lastnamegenerators

Persian Last Names

These Persian last names are real family names from Iran, listed A to Z with Persian script and meanings. Names such as Hosseini, Rezaei and Karimi show how faith, ancestry and home towns shaped the names families chose.

279 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Abbasi عباسی

    Of Abbas, stern lion

  • Abedi عابدی

    Of the worshipper

  • Afshar افشار

    Afshar Turkic tribe

  • Aghaei آقایی

    Of the agha, master

  • Ahangar آهنگر

    Blacksmith

  • Ahmadi احمدی

    Of Ahmad, most praised

  • Ahmadian احمدیان

    Family of Ahmad

  • Ahvazi اهوازی

    From Ahvaz

  • Akbari اکبری

    Of Akbar, greatest

  • Aliabadi علی‌آبادی

    From Aliabad

  • Alipour علی‌پور

    Son of Ali

  • Alizadeh علیزاده

    Born of Ali

  • Amini امینی

    Of Amin, trustworthy

  • Amiri امیری

    Of the amir, commander

  • Amoli آملی

    From Amol

  • Ansari انصاری

    Of the Ansar, helpers of the Prophet

  • Anvari انوری

    Most luminous; after the poet Anvari

  • Arabi عربی

    Arab

  • Araki اراکی

    From Arak

  • Ardabili اردبیلی

    From Ardabil

  • Ardakani اردکانی

    From Ardakan

  • Ardalan اردلان

    Ardalan, Kurdish ruling family

  • Arjmand ارجمند

    Honored; esteemed

  • Asadi اسدی

    Of Asad, lion

  • Asgari عسگری

    Soldier; of Imam Hasan al-Askari

  • Asmani آسمانی

    Heavenly

  • Astarabadi استرآبادی

    From Astarabad, old name of Gorgan

  • Attari عطاری

    Of the perfumer or herbalist

  • Azari آذری

    Of Azerbaijan; of fire

  • Azizi عزیزی

    Of Aziz, dear; mighty

B

  • Babaei بابایی

    Of the father; of Baba

  • Baboli بابلی

    From Babol

  • Baghban باغبان

    Gardener

  • Bagheri باقری

    Of Imam Mohammad Bagher

  • Bahmani بهمنی

    Of Bahman, good mind

  • Bahrami بهرامی

    Of Bahram, victorious

  • Bakhtiari بختیاری

    Bakhtiari tribe; fortunate

  • Baluchi بلوچی

    Baluch; from Baluchestan

  • Bayat بیات

    Bayat Turkic tribe

  • Bazargan بازرگان

    Merchant

  • Behrouzi بهروزی

    Prosperity; good fortune

  • Behzadi بهزادی

    Of Behzad, well-born

  • Beiranvand بیرانوند

    Beiranvand Lur tribe

  • Birjandi بیرجندی

    From Birjand

  • Bojnourdi بجنوردی

    From Bojnurd

  • Borujerdi بروجردی

    From Borujerd

  • Bushehri بوشهری

    From Bushehr

C

  • Chegini چگینی

    Chegini Lur tribe

D

  • Damghani دامغانی

    From Damghan

  • Daneshvar دانشور

    Learned; scholar

  • Daryaei دریایی

    Of the sea

  • Dehghan دهقان

    Farmer; landed villager

  • Dehghani دهقانی

    Of the farmer

  • Dehkordi دهکردی

    From Shahr-e Kord (Dehkord)

  • Dezfuli دزفولی

    From Dezful

E

  • Ebadi عبادی

    Of worship

  • Ebrahimi ابراهیمی

    Of Ebrahim (Abraham)

  • Emami امامی

    Of the imam

  • Esfahani اصفهانی

    From Isfahan

  • Esfandiari اسفندیاری

    Of Esfandiar, Shahnameh hero

  • Esmaeili اسماعیلی

    Of Esmaeil (Ishmael)

