Algerian Last Name Generator
Family names from Algiers to the Kabyle mountains
Generate Algerian last names, one family name per result: Ben- and Bou- names like Benali and Boumediene, Bel- names like Belkacem, Kabyle names like Ait Ahmed and Amrouche, Ottoman-era names like Stambouli and Khodja, and place names like Tlemcani and Ksentini, in the French-style spelling of Algeria's civil register.
About Algerian last names
Fixed family names are fairly recent in Algeria. Until the French civil register law of 1882, most people were known by a chain of names, their own and then their father's, and by their lineage. The registrars wrote the new surnames by ear in French spelling, which is why Algerian names use ou, dj, ch and kh: Boumediene, Bendjedid, Bencheikh, Khelifa.
This list holds surnames only, of several kinds. Ben- names mean son of (Benali, Bensalem, Benyahia), and Bel- is the same word joined to the article (Belkacem, Belhadj). Bou- names mean father of or the one with (Boudiaf, Bouzid), and Ould is another word for son (Ould Ali). Kabyle families often carry Ait, people of, as in Ait Ahmed and Ait Menguellet, beside names such as Amrouche, Mammeri and Feraoun. The Ottoman centuries left Stambouli, Kara, Khodja and Kouloughli, and trade names in -dji such as Kahouadji, the coffee maker. Others point to a town or region: Tlemcani, Ksentini, Ouahrani, Mosteghanemi.
One spelling is used throughout: Ben- names are closed up and Ait is written without the diaeresis, though Ben Ali and Aït Ahmed are the same names in other hands. A surname does not tell you whether a family sees itself as Arab or Amazigh, and the list is a sample, not a register.
How to choose Algerian last names
- Treat a prefix and what follows as one name. Ould Kablia, Ait Hamouda, Kara Mostefa and Taleb Ibrahimi are each a single surname and should never be cut in half.
- Expect more than one spelling of the same family. Benali and Ben Ali can both turn up on documents, and Ait is also written Aït or, in Kabyle spelling, At. Pick one form and keep it for a character or a family tree.
- Read the letters the French way: ou is the oo of moon, dj is the j of jam, ch is sh and kh is the ch of loch. Boudjemaa sounds roughly like boo-jem-ah.
- Use a name to hint at a region without overdoing it. Ait names, Amrouche and Mammeri suggest Kabylie, Tlemcani and Kazi Tani the west around Tlemcen, Ksentini and Bentchikou the east around Constantine. Families move, so it is a hint and never proof.
- For a full name, put a given name first, as in Yacine Benali, Amina Belkacem or Idir Ait Kaci. The Algerian Name Generator gives ready pairs.
Frequently asked questions
What are common Algerian last names?
Names met all over the country include Benali, Belkacem, Bouzid, Saadi, Hamdani, Mansouri, Brahimi, Slimani, Rahmani and Haddad. Kabyle families add names such as Ait Ahmed, Amrouche and Hamadouche. All of these are in the list. No ranking is given, since counts differ by source.
What do Ben, Bou and Bel mean in Algerian surnames?
Ben means son of, so Benali began as the son of Ali. Bel is Ben joined to the article, as in Belhadj, the son of the hadj. Bou comes from the Arabic for father of and often means the man with, which is why it can be followed by an ordinary word as easily as by a name.
Why are Algerian surnames spelled in a French way?
Hereditary surnames were fixed under French rule, above all by the civil register law of 1882, and the clerks wrote what they heard with French letters. That is why the sound oo is written ou, j is written dj and sh is written ch. The spellings stayed in use after independence in 1962.
What does Ait mean in Kabyle names?
Ait means people of or children of in Kabyle, the Amazigh language of Kabylie, and it is followed by the name of an ancestor: Ait Ahmed, Ait Kaci, Ait Larbi. Nait is the same word with a linking n in front of it, as in Nait Zerrad. Families in other parts of Algeria more often carry the Arabic Ben or Ould.
