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Albanian Last Names

These Albanian last names are real family names from Albania, Kosovo and the wider Albanian world, listed A to Z with meanings. Names like Hoxha, Krasniqi and Berisha point to faith, clan and home region.

180 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Ademi

    Son of Adem (Adam)

  • Agaj

    Of the agha, landowner

  • Ahmeti

    Son of Ahmet, most praised

  • Aliu

    Son of Ali, exalted

  • Arianiti

    Medieval noble house of Arianiti

  • Arifi

    Son of Arif, knowing; wise

  • Asllani

    Son of Asllan, lion

  • Avdiu

    Son of Avdi (Abdi), servant

B

  • Babaj

    Of the baba, father or dervish elder

  • Bajraktari

    Standard-bearer; clan chieftain

  • Bajrami

    Son of Bajram, festival

  • Bakalli

    Grocer (Turkish bakkal)

  • Bardhi

    White

  • Basha

    Chief; head (Turkish baş)

  • Bekteshi

    Bektashi; of the Bektashi dervish order

  • Beqiri

    Son of Beqir (Bakir), early

  • Berberi

    Barber

  • Berisha

    Of the Berisha tribe

  • Beu

    Bey, lord

  • Bislimi

    Son of Bislim, Muslim

  • Brahimi

    Son of Brahim (Abraham)

  • Bregu

    Hill; slope; riverbank

  • Bushati

    From Bushat; ruling family of Shkodër

  • Bytyçi

    Of the Bytyçi tribe

C

  • Çami

    From Çamëria

  • Çela

    Possibly from çel, to open; or a place name

D

  • Deda

    From Dedë, a Catholic given name

  • Dedaj

    Of Dedë's family

  • Delvina

    From Delvinë

  • Dema

    Possibly from dem, bull

  • Demiri

    Son of Demir, iron (Turkish)

  • Dervishi

    Dervish; member of a Sufi order

  • Dhima

    From Dhimitër (Demetrius)

  • Dhimitri

    Son of Dhimitër (Demetrius)

  • Dibra

    From Dibër

  • Doda

    From the given name Dodë

  • Duka

    Duke; possibly a noble title

  • Dukagjini

    From Dukagjin; medieval noble family

  • Durrësi

    From Durrës

  • Dushmani

    Enemy; medieval noble family

E

  • Elbasani

    From Elbasan

  • Emini

    Son of Emin, trustworthy

F

  • Fazliu

    Son of Fazli, virtue

  • Fishta

    From the village of Fishtë

  • Frashëri

    From the village of Frashër

  • Fusha

    Field; plain

G

  • Gashi

    Of the Gashi tribe of the northern highlands

  • Gega

    Gheg; northerner

  • Gjergji

    Son of Gjergj (George)

  • Gjini

    From Gjin, form of John

  • Gjirokastra

    From Gjirokastër

  • Gjoka

    From Gjokë, a pet form of Gjon or Gjergj

  • Gjonaj

    Of Gjon's family

  • Gjoni

    Son of Gjon (John)

  • Guri

    Stone

H

  • Hafizi

    Hafiz, one who knows the Quran by heart

  • Hajdari

    Son of Hajdar, lion

  • Halili

    Son of Halil, friend

  • Haliti

    Son of Halit, eternal

  • Hamiti

    Son of Hamit, praiseworthy

  • Haradinaj

    Of Haradin's family

  • Hasani

    Son of Hasan, handsome

  • Hoti

    Of the Hoti tribe

  • Hoxha

    Religious teacher; from Ottoman hoca

  • Hoxhaj

    Of the Hoxha family; religious teacher

  • Hyseni

    Son of Hysen (Hussein)

I

  • Ibrahimi

    Son of Ibrahim (Abraham)

  • Idrizi

    Son of Idriz (Enoch)

  • Imami

    Imam, prayer leader

  • Imeri

    Son of Imer (Umar)

  • Ismaili

    Son of Ismail (Ishmael)

  • Isufi

    Son of Isuf (Joseph)

J

  • Jakupi

    Son of Jakup (Jacob)

  • Jashari

    Son of Jashar (Yaşar), he lives

K

  • Kabashi

    From Kabash

  • Kadare

    Possibly from kader, fate

  • Kadiu

    Kadi, Ottoman judge

  • Kalaja

    Fortress (Turkish kale)

  • Kamberi

    Son of Kamber

  • Kasapi

    Butcher (Turkish kasap)