  • Etemadi اعتمادی

    Of trust; confidence

F

  • Farahani فراهانی

    From Farahan, Markazi province

  • Farahmand فرهمند

    Glorious; endowed with farr

  • Faraji فرجی

    Of Faraj, relief

  • Farhadi فرهادی

    Of Farhad, legendary lover

  • Farzaneh فرزانه

    Wise; learned

  • Fasaei فسایی

    From Fasa

  • Fazeli فاضلی

    Of Fazel, learned

  • Ferdowsi فردوسی

    Of paradise; after the poet of the Shahnameh

  • Fereydouni فریدونی

    Of Fereydun, Shahnameh king

  • Firouzi فیروزی

    Victorious; turquoise

G

  • Ghaffari غفاری

    Of the Forgiving One

  • Ghanbari قنبری

    Of Ghanbar, servant of Ali

  • Ghasemi قاسمی

    Of Ghasem, one who divides

  • Ghorbani قربانی

    Of sacrifice; devoted

  • Gilani گیلانی

    From Gilan

  • Golestani گلستانی

    Of the rose garden

  • Golpayegani گلپایگانی

    From Golpayegan

  • Gorgani گرگانی

    From Gorgan

  • Goudarzi گودرزی

    Of Goudarz, Shahnameh hero

H

  • Hafezi حافظی

    Of the hafez, one who knows the Quran by heart

  • Hajizadeh حاجی‌زاده

    Born of the hajji, pilgrim

  • Hakimi حکیمی

    Of the hakim, sage or physician

  • Hamadani همدانی

    From Hamadan

  • Hamidi حمیدی

    Of Hamid, praiseworthy

  • Hasanzadeh حسن‌زاده

    Born of Hasan

  • Hashemi هاشمی

    Descendant of Hashim, the Prophet's clan

  • Hassani حسنی

    Of Hassan, good

  • Heidari حیدری

    Of Heidar, lion; epithet of Ali

  • Heidarzadeh حیدرزاده

    Born of Heidar

  • Hejazi حجازی

    From the Hejaz, Arabia

  • Honarmand هنرمند

    Artist; skilled

  • Hosseini حسینی

    Descendant of Imam Hossein

  • Hosseinpour حسین‌پور

    Son of Hossein

  • Hosseinzadeh حسین‌زاده

    Born of Hossein

I

  • Imani ایمانی

    Of faith

  • Irani ایرانی

    Iranian

J

  • Jafari جعفری

    Of Jafar; follower of Imam Jafar

  • Jafarzadeh جعفرزاده

    Born of Jafar

  • Jahangiri جهانگیری

    World conqueror

  • Jahani جهانی

    Of the world

  • Jahromi جهرمی

    From Jahrom

  • Jalali جلالی

    Of Jalal, majesty

  • Jamali جمالی

    Of Jamal, beauty

  • Jamshidi جمشیدی

    Of Jamshid, legendary king

K

  • Kadkhodaei کدخدایی

    Of the kadkhoda, village headman

  • Kaffash کفاش

    Shoemaker

  • Kalantari کلانتری

    Of the kalantar, mayor or headman

  • Kamali کمالی

    Of Kamal, perfection

  • Kamrani کامرانی

    Of Kamran, successful

  • Karami کرمی

    Of generosity

  • Karbalaei کربلایی

    Pilgrim to Karbala

  • Karimi کریمی

    Of Karim, generous

  • Kashani کاشانی

    From Kashan

  • Kashefi کاشفی

    Discoverer; revealer

  • Kavousi کاووسی

    Of Kavus, Shahnameh king

  • Kazemi کاظمی

    Of Imam Musa al-Kazem; one who restrains anger

  • Kazeruni کازرونی

    From Kazerun

  • Kermani کرمانی

    From Kerman

  • Kermanshahi کرمانشاهی

    From Kermanshah

  • Keshavarz کشاورز

    Farmer; cultivator

  • Khaleghi خالقی

    Of the Creator

  • Khalili خلیلی

    Of Khalil, friend

  • Khansari خوانساری

    From Khansar

  • Khatami خاتمی

    Of the seal; final

  • Khayyat خیاط

    Tailor

  • Khodabandeh خدابنده

    Servant of God

  • Khodadadi خدادادی

    God-given

  • Khoei خویی

    From Khoy

  • Khorasani خراسانی

    From Khorasan, land of the rising sun

  • Khosravi خسروی

    Royal; of Khosrow

  • Kiani کیانی

    Of the Kayanian kings

  • Kordestani کردستانی

    From Kurdistan

  • Kouhestani کوهستانی

    Highlander; of the mountains

L

  • Lahiji لاهیجی

    From Lahijan

  • Langroudi لنگرودی

    From Langarud

  • Lari لاری

