Pashtun Name Generator
Pashto given names with tribal surnames
Generate Pashtun names from both sides of the Afghanistan and Pakistan border: Pashto given names such as Zmarai, Toryalai, Spogmai and Gulalai with tribal names like Yousafzai, Afridi, Khattak, Marwat and Ahmadzai, plus Khan, Gul and Jan forms such as Zarak Khan and Zarin Gul.
About Pashtun names
Pashtuns live on both sides of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a Pashtun name usually says two things: who you are and which tribe or clan you belong to. The given names in this list lead with Pashto: Zmarai, Toryalai, Baryalai and Khushal for men, Spogmai, Gulalai, Malalai and Palwasha for women. Beside them are the Arabic and Persian names Pashtuns commonly bear, such as Hidayatullah, Abdul Wali, Halima and Nasreen, and compound names built with Gul, Sher, Noor, Bakht and Zaman.
The last name is most often a tribal name. The ending -zai means sons of, so Yousafzai is the sons of Yousaf and Ahmadzai the sons of Ahmad. The ending -khel marks a clan or lineage, often inside a larger tribe, as in Zakhakhel, Kakakhel and Sulemankhel. Other tribal names carry neither ending: Afridi, Khattak, Marwat, Bangash, Wazir, Kakar. More than half of the tribal names here are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in Pakistan, where Pashtuns are also known by the South Asian name Pathan, and the rest are from Afghanistan.
Many men use no tribal name at all and close with Khan, Gul, Jan or Shah, as in Zarak Khan, Zarin Gul and Wali Jan. Khan began as a title and is now simply part of the name.
How to choose Pashtun names
- Decide where your character is from first. Marwat, Khattak, Bangash, Afridi and Mandokhel point to Pakistan; Ahmadzai, Wardak, Zadran and Hotak point to Afghanistan; Shinwari, Mohmand, Kakar, Achakzai and Durrani are found on both sides.
- Members of one family share the tribal name, so a brother and sister can be Zmarai Marwat and Malalai Marwat.
- Khan can close a name (Zarak Khan) or sit in the middle before the tribe (Toryalai Khan Marwat). Do not read it as a rank: it is one of the most common name elements among Pashtun men.
- Two-word given names are one name. Gul Zaman, Sher Alam, Bakht Zada and Noor Zaman are each said and written as a unit, and the tribal name follows.
- Spellings shift between the two countries and from family to family: Yousafzai, Yusufzai and Yousufzai are the same tribe. Pick one spelling and keep it through your story.
Frequently asked questions
What do -zai and -khel mean in Pashtun names?
The ending -zai means sons of or descendants of, so Barakzai and Popalzai name the descendants of an ancestor. The ending -khel names a clan or lineage, often a branch of a larger tribe, as in Adamkhel and Kukikhel among the Afridi. Both kinds of name work as surnames today.
What are common Pashtun last names?
Tribal names in the list include Yousafzai, Afridi, Khattak, Marwat, Bangash, Orakzai, Wazir and Mohmand on the Pakistani side and Ahmadzai, Wardak, Stanikzai and Noorzai on the Afghan side. Khan is also very common as a closing name, as in Lawang Khan and Shamal Khan.
Are Pashtun and Afghan names the same thing?
Not quite. Pashtuns are one people who speak Pashto and live in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, while Afghanistan is also home to Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks and others with their own naming habits. This list is Pashtun throughout and gives much of its room to the tribes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Are these the names of real people?
No entry is meant to point to a particular person. The list pairs given names used by Pashtuns with tribal names, and it is not taken from any register. With common names a match with a real person can still happen by chance, so search a full name before you publish it.
