Somali Surnames/lastnames 'theory'

[me]

The Somali last name theory, bare with me folks, it may get interesting.

 

I have been thinking about Somali last names/ Surnames.

 

Most Somali people that I know gave the name of their grandfather as their last name / Surname/ Family name when they came to Europe.

 

So if their awowe’s name was Muse, their Surname became Muse, if it was Ali, their Surname became Ali. I believe that this goes for the majority of the people.

 

The reason why most people gave the name of their awowe as their surname was because they believed that there is no such thing as a surname/lastname/family name in Somali.

 

But I have learned now that there is a Somali lastname/Sur name/Family and apparently everyone has one.

 

According to my theory for a Somali Surname to stick it has to have one of the following Characteristics.

 

1. A pure Somali name

2. Naanees, that is descriptive without being insulting. The fathers, awoowes or the great-grandfathers naanees.

3. An Arabic title

 

Examples of Pure Somali last names.

 

Lets use famous examples.

 

Maxamed Siyaad Barre

Maxamed Faarax Caydiid

Aden Abdullah Osman Daar

Abdirashid Ali Shermarke

Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal

Ali Muhammad Ghedi

Ali Khalif Galaid

Saleebaan Ciise Ahmed Kaar

Hassan Dahir Aweys

 

 

 

 

Naanees, that is descriptive without being insulting. The fathers, awoowes or the great-grandfathers naanees.

 

Ina Hebel Tuur

Axmed Silanyo

Faysal Cali Waraabe

Ahmed Abdi Xaabsade

C/raxmaan Maxamed Maxamuud Faroole

 

An Arabic title

 

Ali Mahdi Maxamed

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Axmed

Kinsi Xaaji Aadan

Daahir Riyaale Kaahin

 

 

So in short a Somali Surname must have one of the following characteristics.

 

A pure Somali name

Naanees, that is descriptive without being insulting. The fathers, awoowes or the great-grandfathers naanees.

An Arabic title

 

 

So names such as Maxamed, Cabdi, Cali, etc on their own can not become a Somali surname.

 

If you find exceptions, please let me know.

[FatB]

?☻?

[Curly]

lol, I have a couple of those name in my family. Both my grandmothers (maternal and paternal) have the surname Kahin with no relation. Which brings me to the question I was hoping you’d attempt to answer?

 

Why do so many Somalis have the same or similar surnames? I used to think my surname was very unique till more and more Somalis entered the UK.

 

BTW not to debunk your theory but some families don't have nicknames. My surname/middle names uses my families full name which is my father's name, my grandfather's name, my great grandfather's name and my great great grandfather's name. It's annoyingly long but for ease I shorten it by using my great great grandfather's name. But you know I always wondered how my brothers would continue the tradition would they drop the 4th Surname for their own name? Definitely confusing!

[nuune]

Magaca saddexaad ama magaca awowga waa magaca ugu muhiimsan ee la iskugu yeero ama qof loogu yeero, Soomaalidu aad bey u ixtiraamaan una qiimeeyaan qofka ugu yeero magaca awowgood.

 

 

Me, nice topic sxb, will come back to this

[me]

Curly,

 

Kaahin = Priest.....similar origin as Cohen. So who knows you may have old priests in your family.

 

Pre-Islāmic prophecy in Arabia was no different in character from other Semitic prophecy. Pre-Islāmic terms for prophet are ʿarrāf and kāhin (“seer,” cognate to Hebrew kohen, “priest”). The kāhin could often be a priest, and as a diviner he was an ecstatic. The kāhin was considered to be possessed...

 

A surname does not have to be completely unique, but it should be unique enough to differentiate people. That would be one of the reasons why names such as Muse, Ali or Mohamed can not be surnames.

 

BTW not to debunk your theory but some families don't have nicknames. My surname/middle names uses my families full name which is my father's name, my grandfather's name, my great grandfather's name and my great great grandfather's name. It's annoyingly long but for ease I shorten it by using my great great grandfather's name. But you know I always wondered how my brothers would continue the tradition would they drop the 4th Surname for their own name? Definitely confusing!

I think that is the case for most people. When they came to the 'west' they wrote down their full names and used their grandfather or great-grandfathers names as surnames. However although you use your great-grandfathers name as your surname, your family may be known by another name within the community.