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All 500 Algerian last names
A: 60 names
- Abane
- Abbas
- Abdesselam
- Achour
- Aissaoui
- Ait Abbas
- Ait Abdelkrim
- Ait Abdelmalek
- Ait Abderrahim
- Ait Ahmed
- Ait Aissa
- Ait Ali
- Ait Alia
- Ait Amara
- Ait Amrane
- Ait Atmane
- Ait Belkacem
- Ait Braham
- Ait Chaalal
- Ait Djoudi
- Ait El Hadj
- Ait Hamadouche
- Ait Hamou
- Ait Hamouda
- Ait Hocine
- Ait Idir
- Ait Kaci
- Ait Larbi
- Ait Mansour
- Ait Menguellet
- Ait Meziane
- Ait Mokhtar
- Ait Mokrane
- Ait Nouri
- Ait Ouarab
- Ait Ouarabi
- Ait Saada
- Ait Said
- Ait Slimane
- Ait Tahar
- Ait Taleb
- Ait Yahia
- Ait Ziane
- Allaoui
- Allouache
- Alloula
- Amirouche
- Amokrane
- Amrani
- Amrouche
- Annabi
- Aouar
- Aouchiche
- Arkoun
- Assad
- Assoul
- Atal
- Attaf
- Azem
- Azzouz
B: 195 names
- Baba Ali
- Bachtarzi
- Bachtobji
- Baghli
- Bedjaoui
- Belabbas
- Belaib
- Belaid
- Belaidi
- Belaili
- Belaiz
- Belarbi
- Belfodil
- Belhadj
- Belhamel
- Belhimer
- Belhocine
- Belkacem
- Belkadi
- Belkaid
- Belkalem
- Belkebla
- Belkhadem
- Belkhenchir
- Belkhir
- Belkhodja
- Bellahcene
- Bellemou
- Belloumi
- Bellounis
- Belmadi
- Belmokhtar
- Belouizdad
- Benabdallah
- Benabdelkader
- Benabderrahmane
- Benachenhou
- Benachour
- Benaissa
- Benali
- Benamar
- Benameur
- Benaouda
- Benayada
- Benbadis
- Benbella
- Benbitour
- Benbouali
B, continued
- Benboulaid
- Benbouzid
- Benbrahim
- Benchabane
- Bencheikh
- Bencheneb
- Bencherif
- Bendali
- Bendaoud
- Bendebka
- Bendjaballah
- Bendjama
- Bendjedid
- Bendjelloul
- Benfares
- Benflis
- Benfodil
- Benghabrit
- Bengrina
- Benguesmia
- Benguettaf
- Benguigui
- Benhabib
- Benhabyles
- Benhaddad
- Benhaddou
- Benhadj
- Benhalima
- Benhamadi
- Benhamida
- Benhamou
- Benhamouda
- Benhedouga
- Benkaddour
- Benkhaled
- Benkhalfa
- Benkhedda
- Benkhelifa
- Benkhelil
- Benkhemassa
- Benlahcene
- Benlamri
- Benlarbi
- Benmahdi
- Benmalek
- Benmansour
- Benmerabet
- Benmerad
- Benmeradi
B, continued
- Benmessaoud
- Benmeziane
- Benmokhtar
- Benmoussa
- Bennabi
- Bennacer
- Bennoune
- Bennour
- Benosmane
- Benrahma
- Bensaada
- Bensadok
- Bensaid
- Bensalah
- Bensalem
- Bensaoula
- Bensebaini
- Benslama
- Benslimane
- Bensmail
- Bensmaine
- Bentaleb
- Bentchikou
- Bentobbal
- Benyahia
- Benyelles
- Benyoucef
- Benyounes
- Benzema
- Benzia
- Benziane
- Berkane
- Bessaoud
- Bestandji
- Biskri
- Bitat
- Bouabdallah
- Bouali
- Bouamama
- Bouaziz
- Bouazza
- Boucebci
- Bouchachi
- Bouchareb
- Bouchenak
- Boucherit
- Bouchouareb
- Boudali
- Boudaoud
B, continued
- Boudaoui
- Boudebouz
- Bouderba
- Bouderbala
- Boudiaf
- Boudjedra
- Boudjellal
- Boudjemaa
- Boughali
- Bougherara
- Bougherra
- Bouguerra
- Bouhadja
- Bouhadjar
- Bouhafs
- Bouhara
- Bouhired
- Boukadoum
- Boukhalfa
- Boukhari
- Boukharouba
- Boukhobza
- Boukrouh