    From Lar

  • Larijani لاریجانی

    From Larijan, Mazandaran

  • Latifi لطیفی

    Of Latif, gentle

  • Lorestani لرستانی

    From Lorestan

  • Lotfi لطفی

    Of kindness

M

  • Mahdavi مهدوی

    Of the Mahdi, rightly guided

  • Mahmoudi محمودی

    Of Mahmoud, praised

  • Majidi مجیدی

    Of Majid, glorious

  • Malayeri ملایری

    From Malayer

  • Malekzadeh ملک‌زاده

    Born of a king

  • Manouchehri منوچهری

    Of Manuchehr, Shahnameh king

  • Mansouri منصوری

    Of Mansour, victorious

  • Maraghei مراغه‌ای

    From Maragheh

  • Mashhadi مشهدی

    From Mashhad; pilgrim to Mashhad

  • Mazandarani مازندرانی

    From Mazandaran

  • Mehrabi محرابی

    Of the mihrab, prayer niche

  • Mehrabian مهرابیان

    Family of Mehrab

  • Mehri مهری

    Of love; of Mehr (Mithra)

  • Mirbagheri میرباقری

    Sayyid descendant of Imam Bagher

  • Mirzaei میرزایی

    Of the mirza, prince or scribe

  • Moein معین

    Helper; supporter

  • Moghaddam مقدم

    Foremost; leader

  • Mohammadi محمدی

    Of Mohammad, praised

  • Mohammadzadeh محمدزاده

    Born of Mohammad

  • Mohseni محسنی

    Of Mohsen, benefactor

  • Mokhtari مختاری

    Of Mokhtar, chosen

  • Momeni مؤمنی

    Of the believer

  • Moradi مرادی

    Of Morad, wish; desire

  • Moradzadeh مرادزاده

    Born of Morad

  • Mortazavi مرتضوی

    Descendant of Ali (Morteza)

  • Mossadegh مصدق

    Confirmed; attested

  • Mostafavi مصطفوی

    Descendant of Mostafa, the chosen

  • Motamedi معتمدی

    Trusted; reliable

  • Mousavi موسوی

    Descendant of Imam Musa al-Kazem

N

  • Naderi نادری

    Of Nader, rare

  • Naeini نائینی

    From Nain

  • Nahavandi نهاوندی

    From Nahavand

  • Najafabadi نجف‌آبادی

    From Najafabad

  • Najafi نجفی

    From Najaf, Iraq

  • Najjar نجار

    Carpenter

  • Nasiri نصیری

    Of Nasir, helper

  • Nazari نظری

    Of Nazar, vow or glance

  • Nemati نعمتی

    Of blessing

  • Nematollahi نعمت‌اللهی

    Of God's blessing

  • Neyshaburi نیشابوری

    From Nishapur

  • Nezami نظامی

    Of order; military; after the poet Nezami

  • Nikbakht نیک‌بخت

    Fortunate; blessed

  • Nikkhah نیک‌خواه

    Well-wisher

  • Nikpour نیک‌پور

    Good son

  • Nikzad نیکزاد

    Well-born

  • Norouzi نوروزی

    Of Nowruz, the new year

  • Nouri نوری

    Of light; luminous

P

  • Pahlavi پهلوی

    Parthian; heroic; name of the last dynasty

  • Pakzad پاکزاد

    Pure-born

  • Parsa پارسا

    Pious; devout

  • Parsi پارسی

    Persian

  • Parvizi پرویزی

    Of Parviz, victorious

  • Pourmohammadi پورمحمدی

    Son of Mohammad

Q

  • Qajar قاجار

    Qajar Turkic tribe; royal dynasty

  • Qashqai قشقایی

    Qashqai Turkic tribe

  • Qazvini قزوینی

    From Qazvin

  • Qomi قمی

    From Qom

R

  • Rafsanjani رفسنجانی

    From Rafsanjan

  • Rahimi رحیمی

    Of Rahim, merciful

  • Rahmani رحمانی

    Of the Merciful One

  • Rahmati رحمتی

    Of mercy

  • Rajabi رجبی

    Born in the month of Rajab

  • Ramezani رمضانی

    Born in Ramadan

  • Ranjbar رنجبر

    Laborer; toiler

  • Rashidi رشیدی

    Of Rashid, rightly guided

  • Rashti رشتی

    From Rasht

  • Razavi رضوی

    Descendant of Imam Reza

  • Rezaei رضایی

    Of Reza, contentment; follower of Imam Reza

  • Rezaeian رضاییان

    Family of Rezaei

  • Rezazadeh رضازاده

    Born of Reza

  • Rostami رستمی

    Of Rostam, hero of the Shahnameh

  • Rostamzadeh رستم‌زاده

    Born of Rostam

  • Rouhani روحانی

    Spiritual; clergyman

  • Rumi رومی

    From Rum (Anatolia)