 

What I am saying is that the real surname of a family does not have to be the one on their passport, but the name that differentiates that family from other families.

 

So if your called let’s say.

 

Ayan Cali Siciid……there can be millions of them and reer Cali siciid is not a name that is unique to let’s say your family. But if you were called Ayan Cali Kaahin, or Reer Cali Kaahin, that would be a name that is unique enough to be a recognizable surname.

 

In your post you also said that there are families that have no real surnames. I used to think that too, until I asked around and apparant6ly everyone has Somali Surname that has one of the three characteristics I wrote down in my first post.

[Curly]

Well I've seen names like Mohamed Mohamed or Muse Ali or the likes. More and more we are learning to give up the tradition of nicknames. And people prefer to be known by an Islamic name. In fact my grandfather's dying wish was to only be called by is real name Mahamood rather than his nickname. Although many people do not uphold it.

 

Btw, I thought 'Tuur' meant humpback or something. Isn't that an insult of sorts?

[Malika]

^Insult or being insulted isn't in the Somali dictionary..lol If your dark they will call you Madoowe,if your limping they will call you jiiska..

 

Somalis don't have sir names,your sir name is your fathers name,and his is his fathers etc etc..Until you reach the sub-clan known name, it goes on until it reaches the clan name..on and on until awoogii 50 laa garo.

 

I could be wrong.

[Curly]

Yes we realise that Malika, me was just trying to come up with a surname system that could fit into the western system of surnames. His attempts are good but we should take into consideration that many Somalis who enter the UK often completely fabricate their surnames to follow trends of those who have successfully entered the UK before them. Which might explain the growing number of Jama's, Sheikh, Sharif and even Kadiyeh which I thought was so unique!

 

I've met Somalis who would claim surname such as Sharif to fit with their stories that they are from a minority in Somalia.

 

So a surname system is brilliant if people are ready to be honest.

[xiinfaniin]

What about middle names?

 

When we were in Somalia the naming convention was quite clear. In that naming convention we had three levels in our names---first name, middle name, and the last name. The first name represented your given name, the middle name represented your father’s first name, and the third, last name, represented your grandfather’s first name.

 

That is how the name Cabdi Warsame Isa-aq, olr Mohamed Siyad Barre, is constructed. In the west the middle names tend to be alternative names, and children in a single family may have different middle names. I talked to Kenyan friends and even them employ different formula to choose their children’s middle names. In some tribes, one criterion is used for girls, and a different for the boys. In some Arab countries, last names with regional and tribal connotations are used.

[Zafir]

Originally posted by me:

The Somali last name theory, bare with me folks, it may get interesting.

 

I have been thinking about Somali last names/ Surnames.

 

Most Somali people that I know gave the name of their grandfather as their last name / Surname/ Family name when they came to Europe.

 

So if their awowe’s name was Muse, their Surname became Muse, if it was Ali, their Surname became Ali. I believe that this goes for the majority of the people.

 

The reason why most people gave the name of their awowe as their surname was because they believed that there is no such thing as a surname/lastname/family name in Somali.

 

But I have learned now that there is a Somali lastname/Sur name/Family and apparently everyone has one.

Mr. Me, firstly, the very reason why we don't surnames is because we have ABTISI as Somalis,your name is what you have to your qabiil lineage. With surnames a name such BARRE (which is a nickname) becomes the last name of the lineage tree of the family.

 

Secondly, we have middle names because waxaa la doonayaa aabihii ilmaha dhalay in uu ku lug lahaado ilmahiisa.

 

Magaca, Maxamed Siyaad bare ma aha sedex magac Siyaad (baa naaneys tiisu tahay BARE) Caydiid (sidoo kale) Galeydh (sidoo kale) Tuure (sidoo kale) waad ila faham tahay baan filaayaa.

[me]

Curly,

 

 

Well I've seen names like Mohamed Mohamed or Muse Ali or the likes. More and more we are learning to give up the tradition of nicknames. And people prefer to be known by an Islamic name. In fact my grandfather's dying wish was to only be called by is real name Mahamood rather than his nickname. Although many people do not uphold it.

me was just trying to come up with a surname system that could fit into the western system of surnames. His attempts are good but we should take into consideration that many Somalis who enter the UK often completely fabricate their surnames to follow trends of those who have successfully entered the UK before them. Which might explain the growing number of Jama's, Sheikh, Sharif and even Kadiyeh which I thought was so unique!