  • Kastrati

    Of the Kastrati tribe

  • Kastrioti

    Noble house of Skanderbeg

  • Kelmendi

    Of the Kelmendi tribe; possibly from Clement

  • Kola

    From Kolë, pet form of Nikollë (Nicholas)

  • Kolonja

    From Kolonjë

  • Korça

    From Korçë

  • Kosta

    From Kostandin (Constantine)

  • Kovaçi

    Smith (kovaç)

  • Kraja

    From the Krajë region

  • Krasniqi

    Of the Krasniqi tribe

  • Kristo

    From Kristaq; of Christ

  • Kruja

    From Krujë

  • Kryeziu

    Black-head; of the Kryeziu clan

  • Kuçi

    Of the Kuçi tribe

  • Kuqi

    Red

  • Kurti

    Possibly from Turkish kurt, wolf

L

  • Laçi

    From Laç

  • Lala

    Elder brother

  • Latifi

    Son of Latif, gentle

  • Leka

    From Lekë, pet form of Aleksandër

  • Limani

    Son of Liman; or harbor

  • Llazari

    Son of Llazar (Lazarus)

  • Lleshi

    From the given name Llesh, possibly a form of Aleksandër

  • Luli

    Flower

  • Luma

    From the Lumë region

  • Lumi

    River

M

  • Mali

    Mountain

  • Maliqi

    Son of Maliq, king

  • Marku

    Son of Mark

  • Mehmeti

    Son of Mehmet

  • Meta

    Possibly from Mehmet

  • Mirdita

    From the Mirdita region

  • Mjeda

    From the village of Mjedë

  • Morina

    Of the Morina clan

  • Musa

    Moses

  • Musliu

    Son of Musli, Muslim

  • Mustafa

    Chosen

  • Muzaka

    Medieval noble house of Muzaka

  • Myftiu

    Mufti, Islamic legal scholar

N

  • Nallbani

    Farrier; horseshoer

  • Nano

    Possibly from nanë, mother

  • Ndoja

    From Ndue, Albanian form of Anthony

  • Ndreu

    From Ndre (Andrew)

  • Nikolla

    Nicholas; victory of the people

  • Nuhiu

    Son of Nuh (Noah)

O

  • Osmani

    Son of Osman

P

  • Pali

    Son of Pal (Paul)

  • Papa

    Priest; Orthodox cleric

  • Pasha

    Pasha, high Ottoman official

  • Përmeti

    From Përmet

  • Pjetri

    Son of Pjetër (Peter)

  • Prenga

    From the given name Prenk

  • Prifti

    Priest

Q

  • Qerimi

    Son of Qerim, generous

  • Qirjazi

    Son of Qirjak (Cyriacus)

  • Qosja

    Possibly from qosë, beardless

R

  • Rama

    Possibly from Ramadan or Ramiz

  • Ramadani

    Son of Ramadan

  • Rexhepi

    Son of Rexhep (Rajab)

  • Rrahmani

    Son of Rrahman, merciful

  • Rugova

    From the Rugova region

  • Rushiti

    Son of Rushit, rightly guided

S

  • Sadiku

    Son of Sadik, truthful

  • Salihu

    Son of Salih, righteous

  • Sejdiu

    Son of Sejdi (Sayyid), lord

  • Selimi

    Son of Selim, safe and sound

  • Shabani

    Son of Shaban, born in the month of Shaban

  • Shala

    Of the Shala tribe

  • Shehu

    Sheikh; head of a dervish lodge

  • Shkodra

    From Shkodër

  • Shkreli

    Of the Shkreli tribe

  • Sokoli

    Falcon

  • Spahiu

    Sipahi, Ottoman cavalryman

  • Stefani

    Son of Stefan, crown

  • Sula

    From Sulë, pet form of Sulejman

  • Syla

    From Sylë, pet form of Sylejman

  • Sylejmani

    Son of Sylejman (Solomon)

T

  • Tafa

    From Tafë, short form of Mustafa

  • Tahiri

    Son of Tahir, pure

  • Tanushi

    From Tanush, a form of Athanas

  • Tepelena

    From Tepelenë

  • Terziu

    Tailor (Turkish terzi)

  • Thaçi

    Kosovo Albanian family; origin uncertain

  • Thanasi

    Son of Thanas (Athanasios), immortal

  • Topalli

    Lame one (Turkish topal)

  • Topia

    Medieval noble family of Topia

  • Toptani

    Noble family of Toptani

  • Toska

    Tosk; southerner

U

  • Ujku

    Wolf

V

  • Vasili

    Son of Vasil (Basil), royal

  • Veliu

    Son of Veli, saint or guardian

  • Veseli

    Cheerful (Slavic vesel)