- Boulaya
- Boulifa
- Boulmerka
- Boumala
- Boumaza
- Boumediene
- Boumendjel
- Bounedjah
- Boupacha
- Bouraada
- Bourahla
- Bouraoui
- Bouras
- Bouregaa
- Boussaid
- Boussouf
- Boutaleb
- Bouteflika
- Boutella
- Bouterfa
- Bouyahia
- Bouzar
- Bouziane
- Bouzid
- Bouzidi
- Brahimi
C: 11 names
- Chabane
- Chalabi
- Chaouch
- Chaouchi
- Chaoui
- Chengriha
- Cherchali
- Chergui
- Cheriet
- Chihani
- Chouikh
D: 18 names
- Dahleb
- Dahmane
- Dahmani
- Dali
- Daoud
- Deramchi
- Derradji
- Dib
- Didouche
- Djaballah
- Djabou
- Djaout
- Djebbour
- Djerad
- Djoudi
- Drif
- Dris
- Dziri
E: 1 name
- El Okbi
F: 5 names
- Feghouli
- Fellag
- Feraoun
- Fergani
- Ferhati
G: 13 names
- Gaid Salah
- Gaouaoui
- Gharbi
- Ghezali
- Ghezzal
- Ghoulam
- Ghozali
- Goudjil
- Gouiri
- Guedioura
- Guendouz
- Guerrouabi
- Guerroudj
H: 20 names
- Hachani
- Hachemi
- Haddad
- Haddadi
- Hadj Ali
- Hadjadj
- Hadjeres
- Hadji
- Halliche
- Hamadouche
- Hamdani
- Hamdaoui
- Hamdi
- Hamoudi
- Hamrouche
- Hannachi
- Hanoune
- Harbi
- Haroun
- Houari
I: 7 names
- Ibazizen
- Ibrahimi
- Ighilahriz
- Iguerbouchene
- Imache
- Issad
- Issiakhem
K: 27 names
- Kaci
- Kaddache
- Kaddour
- Kadri
- Kafi
- Kahia
- Kahouadji
- Kaid
- Kara
- Kara Mostefa
- Karabadji
- Kasbadji
- Kateb
- Kazi Aoual
- Kazi Tani
- Khadda
- Khaldi
- Khaznadji
- Khelif
- Khelifa
- Khelifi
- Khelil
- Khider
- Khodja
- Kouloughli
- Krim
- Ksentini
L: 12 names
- Lacheraf
- Laghouati
- Laghrour
- Lakhdar Hamina
- Lakhdari
- Lamamra
- Lamari
- Larbi
- Laredj
- Lazreg
- Lefgoun
- Lounis
M: 38 names
- Madani
- Madjer
- Mahrez
- Makhlouf
- Makhloufi
- Mammeri
- Mandi
- Mansouri
- Matoub
- Mazouni
- Mebarki
- Medeghri
- Medelci
- Mediene
- Medjani
- Meftah
- Meghni
- Mehdaoui
- Mehenni
- Mehri
- Mekki
- Meliani
- Menad
- Merabet
- Merad
- Merzoug
- Mesbah
- Messali
- Messaoudi
- Meziane
- Mimouni
- Mokdad
- Mokeddem
- Mokrani
- Morceli
- Mostefaoui
- Mosteghanemi
- Moussaoui
N: 7 names
- Nait Abdelaziz
- Nait Djoudi
- Nait Mazi
- Nait Zerrad
- Nemour
- Nezzar
- Nouri
O: 25 names
- Osmani
- Othmani
- Ouadah
- Ouahrani
- Ouali
- Ouamrane
- Oudjani
- Ouettar
- Oukaci
- Oukil
- Ould Abbes
- Ould Abderrahmane
- Ould Ali
- Ould Braham
- Ould Hocine
- Ould Kablia
- Ould Kaddour
- Ould Khelifa
- Ould Rouis
- Ould Slimane
- Oulhadj
- Ounas
- Oussedik
- Ouyahia
- Ouzegane
R: 6 names
- Rachedi
- Rahmani
- Rahmouni
- Ramdani
- Rebrab
- Rezig
S: 21 names
- Saadallah
- Saadani
- Saadi
- Saboundji
- Sadi
- Sahli
- Sahnoun
- Sahraoui
- Saidani
- Saifi
- Sansal
- Sari
- Seddiki
- Seghir
- Sellal
- Skandrani
- Slimani
- Soltani
- Soudani
- Soufi
- Stambouli
T: 15 names
- Tabbou
- Taibi
- Taider
- Talbi
- Taleb
- Taleb Ibrahimi
- Tchanderli
- Tebboune
- Tebessi
- Tidjani
- Tlemcani
- Touati
- Toumi
- Tounsi
- Turki
Y: 4 names
- Yacef
- Yahiaoui
- Yefsah
- Yousfi