Pakistani name
Encyclopedia
In Pakistan
, as in other Muslim
countries, the use of family names is not as prominent as in Western countries. The majority of Pakistani names are derived from Arabic
, Turkish
, Pashto
, Persian
and Urdu
origin. As most Pakistanis are Muslims
, all of them use either Urdu, Arabic, Afghan, Persian or Turkish names. Tribal and family names are also widely used.
, the name of the prophet of Islam, is chosen to be the person's first given name, if he has more than one. Because of the prevalence of this practice, this name is usually not the person's most called name, as it does not serve as a unique identifier. Females are usually given at most two names.
, common in people of Pashtun
origin, which has always been appended rather than prefixed to given names. There are several titles used in Pakistan and other Muslim countries. Syed
, Shaikh, Khawaja
, Pasha
, Mirza
etc. are common. Less commonly, the tribal name itself is appended to the person's given names.
For females, tribal names or titles rarely figure in the person's full name (although this is becoming more common due to Western influence). Instead her full name would be composed of her given names only, or if given only one name, her given name appended with her father's most called name. After marriage, the full name would be her most called name appended with her husband's most called name.
In official documents, a person's identity is established by listing both the person's full name (however they may write it), and their father's. For married women, the husband's name might be used instead of the father's. Official forms always contain fields for both names, and they are used together as A son/daughter/wife of B on ID cards, passports, diplomas, in court, etc.
The problem with these naming conventions is that it is difficult to trace back family roots. Many Muslims have settled in Western world and this naming convention creates some problems as a father will have a different surname or family name from his children.
Most called name: kamran
Father's given names: Muhammad irfan
Father's most called name: irfan
Tribe: Rajput
Title: Rana
Possible full names:
Most called name: Fatima
Father's given names: Akram
Father's title: Khan
Father's full name: Akram Khan
Full name before marriage: Fatima Batool
Husband's given names: Junaid Ahmad
Husband's most common name: Junaid
Husband's title: Malik
Husband's full name: Malik Junaid Ahmad
Full name after marriage: Fatima Junaid
Honorifics in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, as in other Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
countries, the use of family names is not as prominent as in Western countries. The majority of Pakistani names are derived from Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, Pashto
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
origin. As most Pakistanis are Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, all of them use either Urdu, Arabic, Afghan, Persian or Turkish names. Tribal and family names are also widely used.
Given names
Children may be given one, two or rarely three names at birth. If the person has more than one given name, one of them is chosen as the person's most called name, by which he is called or referred to informally. Generally for males, MuhammadMuhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, the name of the prophet of Islam, is chosen to be the person's first given name, if he has more than one. Because of the prevalence of this practice, this name is usually not the person's most called name, as it does not serve as a unique identifier. Females are usually given at most two names.
Full name
Unlike the practice in Western countries, and other countries with predominant European influence, there is no one way of writing a full name in Pakistan. The most popular convention is to append the most called given name of the father to the person's given names. Often, if the person has more than one given name, his full name consists only of his given names. Another convention is to prefix the person's given name with a title, which is usually associated with his tribal ancestry. Due to western influence, appending rather than prefixing titles to given names is becoming more common. One notable exception is the title KhanKhan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
, common in people of Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
origin, which has always been appended rather than prefixed to given names. There are several titles used in Pakistan and other Muslim countries. Syed
Syed
Syed is a masculine given name derived from the title Sayyid, it is not to be confused with the similar looking name Sayid...
, Shaikh, Khawaja
Khawaja
Khawaja or Khwaja is a title used in Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia. It means Lord or Master.Khwajagan is a word often used to refer to a chains of Central Asian Naqshbandi Sufi Masters from the 10th to the 16th century A.D. In Ferdowsi's Shahnameh the word is used many times for some...
, Pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
, Mirza
Mirza
Mirza , is of Persian origin, denoting the rank of a high nobleman or Prince. It is usually translated into English as a royal or imperial Prince of the Blood...
etc. are common. Less commonly, the tribal name itself is appended to the person's given names.
For females, tribal names or titles rarely figure in the person's full name (although this is becoming more common due to Western influence). Instead her full name would be composed of her given names only, or if given only one name, her given name appended with her father's most called name. After marriage, the full name would be her most called name appended with her husband's most called name.
In official documents, a person's identity is established by listing both the person's full name (however they may write it), and their father's. For married women, the husband's name might be used instead of the father's. Official forms always contain fields for both names, and they are used together as A son/daughter/wife of B on ID cards, passports, diplomas, in court, etc.
The problem with these naming conventions is that it is difficult to trace back family roots. Many Muslims have settled in Western world and this naming convention creates some problems as a father will have a different surname or family name from his children.
Male
Given names: KAMRAN KHANMost called name: kamran
Father's given names: Muhammad irfan
Father's most called name: irfan
Tribe: Rajput
Title: Rana
Possible full names:
- kamran khan irfan
- Muhammad Saleem
- Rana Muhammad Saleem
- Muhammad Saleem Rana
- Muhammad Saleem Rajput
- Saboor Ul-Bashar
- Ali
- Zulqurnain
- Talal
- Sarfraz
Female
Given names: Fatima BatoolMost called name: Fatima
Father's given names: Akram
Father's title: Khan
Father's full name: Akram Khan
Full name before marriage: Fatima Batool
Husband's given names: Junaid Ahmad
Husband's most common name: Junaid
Husband's title: Malik
Husband's full name: Malik Junaid Ahmad
Full name after marriage: Fatima Junaid
See also
- List of Pakistani family names
- Arabic nameArabic nameLong ago, Arabic names were based on a long naming system; most Arabs did not simply have given/middle/family names, but a full chain of names. This system was in use throughout the Arab world. Today however, Arabic names are similar in structure to those of Modern and Western names...
Honorifics in Pakistan