Libyan Last Name Generator

A list of 316 Libyan family names, one family per entry: town names like Al-Gharyani and Dernawi, tribal names like Al-Warfalli and Al-Obeidi, old coastal families like Kikhia and Muntasir, and Bu- and Ben names like Bushnaf and Ben Halim.

About Libyan last names

Most Libyan family names say where a family is from or which tribe it belongs to. The usual form is the nisba, an adjective ending in -i: Al-Gharyani is from Gharyan, Al-Zliteni from Zliten, Dernawi from Derna and Ghadamsi from Ghadames. Tribal names work the same way. Al-Warfalli belongs to the Warfalla and Al-Firjani to the Firjan, and in the east Al-Obeidi, Al-Barasi and Al-Agouri point to the Obeidat, the Baraasa and the Awaqir.

The coastal towns also have families known by a plain name with no article, such as Muntasir, Kikhia, Lenghi, Shennib and Swehli. A few names go back to Ottoman times: Karamanli points to Karaman in Anatolia and Sakizli to Chios, which is Sakiz in Turkish. Names built on Bu-, Abu- and Ben are common too, as in Bushnaf, Abushagur and Ben Halim.

Spellings follow the Latin forms Libyans use, with Al- or El- for the article and often G where other Arabic-speaking countries write Q. Entries marked Amazigh come from the Nafusa hills and Zuwara, and two names from the south are marked Tuareg and Tebu. Each family appears once, in one spelling. The list has 316 entries and is not padded to a round number, and a small share are given names that also serve as surnames.

How to choose Libyan last names

• Choose the region before the name. Al-Obeidi, Al-Barasi or Al-Hassi suits a family from the east, Al-Warfalli, Al-Tarhuni or Al-Zintani one from the west and center, and El-Hodeiri or Saif Al-Nasr one from Fezzan.
• A town name shows where a family came from, not where it lives now. A family called Al-Misrati or Al-Gharyani may have lived in Benghazi or Tripoli for generations.
• Keep one spelling inside a family. The article can be written Al- or El- or left off, so decide once between forms such as Al-Zawi, El-Zawi and Zawi and use it for every relative.
• For a full name, put a given name and the father's given name in front of the family name. The Libyan name generator has given names to pair with these surnames.
• The words in parentheses are notes, not part of the name. Drop (Amazigh), (Tuareg) or (Tebu) when you use the surname.

Frequently asked questions

What are some common Libyan last names?

Al-Warfalli, Al-Tarhuni, Al-Obeidi, Al-Barasi, Al-Zawi and Al-Misrati are names you meet again and again, because they point to large tribes and towns. Al-Sharif, El-Fitouri and Al-Firjani are also widespread.

What does Al- or El- mean in a Libyan surname?

It is the Arabic word for "the". In front of a nisba it reads as "the one from", so Al-Zintani is the one from Zintan and Al-Tajuri the one from Tajura. Many families write El- instead or leave the article off, which is why this list keeps a single form for each family.

Why do so many Libyan names start with Bu or Ben?

Ben means "son of", and Bu is the everyday North African form of Abu, "father of". Both turned an ancestor's name or nickname into a family name. Ben Halim, Ben Ghalbon, Bushnaf and Bugaighis are examples from the list.

Are all Libyan surnames Arabic?

No. The list marks names from Amazigh-speaking towns, such as Baruni (Amazigh) and Nalouti (Amazigh), and two from the south, Al-Koni (Tuareg) and Wardougou (Tebu). Karamanli and Sakizli are family names of Ottoman-era origin.

Related generators

All 316 Libyan last names