Arabic - Naming Convention for Report Writing

Understanding and respecting cultural differences will generally yield a positive result. Knowing that a person from the Middle East, North Africa, or an Arabic speaking country, will probably have a name that differs in structure than ours in the U.S., will help avoid confusion and frustration.

Use this name as an example through this section—Nasir Atta Sa’ad Karim Al-Duwadi

Nasir is this man’s name. Atta is his father’s name, Sa’ad is his grandfather’s name, and Karim is his great grandfather’s name. This string of paternal names can be as long as his family wants it to be, with it being common up to grandfather. Al-Duwadi is the name of the tribe in which his family belongs.

If Nasir has a title or rank, like Doctor or Professor, he would be referred to as Dr. Nasir or Professor Nasir. If you use any of the other names in his full name other than Nasir, then you are no longer referring to Nasir. He is not Dr. Atta or Dr Sa’ad, and absolutely not Dr. Al-Duwadi. The naming convention does not follow western naming convention at all. The media has a large influence on how we refer to people. To explain this, the former Prime Minister of Iraq is Haidar Jawad Kadhim Al-Abadi, was always referred to as Prime Minister Abadi, which is his family’s tribal name.

Kunyas, Titles, Nicknames

Abu, Um, Ibn, Bint. These are not names, but rather familial titles. Abu means ‘Father of”, therefore the name that follows will be his child, generally the first born son. Um means “Mother of” and follows the same rule as Abu. Ibn means, “Son of”, and Bint means “Daughter of” will be followed by the name of the parent. All four of these titles are never used alone to describe a person, as it is not their name. Likewise, the name after the title is not their name but that of the family member. Abu Layth would be the Father of Layth, Layth being his son. As an example, when meeting Nasir, he may introduce himself as “Dr Nasir Atta Sa’ad Karim Al-Duwadi, but please, call me Abu Layth”.

Haji is a title given to someone who has completed the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, or who is held in high regard. It will be followed by their given name. This title or kunya with the given name may be part of the entire name, the same as with a familial title above.

Sayd means “mister” or “sir”, and is followed by the given name. Sayd Nasir is Mr. Nasir. Calling him Saydi in a response or reply is the same as saying Sir. Yes, Saydi is yes Sir. This is the same for a woman, Sayda means Ma’am or Misses. Saydati would be the reply for Ma’am.

All other professional, military, or religious titles and ranks are followed by the name.

Be mindful of this concept when addressing or referring to individuals to which this applies. This will speed processes, reduce awkwardness, and show your level of knowledge on someone’s culture. Even if you make a mistake in trying to apply this, generally the individual will be appreciative that you took the time to learn.