S

  • Saadi سعدی

    Fortunate; after the poet Saadi

  • Saberi صابری

    Of the patient one

  • Sabzevari سبزواری

    From Sabzevar

  • Sadeghi صادقی

    Of Sadegh, truthful

  • Sadeghzadeh صادق‌زاده

    Born of Sadegh

  • Sadri صدری

    Of the chief; foremost

  • Saeedi سعیدی

    Of Saeed, fortunate

  • Safavi صفوی

    Of the Safavid line

  • Sahraei صحرایی

    Of the desert or plain

  • Salehi صالحی

    Of Saleh, righteous

  • Salimi سلیمی

    Of Salim, safe and sound

  • Samadi صمدی

    Of Samad, eternal

  • Sanaei سنایی

    Of radiance; after the poet Sanai

  • Sarabi سرابی

    From Sarab

  • Saravi ساروی

    From Sari

  • Sarraf صراف

    Money changer

  • Savoji ساوجی

    From Saveh

  • Semnani سمنانی

    From Semnan

  • Sepehri سپهری

    Of the sky; heavenly

  • Shabani شعبانی

    Born in the month of Shaban

  • Shahabi شهابی

    Of the meteor; shooting star

  • Shahbazi شهبازی

    Royal falcon

  • Shahidi شهیدی

    Of the martyr

  • Shahriari شهریاری

    Royal; of the king

  • Shahrokhi شاهرخی

    Of Shahrokh, king's face

  • Shamlou شاملو

    Shamlu tribe of the Qizilbash

  • Shamsi شمسی

    Of the sun

  • Sharifi شریفی

    Of Sharif, noble

  • Shirazi شیرازی

    From Shiraz

  • Shirvani شیروانی

    From Shirvan

  • Shojaei شجاعی

    Of courage

  • Shokri شکری

    Of gratitude

  • Shushtari شوشتری

    From Shushtar

  • Siavashi سیاوشی

    Of Siavash, Shahnameh prince

  • Sistani سیستانی

    From Sistan

  • Sohrabi سهرابی

    Of Sohrab, Shahnameh hero

  • Soleimani سلیمانی

    Of Soleiman (Solomon)

  • Soltani سلطانی

    Of the sultan

T

  • Tabatabaei طباطبایی

    Sayyid lineage named after Tabataba

  • Tabrizi تبریزی

    From Tabriz

  • Taghavi تقوی

    Of piety

  • Taheri طاهری

    Of Taher, pure

  • Tahmasbi طهماسبی

    Of Tahmasp, Safavid shah

  • Talebi طالبی

    Of the seeker; student

  • Tavakoli توکلی

    Of trust in God

  • Tehrani تهرانی

    From Tehran

  • Torki ترکی

    Turkic

  • Tusi طوسی

    From Tus, near Mashhad

V

  • Vahidi وحیدی

    Of Vahid, unique

  • Valizadeh ولی‌زاده

    Born of Vali, guardian

Y

  • Yazdani یزدانی

    Divine; of God (Yazdan)

  • Yazdi یزدی

    From Yazd

  • Yousefi یوسفی

    Of Yousef (Joseph)

Z

  • Zamani زمانی

    Of time; of Zaman

  • Zand زند

    Zand tribe; 18th-century dynasty

  • Zanganeh زنگنه

    Zangana Kurdish tribe

  • Zanjani زنجانی

    From Zanjan

  • Zare زارع

    Sower; farmer

  • Zarei زارعی

    Of the farmer

  • Zargar زرگر

    Goldsmith

  • Zarif ظریف

    Delicate; witty

  • Zeinali زینالی

    Of Zein al-Abedin

  • Zolfaghari ذوالفقاری

    Of Zulfiqar, the sword of Ali

Generate random persian surnames

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Results (6)