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All 500 Pashtun names
A: 45 names
- Abasin Khalil
- Abasin Khan Khalil
- Abasin Mohammadzai
- Abdul Baqi Achakzai
- Abdul Baqi Khogyani
- Abdul Bari Safi
- Abdul Hakim Tareen
- Abdul Jalil Swati
- Abdul Khaliq Nasar
- Abdul Khaliq Taraki
- Abdul Manan Khattak
- Abdul Nasir Niazi
- Abdul Qayum Afridi
- Abdul Sattar Mohmand
- Abdul Wadood Jadoon
- Abdul Wahid Kharoti
- Abdul Wahid Shinwari
- Abdul Wali Yousafzai
- Abdul Zahir Durrani
- Abdul Zahir Sahak
- Aimal Kundi
- Aimal Mangal
- Akbar Shah Orakzai
- Alamzeb Marwat
- Allah Dad Achakzai
- Allah Dad Noorzai
- Aminullah Andar
- Aminullah Daudzai
- Amir Badshah Hoti
- Amir Jan
- Amir Zada Ranizai
- Amirzeb Mohmand
- Anargul Mashwani
- Anargul Shinwari
- Arzo Miakhel
- Arzo Nasar
- Asadullah Mandokhel
- Asadullah Zazai
- Atal Daudzai
- Atal Khan
- Atal Sadozai
- Aurangzeb Swati
- Awal Mir Dilazak
- Aziz ur Rahman Isakhel
- Azizullah Babar
B: 24 names
- Babrak Kundi
- Babrak Lohani
- Bakht Bibi Dawar
- Bakht Munir Tarkani
- Bakht Rawan Utmankhel
- Bakht Zada Swati
- Bakht Zaman Yousafzai
- Bakhtawar Mashwani
- Bakhtiar Isakhel
- Bakhtmina Adamkhel
- Bakhtmina Swati
- Barkatullah Sherani
- Barkatullah Tokhi
- Baryalai Khan Bangash
- Baryalai Orakzai
- Baryalai Stanikzai
- Bas Bibi Mehsud
- Bas Bibi Noorzai
- Bibi Amina Niazi
- Bibi Ayesha Babar
- Bibi Hawa Kundi
- Bibi Shirin Gandapur
- Brekhna Mohmand
- Brekhna Tokhi
D: 9 names
- Dil Jan Jadoon
- Dil Nawaz Lohani
- Dilaram Bazai
- Dilaram Tareen
- Dilawar Kakakhel
- Dilawar Tareen
- Durdana Chamkani
- Durkhanai Daudzai
- Durkhanai Noorzai
E: 2 names
- Emal Chamkani
- Emal Taraki
F: 10 names
- Faiz Mohammad Bazai
- Farmanullah Kukikhel
- Farzana Bazai
- Fauzia Mullagori
- Fazal Akbar Mullagori
- Fazal Hadi Isakhel
- Fazal Karim Utmanzai
- Fazal Rabi Shilmani
- Fazal Rahim Hoti
- Fazal Wahid Mashwani
G: 29 names
- Ghairat Zaimusht
- Ghamai Khan
- Ghamai Turi
- Ghamai Utmankhel
- Ghotai Alizai
- Ghotai Jadoon
- Gohar Daudzai
- Gohar Gigyani
- Gul Badshah Swati
- Gul Bashra Marwat
- Gul Chehra Durrani
- Gul Jana Bangash
- Gul Makai Daudzai
- Gul Nawaz Babar
- Gul Pari Khattak
- Gul Rahman Mamund
- Gul Rukh Afridi
- Gul Sanga Yousafzai
- Gul Wali Mehsud
- Gul Zada Akozai
- Gul Zaman Marwat
- Gulab Shah
- Gulab Tarkani
- Gulalai Orakzai
- Gulalai Zadran
- Gulmina Kharoti
- Gulmina Kukikhel
- Gulnaz Dawar
- Gulzar Chagharzai
H: 19 names
- Habib ur Rahman Tarkani
- Hajira Mamund
- Halima Salarzai
- Halima Stanikzai
- Hameedullah Musakhel
- Hameedullah Popalzai
- Haq Nawaz Kundi
- Hayatullah Bhittani
- Hayatullah Mangal
- Heela Andar
- Heela Shinwari
- Hewad Alikozai
- Hewad Khan
- Hewad Mohmand
- Hidayatullah Marwat
- Hidayatullah Stanikzai
- Hosai Dawlatzai
- Hosai Panezai
- Husna Mehsud
I: 9 names
- Ihsanullah Dawar
- Ikramullah Kakakhel
- Inayatullah Bangash
- Inayatullah Wardak
- Inzar Dilazak
- Inzar Gul
