The Arab legacy in the Iberian Peninsula can be seen through multiple and diverse aspects, such as language. Spanish, as it is known today, originated in the medieval kingdom of Castile, when the Arabic-speaking presence in the territory was very influential. As a result, in the everyday use of Spanish, it is possible to appreciate a large number of Arabisms, words originating from Arabic. More specifically, it is estimated that around 4,000 words, which is equivalent to 8% of the total number of words in the Spanish lexicon, are Arabisms[1].
Some of the most common are: aceite, almohada, arroz, baño, barrio, hazaña, jarabe, jirafa, jirafa, limón, noria, ojalá, rincón, sandía, zanahoria, and a long etcetera. This influence is also latent in Spanish names and surnames, including the most common of all: García, which in Spain is the first and second surname of 1,449,647 and 1,469,697 people, respectively[2]. Among the most common surnames in Spain and Latin America with Arabic origins, the following also stand out: Aguilar, Almeida, Castillo, Cortés, Guerra, Herrera, Lara, Martínez, Molina, Morales, Pérez or Torres.
A study by MyHeritage, a platform for genealogical analysis, published a list of surnames that come from Arabic[3]. Some of them are easily identifiable by etymology, such as the prefix “Al-” or the suffix “-ez”, however in others it is more difficult to ensure the origin, and it is done in a categorical way. Below is the list, published by MyHeritage, of surnames with possible Arabic origin.
A
- Abdo
- Abedrapo
- Abencerraje
- Abengoa
- Avengoa
- Abraham
- Abril
- Abufhele
- Abufom
- Abuhadba
- Abusada
- Adauy
- Aguad
- Aguilar
- Akel
- Alam
- Alamar
- Alamo
- Alaue
- Albarracín
- Alcalá
- Alcántara
- Alcazar
- Alguacil
- Albaja
- Aliatar
- Alicante
- Almaden
- Almansa
- Almeida
- Ali
- Amed
- Ananias
- Aranda
- Ascalante
- Atala
- Atwan
- Auad
B
- Bandrés
- Barahona
- Barjuán
- Barroso
- Benarrocha
- Benarroch
- Benavides
- Benegas
- Benjumea
- Benjumeda
- Bermejo
- Bichara
- Bitar
- Bono
- Buendia
C
- Cabrero
- Cattan
- Castillo
- Cebrian
- Chacur
- Chalhub
- Chauriye
- Chible
- Chijany
- Cid
- Chocair
- Cobaise
- Cordobés
- Cortés
D
- Dagach
- Dahdal
- De Sorbas
- Derderián
- Dib
- Dip
- Duk
E
- Elias
- El de Ubeda
- Eltit
F
- Facuse
- Fajuri
- Farran
- Feres
- Fualuan
G
- García
- Galvez
- Gazul
- Gazules
- Giacaman
- Gidi
- Granadino
- Guerra
H
- Haddad
- Hamad
- Hamdan
- Hana
- Herrera
- Hasbun
- Hawila
- Hazbun
- Hechem
- Heleyley
- Herrera
- Hirmas
I
- Ides
J
- Jadue
- Jaen
- Jalifa
- Jalilie
- Jattar
- Jorrat
- Jose
- Juriye
- Jury
K
- Kattan
- Kurbag
L
- Lahsen
- Laibe
- Lama
- Lara
- Latif
- Leibe
- Lucas
M
- Majluf
- Manoli
- Manzur
- Maraver
- Martínez
- Melej
- Méndez
- Mendoza
- Miguel
- Mohanna
- Mohor
- Molina
- Morales
- Morón
- Muley
- Murube
- Muhy
- Musalem
N
- Nafel
- Nazal
- Nazer
- Nebot
- Nevot
- Nicolas
- Nustas
P
- Paez
- Palacios
- Palomeque
- Pascual
- Perez
- Picó
- Pinto
- Pomar
- Ponce
- Paluan
R
- Rabah
- Rahal
- Rasi
- Repeina
- Rizik
- Roelas
- Rumie
S
- Saade
- Saadi
- Sabag
- Sabaj
- Sabbag
- Sabella
- Sady
- Sahlie
- Saieh
- Salama
- Salame
- Salas
- Salem
- Salipa
- Salomon
- Salvador
- Sammur
- Samur
- Saporia
- Seda
- Seleibe
- Sellan
- Sfeir
- Sordo
- Solís
- Sufan
T
- Tala
- Talgie
- Talhuk
- Tame
- Tamuz
- Telchie
- Torres
V
- Velaxco
- Valenciano
- Venegas
Y
- Yagnam
- Yamal
- Yamblat
- Yarur
- Yeber
- Yoma
Z
- Zaid
- Zalaquett
- Zaror
- Zegri
- Zerene
- Zgeib
- Ziade
The large number of surnames that come from Arabic, as well as the plurality of Arabisms in Spanish, are a reminder of the common and shared history and culture of the Iberian Peninsula, which still endures in our time and is part of our identity.
Notes
[1] Cano Aguilar, R. (1988) El español a través de los tiempos. Arco Libros: Madrid.
[2] INE (2022). Apellidos y nombres más frecuentes. Available in: https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736177009&menu=resultados&idp=1254734710990
[3] Meza, S. (2022): “Apellido de origen Árabe ¿Es tu caso?”, MyHeritage Blog, 27 de julio de 2022. Disponible en: https://blog.myheritage.es/2022/07/apellido-de-origen-arabe-es-tu-caso/