  • Vlora

    From Vlorë; noble family

X

  • Xhafa

    From Xhafer (Jafar)

  • Xhaferi

    Son of Xhafer (Jafar)

Z

  • Zaharia

    Zechariah; medieval noble family

  • Zeneli

    Son of Zenel (Zayn al-Abidin)

  • Zeqiri

    Son of Zeqir, one who remembers God

  • Zeza

    Black; dark

  • Zymberi

    Son of Zymber

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Results (6)

  • Deda

    From Dedë, a Catholic given name

  • Jakupi

    Son of Jakup (Jacob)

  • Bardhi

    White

  • Marku

    Son of Mark

  • Ujku

    Wolf

  • Duka

    Duke; possibly a noble title

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    The most familiar Albanian last names explained

    In Kosovo and northern Albania, the most familiar names are often those of historic highland tribes. Krasniqi, Gashi, Berisha, Kelmendi, Hoti, Shala, Kastrati and Shkreli were all tribes, or fise, whose members once traced descent from a shared ancestor. Families who moved down to towns and cities kept the tribe name as a surname. Morina, Bytyçi and Thaçi are also very common in Kosovo, and many public figures there carry one of these names.

    Another large group comes from given names, both Muslim and Christian. Hasani, Ahmeti, Osmani, Ibrahimi, Rexhepi (from Rexhep, the month of Rajab), Bajrami (from Bajram, the festival) and Ramadani point to Muslim families. Marku comes from Mark, Leka from Lekë, the Albanian form of Alexander, and Gjoka from a Christian given name. Titles and roles appear too: Hoxha means religious teacher, Shehu sheikh, Dervishi dervish and Prifti priest.

    Noble houses and names from history

    Some names in the list recall the medieval noble families who ruled parts of Albania before the Ottoman conquest. Kastrioti was the house of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, the national hero who led resistance to the Ottomans in the 15th century. Dukagjini recalls Lekë Dukagjini, whose name is attached to the Kanun, the body of customary law of the northern highlands. Topia and Arianiti were also leading families of that era, linked to Skanderbeg by marriage and alliance.

    Regional names complete the picture. Mirdita is a Catholic highland region of the north, and Kuçi comes from a tribe of the Albanian and Montenegrin borderlands. In southern Italy, the Arbëreshë, descendants of Albanians who settled there from the 15th century onward, still speak an old form of Albanian, although many of their surnames were long ago written in Italian style. Together these names show that Albanian identity spreads well beyond today's borders.

    Tips for pronouncing and spelling Albanian names

    Albanian spelling is regular once you know a few letters. Xh sounds like the j in jam, so Hoxha is HO-ja. Q is a soft ch, which makes Krasniqi kras-NEE-chee. Ç is a harder ch, as in Thaçi, and ë is a light vowel like the a in about. Th is as in think, dh as in this, and gj is close to a soft j. Knowing these makes the whole list much easier to read aloud.

    Outside Albania, the special letters are often dropped or replaced. Thaçi may appear as Thaci, Bytyçi as Bytyqi or Bytyci, and Hoxha may be written Hodja or Hoca in older sources. Many Kosovar families in Germany and Switzerland keep the Albanian spelling, while older emigrants to the United States often simplified theirs. For a character, a tribe name like Gashi or Kelmendi suits a family from the north or Kosovo, and a name like Prifti suits the south.

    Frequently asked questions

    Which Albanian last names come from historic noble families?

    Kastrioti, Dukagjini, Topia and Arianiti all recall noble houses of medieval Albania. Kastrioti was the family of Skanderbeg, and Dukagjini is tied to the customary law of the north. Few modern families carry these names, which makes them feel especially historic.

    What does Hoxha mean?

    Hoxha comes from the Ottoman Turkish hoca, a teacher of religion. Families descended from such a teacher often took it as a surname. It is well known internationally because of Enver Hoxha, who led communist Albania from the end of the Second World War until his death in 1985.

    How do you pronounce xh, q and ç?

    Xh sounds like the j in jam, q is a soft ch said with the tongue near the front of the mouth, and ç is a firmer ch as in church. So Hoxha is HO-ja, Krasniqi is kras-NEE-chee and Thaçi is THAH-chee.

    Are Krasniqi and Gashi from Kosovo or Albania?

    Both tribes come from the highlands where northern Albania and Kosovo meet. Over time many members settled in Kosovo, where Krasniqi and Gashi are now among the most common names. Families with these names also live in northern Albania and across the diaspora.

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