- Irfanullah Adamkhel
- Izzatullah Alizai
- Izzatullah Mullagori
J: 12 names
- Jahanzeb Orakzai
- Jalat Khan
- Jalat Kibzai
- Jalat Shinwari
- Jameela Chamkani
- Jameela Ludin
- Jan Mohammad Ishaqzai
- Jan Mohammad Mandokhel
- Janan Khogyani
- Janan Salarzai
- Janat Gul Achakzai
- Jandad Nasar
K: 18 names
- Kainat Wazir
- Kamal Shah Daudzai
- Karwan Khan Mohmand
- Karwan Miankhel
- Karwan Sherzad
- Kashmala Mandanr
- Kashmala Yousafzai
- Khaista Gul
- Khaista Mohmand
- Khatol Jogezai
- Khatol Omarzai
- Khuda Dad Alikozai
- Khuda Dad Kakar
- Khushal Hoti
- Khushal Zadran
- Khyber Adamkhel
- Khyber Khan Shinwari
- Kifayatullah Orakzai
L: 14 names
- Lailuma Tarkani
- Lal Gul Kibzai
- Lal Jan
- Lal Mohammad Kasi
- Lal Mohammad Sahak
- Lal Zada Mandanr
- Lalzad Sulemankhel
- Lawang Khan
- Lawang Sahak
- Lawang Zakhakhel
- Lawangina Marwat
- Lawangina Zakhakhel
- Lema Durrani
- Lema Mandozai
M: 46 names
- Madina Alizai
- Madina Ranizai
- Mah Jabeen Barakzai
- Mah Jabeen Tareen
- Mahgul Durrani
- Mahgul Isakhel
- Mahrukh Isakhel
- Maiwand Karokhel
- Maiwand Khan Khattak
- Maiwand Lodhi
- Malalai Ahmadzai
- Malalai Marwat
- Malang Bhittani
- Malang Dawar
- Marghalara Achakzai
- Marghalara Mohammadzai
- Mashal Jabarkhel
- Mashal Jadoon
- Meena Kasi
- Meena Taraki
- Mir Afzal Jadoon
- Mir Afzal Mandozai
- Mir Alam Turi
- Mir Hatim Chamkani
- Mir Wali Dawar
- Mir Zaman Afridi
- Mir Zaman Mangal
- Mir Zaman Shah
- Mirwais Tareen
- Mirwais Tokhi
- Mohammad Anwar Utmankhel
- Mohammad Ayaz Salarzai
- Mohammad Israr Utmanzai
- Mohammad Rasool Mamund
- Mohammad Rasool Tanai
- Mohammad Tahir Hoti
- Mohammad Tahir Karokhel
- Mohammad Zaman Ludin
- Mohammad Zaman Wazir
- Momin Dawar
- Momin Jan
- Momin Shilmani
- Mursal Gigyani
- Mursal Tanai
- Muska Jabarkhel
- Muska Turi
N: 37 names
- Nageena Mullagori
- Nageena Niazi
- Naghma Mamund
- Najeebullah Kasi
- Najiba Kibzai
- Nangialai Afridi
- Nangialai Hotak
- Nangyal Khan Yousafzai
- Nangyal Wazir
- Naseebullah Kakar
- Nasreen Tokhi
- Nasreen Utmankhel
- Nasrullah Barakzai
- Nasrullah Gigyani
- Nawab Mullagori
- Nawab Niazi
- Nazar Malikdinkhel
- Nazmina Miankhel
- Nazmina Orakzai
- Nazo Mandokhel
- Nazo Sadozai
- Niamatullah Hotak
- Niamatullah Panezai
- Niaz Gul
- Niaz Hoti
- Niaz Jan
- Niaz Khan
- Nighat Tarkani
- Noor Alam Mohmand
- Noor Alam Popalzai
- Noor Bibi Wazir
- Noor Jahan Khalil
- Noor Mohammad Durrani
- Noor Nawaz Bhittani
- Noor Shah Bangash
- Noor Zaman Orakzai
- Noor Zaman Zadran
O: 4 names
- Ogai Amarkhel
- Ogai Salarzai
- Orzala Kakakhel
- Orzala Sherzad
P: 13 names
- Pacha Durrani
- Palwasha Khattak
- Palwasha Zazai
- Pamir Khan Swati
- Pamir Noorzai
- Pamir Turi
- Pari Gul Mohmand
- Parkha Akozai
- Parkha Stanikzai
- Parveen Alikozai
- Parveen Kakakhel
- Pashtana Gurbaz
- Pashtana Lodhi
Q: 5 names
- Qais Kasi
- Qais Safi
- Qalandar Shamankhel
- Qandi Gul Swati
- Qasim Shah Marwat
R: 19 names
- Rab Nawaz Gandapur
