafferi and Gjoka like Dyoka.
• Match the surname to the setting. Krasniqi, Bytyqi, Gashi and Morina suggest Kosovo, -aj names such as Gjonbalaj and Lulgjuraj the northern highlands, and Kadare, Xhuvani or Frashëri central and southern Albania. It is a tendency, not a rule.
• Albanian surnames do not change for women. A daughter of the Berisha family is Berisha too, so any name here works for a character of either gender.
• For family research, use the list as a starting point only. It is a sample of surnames, not a register, and one name is often carried by many families with no link to each other.

Frequently asked questions

What are common Albanian last names?

Hoxha and Shehu are among the best known in Albania, together with Prifti, Dervishi, Leka and Marku. In Kosovo, Krasniqi, Gashi, Berisha, Morina, Shala and Bytyqi are met everywhere. All of these are in the list. No ranking is given, because counts differ between Albania and Kosovo.

What does the ending -aj mean in Albanian surnames?

It marks belonging to a family or kin group, a little like saying the people of. It is added to a given name or an older family name, which gives Haradinaj, Hasanaj, Gjokaj and Nikprelaj. The ending is especially common in the northern highlands and western Kosovo, and it is found in the south too, as in Xhafaj and Hysaj.

What do Hoxha and Prifti mean?

Hoxha comes from the word for a Muslim cleric or teacher and Prifti from the word for a priest. Shehu (sheikh), Dervishi (dervish) and Myftiu (mufti) are of the same kind. Such a name points to the office of some ancestor long ago and says nothing about the beliefs of a family today.

How is this different from the Albanian Name Generator?

The Albanian Name Generator gives full names, a first name with a surname. This page is surnames alone and goes wider: more Kosovo family names such as Lladrovci and Pagarusha, more -aj names, and trade names such as Sahatçiu and Bojaxhiu. Pair one with a given name of your choice.

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