  • Nematollahi

    نعمت‌اللهی

    Of God's blessing

  • Semnani

    سمنانی

    From Semnan

  • Ardalan

    اردلان

    Ardalan, Kurdish ruling family

  • Lorestani

    لرستانی

    From Lorestan

  • Gorgani

    گرگانی

    From Gorgan

  • Sistani

    سیستانی

    From Sistan

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    Open the full generator

    The most common Persian last names and their meanings

    Near the top of the list sit names built on revered religious figures. Hosseini (حسینی) points to descent from Imam Hossein, Mousavi to Imam Musa al-Kazim and Rezaei (رضایی) to Imam Reza, whose shrine stands in Mashhad. Mohammadi, Ahmadi and Alizadeh honour the Prophet and Imam Ali. Hosseini, Mousavi and Hashemi were often taken by sayyid families, who trace their line to the Prophet, although many other households chose them simply out of devotion.

    A second large group comes from ordinary personal names: Karimi from Karim (generous), Rahimi from Rahim (merciful), Kazemi from Kazem (one who restrains anger), Jafari from Jafar and Ebrahimi from Ebrahim, the Persian form of Abraham. Because so many families picked from the same pool of admired names when surnames became compulsory, these repeat in every city. Two people called Karimi are rarely related, so the name says more about a family's faith and taste than about kinship.

    Epic heroes, old titles and home towns

    Not every name looks to religion. Some reach back to pre-Islamic Iran and the Shahnameh, the national epic written by Ferdowsi around the year 1000. Rostami comes from the hero Rostam, Sohrabi from his son Sohrab, Jamshidi from the legendary king Jamshid and Kiani from the mythical Kayanian kings. Bahrami recalls Bahram, a name shared by several Sasanian rulers. These names often appealed to families who wanted to stress Persian heritage when they registered in the 1920s and 1930s.

    Titles and places make up much of the rest. Mirzaei comes from mirza, a title for a secretary or a prince, while Soltani means royal and Amini means trustworthy. Heidari comes from Heidar, lion, an epithet of Imam Ali. Place names add a map of the country: Shirazi from Shiraz, Tabrizi from Tabriz, Esfahani from Isfahan, Kermani from Kerman and Kashani from Kashan. Many smaller village names also appear, often known only within one province.

    Practical tips for spelling and searching

    Persian is written in Arabic script, so every English spelling is a choice. The same name can appear as Hosseini, Husseini or Hosseiny, as Ghasemi or Qasemi, as Mousavi or Musavi, and as Rezaei, Rezaie or Rezayi. When a name does not show up where you expect it, try swapping gh for q, ou for u and ei for ai. Families abroad usually kept whichever spelling first appeared on a passport, and siblings who emigrated separately sometimes ended up with different forms.

    If you are picking a name for a character, think about background. A family proud of sayyid descent might carry Hosseini or Mousavi, an old merchant family might carry a city name like Tabrizi, and a secular Tehran household of the 1930s might have chosen something from the Shahnameh. Stress in Persian surnames usually falls on the final syllable, so Karimi is ka-ri-MEE. The Persian script column in the list is useful for checking the original form of a name.

    Frequently asked questions

    Which Persian last names are the most common?

    Hosseini, Mohammadi, Rezaei, Ahmadi, Karimi, Moradi, Jafari and Rahimi are among the names most often met in Iran. Most honour religious figures or come from a personal name with an -i or -zadeh ending attached, which is why they repeat so widely.

    Are two people named Hosseini related?

    Usually not. Iran made surnames compulsory in the 1920s, and thousands of unrelated families chose the same popular names at the same time. Some Hosseini families do claim descent from the Prophet as sayyids, but the name alone does not prove a shared ancestor.

    Why does one name have several English spellings?

    Persian letters have no single agreed English form, and vowels are often not written in the script. Clerks, schools and passport offices each made their own choices, so Ghasemi, Qasemi and Kasemi can all be the same name. Search for more than one version.

    Which names come from Persian epic poetry?

    Rostami, Sohrabi, Jamshidi, Kiani, Bahrami and Fereydouni all draw on figures from the Shahnameh or from ancient Persian kingship. They became popular with families who wanted a name that reflected Iran's history before Islam.

    More last name lists