- Rahim Dad Tareen
- Rahmat Bibi Mandokhel
- Rahmatullah Turi
- Raihana Akozai
- Raihana Ishaqzai
- Razia Jogezai
- Razia Sherzad
- Resham Kibzai
- Reshmina Lohani
- Reshmina Mohmand
- Robina Sherani
- Rokhan Khan
- Rokhan Kundi
- Rokhan Miakhel
- Rokhana Nasar
- Rokhana Shamankhel
- Rozina Zakhakhel
- Rukhsar Panezai
S: 101 names
- Sabawoon Barakzai
- Sabawoon Shinwari
- Sabiha Shilmani
- Saeedullah Lohani
- Sahar Gul Shinwari
- Sahib Gul
- Sahib Jan
- Said Alam Zaimusht
- Said Badshah
- Said Karim Adamkhel
- Said Rahman Gigyani
- Said Rahman Miakhel
- Said Wali Malikdinkhel
- Saidal Gurbaz
- Saidal Khan Tareen
- Saidal Panezai
- Salar Dawlatzai
- Salar Mamund
- Salma Khogyani
- Salma Mandanr
- Samandar Ustrana
- Samina Utmanzai
- Sanaullah Jogezai
- Sandara Khattak
- Sandara Musakhel
- Sanga Miakhel
- Sanga Niazi
- Sangar Achakzai
- Sangar Khan
- Sangar Mandozai
- Sangin Amarkhel
- Sangin Sherani
- Sanzar Jogezai
- Sanzar Khan
- Sanzar Panezai
- Sarbaz Mehsud
- Sardar Safi
- Seema Jabarkhel
- Seema Miankhel
- Shabnam Sulemankhel
- Shafiullah Noorzai
- Shafiullah Zakhakhel
- Shagufta Hoti
- Shah Alam Barakzai
- Shah Alam Daudzai
- Shah Nawaz Miankhel
- Shah Pari Mangal
- Shah Pari Orakzai
- Shah Wali Khalil
- Shahbaz Bazai
S, continued
- Shahnaz Andar
- Shahnaz Gigyani
- Shahzeb Bangash
- Shaista Chagharzai
- Shakila Gurbaz
- Shakila Lohani
- Shamal Gandapur
- Shamal Ishaqzai
- Shamal Khan
- Shamim Adamkhel
- Shamroz Akozai
- Shamroz Gandapur
- Shams ur Rahman Mashwani
- Shamshad Yousafzai
- Shaperai Gandapur
- Shaperai Popalzai
- Sharbat Afridi
- Shazia Chagharzai
- Sher Afzal Niazi
- Sher Alam Andar
- Sher Alam Khattak
- Sher Ali Gurbaz
- Sher Ali Zakhakhel
- Sher Bahadur Amarkhel
- Sher Bahadur Kakakhel
- Sher Dad Kukikhel
- Sher Jan
- Sher Mohammad Nasar
- Sher Zada Chagharzai
- Sher Zaman Bangash
- Sher Zaman Wardak
- Sherbaz Jadoon
- Sherbaz Ranizai
- Sherdil Khan Kundi
- Sherdil Ludin
- Sherdil Niazi
- Shinkai Sherani
- Shirin Gul Kakar
- Shkula Afridi
- Shkula Ranizai
- Sibghatullah Shilmani
- Sitara Amarkhel
- Sitara Dilazak
- Spogmai Bangash
- Spogmai Wardak
- Storai Alikozai
- Storai Khalil
- Sultana Mashwani
- Sultana Omarzai
- Sumbal Achakzai
- Sumbal Dilazak
T: 15 names
- Taj Bibi Hotak
- Taj Bibi Turi
- Taj Mohammad Musakhel
- Taj Wali Shinwari
- Taj Wali Zazai
- Tamana Gandapur
- Tamana Malikdinkhel
- Toofan Khalil
- Toofan Kukikhel
- Tor Gul Sulemankhel
- Torpekai Ishaqzai
- Torpekai Kundi
- Toryalai Bangash
- Toryalai Khan Marwat
- Toryalai Wardak
U: 1 name
- Umar Zada Salarzai
W: 18 names
- Wadan Alizai
- Wadan Swati
- Wagma Ludin
- Wagma Utmankhel
- Wais Utmanzai
- Wais Wazir
- Wali Jan
- Wali Mohammad Alizai
- Wali Mohammad Jogezai
- Wali Shah Turi
- Wazhma Barakzai
- Wazhma Swati
- Wazhma Zaimusht
- Wisal Khan
- Wisal Kharoti
- Wisal Mandanr
- Wranga Hotak
- Wranga Yousafzai
Y: 3 names
- Yar Achakzai
- Yar Mohammad Khogyani
- Yar Mohammad Sherani