A country or region’s last names are a window into their history and culture, and Pakistan is no exception. Located in South Asia, Pakistan is the world’s fifth-most populous country — home to more than 212.2 million people, as well as the second-largest Muslim population. There are three categories of Pakistani last names: those that follow the Arab naming convention, tribal names, and ancestral names. The names themselves can also vary pretty widely, depending on a family’s ethnicity, spoken language, and geographic location. Many people are of Persian, Turkish or Arabic descent.
Pakistani Prefixes and suffixes are often added to last names. This provides additional information about a family. For example, the prefix “Haji-” means that someone has made the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, while “Mir-” indicates royal descent, and “Syed-” is used for people belonging to the family of Muhammad. Similarly, the suffix “-dad” means “given by,” and “-bakhsh” means “granted by.” To learn more, take a look at these popular Pakistani last names, along with their meanings and origins.
If you’re interested in Pakistani names, you’re undoubtedly also interested in Pakistani culture. It’s a huge melting pot filled with Indian, Persian, Afghan, Central Asian, South Asian, and Western Asian culture. There are over 70 languages spoken. The people take great pride in their craftsmanship — their Arabic calligraphy can be found in buildings, on copper works, in paintings, and on carved wood. The middle east country is also very active in sports. They have one of the world’s best cricket teams, and hockey, squash, and badminton are also very popular. Some areas of Pakistan also have polo. And if you ever get the opportunity to attend a Pakistani wedding, consider yourself lucky. The Pakistani people know how to throw a celebration! Their weddings last from three to six days. Can you picture three days of incredible food, music, dancing, and endless fun?
You might be interested in knowing more about other popular last names. See our pages on Irish, Japanese, French, Scottish, Italian and other last names. Below, you’ll find popular Pakistani last names.
- Aamir Transcription: عامر Meaning: Replete, full Origin: Urdu
- Abdul Transcription: عبدال Meaning: Servant of Origin: Arabic
- Achakzai Transcription: اڅکزی Meaning: Son of Achak Origin: Pashto
- Adil Transcription: عادل Meaning: Just Origin: Arabic, Urdu
- Advani Transcription: आडवाणी Meaning: Descendant of Adu Origin: Indian, Sindhi
- Agarwal Transcription: اگروال Meaning: Someone originally from the town of Agroha in Haryana state, India Origin: Hindi/Punjabi
- Akhtar Transcription: اختر Meaning: Star Origin: Persian
- Alakozai Transcription: الکوزۍ Meaning: Son of Alako Origin: Pashto
- Alam Transcription: علم, عالم Meaning: World, universe Origin: Arabic, Bengali, Urdu, Persian
- Arora Transcription: अरोड़ा Meaning: More, also; From the ancient city of Aror, now the Sindh province of Pakistan Origin: Indian, Hindi, Punjabi
- Ashiq Transcription: عاشق Meaning: Enamored, infatuated; admirer, lover Origin: Punjabi, Urdu
- Azmat Transcription: عظمت Meaning: Majesty, glory Origin: Urdu
- Bai Transcription: बाई Meaning: Lady Origin: Indian, Hindi
- Baig Transcription: بیگ Meaning: Ruler, chief, lord, master Origin: Indian, Turkish
- Bajwa Transcription: باجوا Meaning: Great hawk Origin: Persian
- Bakshi Transcription: بخشی Meaning: Paymaster, scribe, secretary Origin: Indian, Bengali, Punjabi
- Bansal Transcription: वंश Meaning: Lineage, clan, race; bamboo Origin: Indian, Sanskrit
- Begum Transcription: بیگم Meaning: Lady, madam Origin: Indian, Persian
- Bhagat Transcription: भगत Meaning: Devotee, worshipper Origin: Indian, Hindi
- Bhasin Transcription: भसीन Meaning: Ray of light, sun Origin: Indian, Hindi
- Bux Transcription: بخش Meaning: Fortune; section, portion, part Origin: Urdu, Persian, Sindhi
- Chand, Chanda Transcription: چند, چندا Meaning: Moon Origin: Indian, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Urdu
