Somali Last Names

These Somali last names are the names most often used as surnames by Somali families, listed A to Z with meanings. In Somali naming, the second and third names are the father's and grandfather's given names, so a surname changes with each generation.

129 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Abdi عبدي

My servant; short for Abdi- names like Abdullahi

Arabic
Abdiaziz عبد العزيز

Servant of the Mighty

Arabic
Abdifatah عبد الفتاح

Servant of the Opener

Arabic
Abdihakim عبد الحكيم

Servant of the Wise

Arabic
Abdikadir عبد القادر

Servant of the Capable

Arabic
Abdikarim عبد الكريم

Servant of the Generous

Arabic
Abdillahi عبد الله

Variant of Abdullahi, servant of God

Arabic
Abdimalik عبد الملك

Servant of the King

Arabic
Abdinasir عبد الناصر

Servant of the Helper

Arabic
Abdinur عبد النور

Servant of the Light

Arabic
Abdiqani عبد الغني

Servant of the Self-Sufficient

Arabic
Abdirahim عبد الرحيم

Servant of the Compassionate

Arabic
Abdirahman عبد الرحمن

Servant of the Merciful

Arabic
Abdirashid عبد الرشيد

Servant of the Rightly Guiding

Arabic
Abdirizak عبد الرزاق

Servant of the Provider

Arabic
Abdisalam عبد السلام

Servant of Peace

Arabic
Abdisamad عبد الصمد

Servant of the Eternal

Arabic
Abdishakur عبد الشكور

Servant of the Appreciative

Arabic
Abdiwahab عبد الوهاب

Servant of the Bestower

Arabic
Abdiwahid عبد الواحد

Servant of the One

Arabic
Abdiweli عبد الولي

Servant of the Protector

Arabic
Abdulkadir عبد القادر

Servant of the Capable

Arabic
Abdullahi عبد الله

Servant of God

Arabic
Abdulle

Somali diminutive of Abdullahi

Arabic
Abshir أبشر

Rejoice at good news

Arabic
Abukar أبو بكر

Somali form of Abu Bakr

Arabic
Adan آدم

Adam

Arabic
Adde

White, fair-skinned

African
Aden آدم

Somali form of Adam (Aadan)