 

I've met Somalis who would claim surname such as Sharif to fit with their stories that they are from a minority in Somalia.

Firstly I was not saying that names such as Mohamed Mohamed or Muse Ali do not exist. I know that they do exist and actually the majority of the so-called official names are like that, including mine. However what am saying is that there is a natural Surname system for the Somali people and this system applies to almost all Somali’s. For a family to be recognized, they should have a Somali Surname. If a person is called Ali Mohamed Abdi, he can be anyone. But if he is Ali Maxamed Cabdi Kadiye from Dhuusomareeb, then everyone knows him even without his clan. There will probably be 2 or 3 families with that surname in the whole region.

 

So yes you can see people called Ali Maxamed Cabdi, but that is not their full-name, they just used the three names system and made it easier for themselves. They did not declare their real surnames.

 

Secondly I am not trying to come-up with a surname system for Somali people, I am just sharing my observations and my findings with regards to the natural surname system hat the Somali people already have. So I am not coming up with something new. I am just pointing at something that already exists.

 

Malika

 

Somalis don't have sir names,your sir name is your fathers name,and his is his fathers etc etc..Until you reach the sub-clan known name, it goes on until it reaches the clan name..on and on until awoogii 50 laa garo.

 

I could be wrong.

Well you are wrong, Somali's do have surnames before the sub-clan names.

 

 

Xiin

 

When we were in Somalia the naming convention was quite clear. In that naming convention we had three levels in our names---first name, middle name, and the last name. The first name represented your given name, the middle name represented your father’s first name, and the third, last name, represented your grandfather’s first name.

 

That is how the name Cabdi Warsame Isa-aq, olr Mohamed Siyad Barre, is constructed. In the west the middle names tend to be alternative names, and children in a single family may have different middle names. I talked to Kenyan friends and even them employ different formula to choose their children’s middle names. In some tribes, one criterion is used for girls, and a different for the boys. In some Arab countries, last names with regional and tribal connotations are used.

You misunderstand me; I am not saying that the old Somali naming convention is bad or should be changed. I am pointing out how natural surnames or family names have developed and that they go in against the child’s name, fathers name and grand fathers name system.

 

 

Zafir

 

Mr. Me, firstly, the very reason why we don't surnames is because we have ABTISI as Somalis,your name is what you have to your qabiil lineage. With surnames a name such BARRE (which is a nickname) becomes the last name of the lineage tree of the family.

 

Secondly, we have middle names because waxaa la doonayaa aabihii ilmaha dhalay in uu ku lug lahaado ilmahiisa.

 

Magaca, Maxamed Siyaad bare ma aha sedex magac Siyaad (baa naaneys tiisu tahay BARE) Caydiid (sidoo kale) Galeydh (sidoo kale) Tuure (sidoo kale) waad ila faham tahay baan filaayaa.

I do not agree with this, what does abtirsi have to do with surnames?

 

I know that in Barre naaneesta Siyaad ay tahay hasayeeshee hada reerkaasi waa reer Barre and the name Barre has developed to become their Surname. Everyone recognizes them by that name. So if they have a great grand son by the name of Abdikadir, then it will be Abdikadir Jaamac Maxamed Siyaad Barre. Barre is where the buck stops and that’s why Barre is no longer just a naanees but a surname.

[xiinfaniin]

Abtigiis & Tolka had a very interesting article about a similar topic to yours, Me. Read it here

[me]

Xiin,

 

A&T's topic and this topic have nothing to do with each other. His topic is about nicknames, whereas this topic is about Surnames.

 

Some Surnames may originally have been nicknames, but they are no longer Nicknames, because they developed to be family names.

 

Nicknames apply to only one individual, whereas the Surname applies to a whole family.

 

I think you can understand that much. The two topics may seem similar, but they are worlds apart.

[xiinfaniin]

Hayye awoowe

[Allamagan]

I know those pure somali last names like: Dhore, Gheele, Olaad, Hashi, Roble, Warfa, Ghedi etc and those descriptive naaneesyo like Tuur, Gurguurte, Caano Geel etc are bolder & noticeable than those arabic names like mahamed, Abdullahi, Yusuf etc. Different region in somalia has I think different naming convention, think of Bakool or Waqooyi Somalia.