- Chauhan Transcription: चौहान Meaning: Four (Sanskrit); hero Origin: Indian, Hindi
- Danyal Transcription: دانیال Meaning: Known intellectual; careful to justice Origin: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Bengali, Turkish
- Dass Transcription: داس Meaning: To dare Origin: Indian, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu
- Daud Transcription: داؤد Meaning: Dear friends Origin: Arabic, Urdu, Filipino, Maguindanao, Maranao, Tausug
- Dawlatzai Transcription: دولتزئ Meaning: Son of Dawlat Origin: Afghanistan and western Pakistan
- Dawood Transcription: داؤد Meaning: Dear Origin: Arabic, Urdu
- Dayal Transcription: दयालु Meaning: Kind, compassionate, merciful Origin: Indian, Hindi, Punjabi
- Devi Transcription: देवी Meaning: Goddess, a female deity Origin: Indian, Hindi
- Dhawan Transcription: धाव् Meaning: Runner, messenger Origin: Indian, Punjabi, Hindi
- Gandhi Transcription: गांधी Meaning: Perfume seller Origin: Sanskrit
- Gul Transcription: گُل Meaning: Flower or rose Origin: Pakistani, Pashto
- Haq Transcription: حق Meaning: Real, true Origin: Arabic
- Imam Transcription: امام Meaning: Leader, guide Origin: Arabic, Bengali
- Jafri Transcription: جفري Meaning: Yellow flower Origin: Persian, Arabic
- Jha Transcription: झा Meaning: Teacher Origin: Sanskrit
- Junejo Transcription: جونیجو Meaning: Sons of Juno Origin: Pakistani, Sindhi
- Kakar Transcription: کاکړ Meaning: The name of a Gharghashti Pashtun tribe, which is based mostly in the Balochistan Province of Pakistan, and Loy Kandahar in Afghanistan Origin: Pashto, Urdu, Hindi
- Kamaliazad Transcription: کمالیہ زاد Meaning: Perfection of the free or independent Origin: Pakistani, Persian
- Kapoor Transcription: कपूर Meaning: Camphor Origin: Indian, Hindi, Punajabi
- Kazimi Transcription: کاظمی Meaning: Commonly associated with the family of Islamic Prophet Muhammad’s great-grandson Imam Musa al-Kadhim Origin: Iran, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India
- Khalil Transcription: خليل Meaning: Friend Origin: Arabic
- Khalsa Transcription: خالصة Meaning: To be pure or clear Origin: Indian (Sikh), Persian
- Khan Transcription: خان Meaning: Title given to rulers and officials in central Asia, Afghanistan, and some Muslim countries; a king, a prince, a chief, a governor Origin: Turkish Khan
- Khokhar Transcription: خوخار Meaning: Name of an agricultural community of the Punjab region in India Origin: India
- Kumari Transcription: कुमारी Meaning: Young girl, daughter, princess Origin: Indian, Hindi
- Mahajan Transcription: महाजन Meaning: Great number of people Origin: Sanskrit
- Malek Transcription: مالک Meaning: Refers to people from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and the Haryana region in India and Pakistan Origin: India, Pakistan
- Musharaff Transcription: مشرف Meaning: Supervisor, elevated, honored Origin: Arabic
- Niazi Transcription: نیازی Meaning: Desire, wish; friend Origin: Persian
- Pathak Transcription: पाठक Meaning: Learner, reader Origin: Sanskrit
- Qayyum Transcription: القيوم Meaning: Subsistence, independent, sustainer Origin: Arabic
- Rajput Transcription: راجپوت Meaning: Prince, son of a king Origin: Sanskrit
- Seth Transcription: सेठ Meaning: Appointed one, placed Origin: Hindi
- Siddiqi Transcription: صدیقی Meaning: Truthful, righteous, rightly guided Origin: Arabic
- Sinai Transcription: سینا Meaning: Writer Origin: Arabic and Hebrew
- Soltani Transcription: سلطاني Meaning: Pertaining to or descended from Origin: Arabic
- Srour Transcription: سرور Meaning: Joy, happiness Origin: Arabic
- Sulaiman Transcription: سليمان Meaning: Man of peace Origin: Arabic
- Sultan Transcription: سلطان Meaning: Ruler, kings Origin: Arabic
- Syed Transcription: بادشاہ. Meaning: Always in controls Origin: Arabic
- Tabatabai Transcription: طباطبایی Meaning: Rightly guided Origin: Arabic
- Tabet Transcription: تابت Meaning: Strong, well established Origin: Arabic