Arabic
Ahmed أحمد

Most praised

Arabic
Aidid

One who refuses insult

African
Ali علي

Exalted, lofty

Arabic
Aw

Title for a religious teacher or elder

African
Awale

Lucky one, from cawo, luck

African
Awil

Somali name of uncertain meaning

African
Ayanle

Lucky one, from ayaan, luck

African
Ayub أيوب

Job

Arabic

B

Barkhad بركة

Blessing, from Arabic baraka

Arabic
Barkhadle

Blessed one

African
Barre

Somali name of uncertain meaning

African
Bashir بشير

Bringer of good news

Arabic
Bile

Somali given name of uncertain meaning

African
Boqor

King

African

D

Dahir طاهر

Pure; Somali form of Tahir

Arabic
Daud داود

David

Arabic
Deeq

Generosity

African
Dheere

Tall

African
Dirie

Possibly from diiri, to warm or comfort

African
Duale

Possibly from du'a, prayer

African
Dualeh

Variant of Duale, possibly prayer

African

E

Egal

Somali name of uncertain meaning

African
Elmi علمي

Learned, knowledgeable

Arabic

F

Farah فرح

Joy

Arabic
Farhan فرحان

Joyful

Arabic
Fiqi فقيه

Islamic jurist, from faqih

Arabic

G

Gaab

Short

African
Garad

Chief, clan leader

African
Gedi

Possibly from geeddi, migration, moving camp

African
Gelle

Camel owner, from geel, camels

African
Guled

Victorious, from guul, victory

African
Guleid

Variant of Guled, victorious

African

H

Haji حاجي

Pilgrim to Mecca

Arabic
Hamud حمود

Praised

Arabic
Hamza حمزة

Possibly strong or steadfast

Arabic
Harun هارون

Aaron

Arabic
Hashi

Somali form of Hashim

Arabic
Hassan حسن

Good, handsome

Arabic
Hersi

Variant of Hirsi, protective amulet

African
Hirsi

Protective amulet, from Arabic hirz

African
Hussein حسين

Little handsome one

Arabic

I

Ibrahim إبراهيم

Abraham

Arabic
Idris إدريس

Enoch; studious

Arabic
Ilyas إلياس

Elijah

Arabic
Isaaq إسحاق

Somali form of Isaac, a given name; also the ancestor of the Isaaq clan family

Arabic
Ismail إسماعيل

Ishmael; God hears

Arabic
Isse عيسى

Somali form of Isa, Jesus

Arabic

J

Jama جامع

Gatherer, uniter

Arabic
Jeylani الجيلاني

Of Gilan; linked to the Qadiri Sufi order

Arabic
Jibril جبريل

Gabriel

Arabic
Jimale

Born on a Friday, from jimce

African

K

Keinan

Somali name of uncertain meaning

African
Khalif خليفة

Successor, caliph

Arabic
Kulmiye

One who brings together, uniter

African

L

Liban

Successful, lucky

African

M

Maalin

Day, a Somali given name

African
Madoobe

Black, dark-skinned

African
Magan

Refuge, protection

African
Mahad

Thanks, gratitude

African
Mahdi مهدي

Rightly guided one

Arabic
Mire

Somali given name of uncertain meaning

African
Mohamed محمد

Praised

Arabic
Mohamoud محمود

Variant of Mohamud, praised

Arabic
Mohamud محمود

Praised

Arabic
Mukhtar مختار

Chosen

Arabic
Mumin مؤمن

Believer

Arabic
Mursal مرسل

Sent one, messenger

Arabic
Musa موسى

Moses

Arabic
Muse موسى

Somali form of Musa, Moses

Arabic

N

Nuh نوح

Noah

Arabic
Nur نور

Light

Arabic

O

Omar عمر

Long-lived

Arabic
Osman عثمان

Name of the third caliph

Arabic

Q

Qasim قاسم

Divider, distributor

Arabic

R

Rage

Possibly one born late

African
Roble

Born in the rain, from roob, rain

African
Robleh

Variant of Roble, born in the rain

African

S

Sabriye

Somali form of Sabri, patient

African
Sahal سهل

Easy, gentle

Arabic
Salad صلاة

Prayer, from Arabic salat

Arabic
Salah صلاح

Righteousness

Arabic
Saleban سليمان

Somali form of Suleiman, Solomon

Arabic
Samatar

Somali given name of uncertain meaning

African
Sayid سيد

Master; descendant of the Prophet

Arabic
Sharif شريف

Noble; descendant of the Prophet

Arabic
Sheikh شيخ

Elder, religious leader

Arabic
Shire

Possibly from shir, assembly, meeting

African
Siad زياد

Increase, abundance; Somali form of Ziyad

Arabic
Sugule

Patient one, from sug, to wait

African
Suldan سلطان

Sultan

Arabic

U

Ugas

Sultan, clan chief

African

W

Warsame

Good news, from war and sama

African
Wehliye

Companion, from wehel

African
Weyne

Big, great, senior

African

Y

Yare

Small, junior

African
Yasin ياسين

Quranic letters Ya-Sin

Arabic
Yassin ياسين

Variant of Yasin

Arabic
Yonis يونس

Jonah

Arabic
Yusuf يوسف

Joseph

Arabic

Z

Zakariye زكريا

Somali form of Zakariya, Zechariah

Arabic

Generate random somali surnames

Filter by first letter, length and rarity, add a first name to preview the full name, then copy or save your favorites.

Results (6)

Wehliye

Companion, from wehel

African
Abdifatah

عبد الفتاح

Servant of the Opener

Arabic
Sabriye

Somali form of Sabri, patient

African
Deeq

Generosity

African
Saleban

سليمان

Somali form of Suleiman, Solomon

Arabic
Liban

Successful, lucky

African

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How Somali last names follow the father's line

A Somali name normally has three parts: a person's own name, the father's given name and the paternal grandfather's given name. A man called Ahmed Ali Farah is Ahmed, son of Ali, son of Farah, and his children will carry Ahmed and Ali as their second and third names. There is no fixed family surname passed down unchanged, and women keep their own father's line after marriage.

Beyond these three names, many Somalis can recite a much longer chain of paternal ancestors, called abtirsiimo. This genealogy links a person to a wider lineage and has traditionally been an important part of identity. In everyday life, though, people use the first two or three names. When Somalis moved abroad and met forms asking for a surname, most used the father's or grandfather's name, which is why siblings abroad share a surname but their children do not.

Names with Somali and Arabic meanings

Because surnames are really given names, the list is full of Arabic Islamic names such as Mohamed, Ahmed, Ali, Hassan, Hussein, Abdi, Abdullahi, Omar, Osman, Yusuf, Ismail and Nur. Somali names appear too. Warsame means good news, Guled means victory, Jama is linked to gathering, Aden is a Somali form of Adam, and Hirsi means amulet or protection. Farah means joy, and Egal and Duale are older Somali names.

Somalis also use nicknames, known as naanays, which can become part of how someone is known publicly. Dheere means tall, Gaab short, Yare small, Cadde light or white and Madoobe dark. Timacadde, meaning white hair, was the nickname of a famous poet. A nickname may even replace a formal name in daily speech, and some families abroad have used a well known nickname as their surname.

Spelling Somali names in Latin script

Somali adopted an official Latin alphabet in 1972, and it uses some letters in unfamiliar ways. C stands for the Arabic ayn sound, x for a breathy h, and dh for a retroflex d. So Maxamed is Mohamed, Cali is Ali, Xasan is Hassan and Cabdi is Abdi. Long vowels are written double, as in Nuur. Inside Somalia these official spellings are common, while abroad people often use English forms.

As a result, one person may appear as Maxamed Cali in Somali documents and Mohamed Ali in English ones. Other spellings include Mohamud, Mahamoud, Abdullahi and Abdalla for related names. When searching records or the list above, try both the Somali and English spelling. For writers, the Somali forms give a character's name an authentic look on paper, while English forms reflect life in the diaspora.

Frequently asked questions

Do Somali last names pass from parent to child?

No. A Somali name is patronymic: the second and third names are the father's and grandfather's given names. Each generation shifts the names along, so there is no single family surname. Abroad, many families fix one name as a surname to fit local forms.

What is a naanays?

A naanays is a Somali nickname, often based on appearance or character, such as Dheere for tall or Gaab for short. Nicknames are widely used and can become the name someone is best known by. Some families abroad have even adopted a nickname as a surname.

Why is Mohamed spelled Maxamed?

In the official Somali Latin alphabet adopted in 1972, the letter x represents a breathy h sound found in Arabic. Maxamed is therefore the Somali spelling of Mohamed. Similarly, c stands for the ayn sound, so Cali is Ali and Cabdi is Abdi.

How do Somali families fill in a surname on forms abroad?

Most use the father's given name or the grandfather's given name. Some choose a well known ancestor or a family nickname. Because practice varies, siblings may share one surname while their parents and children carry different ones.