“surname” in Arabic dialects
noun
How do you say surname across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare surname (noun) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “surname” mean?
noun
- The name used to identify the members of a family (as distinguished from each member's given name)
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (surname) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | اسم العيلة | ism el-ʿēla |
| Levantine Arabic | كنية | kinye |
| Gulf Arabic | اسم العايلة | ism il-ʿāylah |
| Iraqi Arabic | لَقَب | laqab |
| Maghrebi Arabic | كنية | kunya |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| اسم العيلة | ism el-ʿēla | family name |
| لقب | laqab | family name, surname |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| كنية | kinye | family name, last name |
| اسم العيلة | ism el-ʿēle | family name (literally 'name of the family') |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| اسم العايلة | ism il-ʿāylah | family name, last name |
| لَقَب | laqab | family name, surname |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| لَقَب | laqab | family name, surname |
| إسم العائلة | isim il-ʿāʾila | the family's name |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| كنية | kunya | family name (common in Morocco) |
| لقب | laqab | family name (common in Algeria/Tunisia) |
| إسم عائلي | ism ʿāʾilī | family name (more formal) |
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