Persian Last Names
Most Iranian families have had a fixed surname for only about a century. Surnames became compulsory after the First World War, when the government of Reza Shah required every household to register one. People chose them in a hurry, and the choices were practical: a hometown (Shirazi), a father’s or ancestor’s name (Mohammadi, Alizadeh), a trade (Zargar, “goldsmith”) or a Persian word they liked (Roshan, “bright”).
Below are more than 110 Persian last names with their meanings, grouped by how they were formed. If you’re looking for first names, see our Persian girl names and Persian boy names, or go back to the main Persian names page. Many surnames here share roots with Arabic last names, because Arabic religious names were widely used in Iran.
Most common Persian last names in Iran
Surnames built from popular first names, often religious ones, top Iran’s civil registry lists. The Persian suffix -i means “of” or “belonging to,” so Rezaei is “of Reza.”
| Surname | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammadi | Of Mohammad, “praised” | Often cited as Iran’s most common surname |
| Hosseini | Descendant of Hossein, “good, handsome” | Often carried by Sayyid families who claim descent from the Prophet |
| Ahmadi | Of Ahmad, “most praiseworthy” | Very common in every province |
| Rezaei | Of Reza, “contentment” | Honors Imam Reza, buried in Mashhad |
| Hashemi | Of Hashem | From Banu Hashim, the Prophet’s clan |
| Moradi | Of Morad, “wish, desire” | Common in western Iran |
| Karimi | Of Karim, “generous” | Widespread across Iran and the diaspora |
| Rahimi | Of Rahim, “merciful” | Also common in Afghanistan |
| Jafari | Of Jafar, “stream” | Honors Imam Jafar al-Sadiq |
| Sadeghi | Of Sadegh, “truthful” | From the title of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq |
| Mousavi | Descendant of Musa (Moses) | Families who trace descent from Imam Musa al-Kazim |
| Ghasemi | Of Ghasem, “one who distributes” | Also spelled Qasemi |
| Heidari | Of Heidar, “lion” | Heidar is an epithet of Imam Ali |
| Kazemi | Of Kazem, “one who restrains anger” | From Imam Musa al-Kazim’s title |
| Abbasi | Of Abbas, “stern lion” | Also recalls the Safavid king Shah Abbas |
| Akbari | Of Akbar, “greatest” | Common in Tehran and Khorasan |
| Ebrahimi | Of Ebrahim (Abraham) | Very widespread |
| Mahmoudi | Of Mahmoud, “praised” | Also used by Iranian Kurds |
| Amini | Of Amin, “trustworthy” | Common across Iran |
| Salehi | Of Saleh, “righteous” | Common in central Iran |
| Bagheri | Of Bagher, “one who splits open knowledge” | From the title of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir |
| Taheri | Of Taher, “pure” | Common in Tehran |
| Rahmani | Of Rahman, “compassionate” | Found across Iran and Afghanistan |
| Soltani | Royal, “of the sultan” | Also means “belonging to the court” |
Persian surnames from cities and regions
Taking the name of your hometown was the easiest way to pick a surname in the 1920s. These names often tell you where a family’s grandparents lived.
| Surname | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tehrani | From Tehran | The capital; common among old Tehran families |
| Shirazi | From Shiraz | City of poets Hafez and Saadi |
| Esfahani | From Isfahan | Also spelled Isfahani |
| Tabrizi | From Tabriz | Common among Azerbaijani Iranians |
| Kermani | From Kerman | Southeastern desert city |
| Yazdi | From Yazd | Also used by many Zoroastrian families |
| Mashhadi | From Mashhad | Also an honorific for someone who has made the pilgrimage to Mashhad |
| Rashti | From Rasht | Capital of Gilan on the Caspian coast |
| Ghazvini | From Qazvin | Also written Qazvini |
| Kashani | From Kashan | City known for carpets and rosewater |
| Hamedani | From Hamadan | One of the world’s oldest cities, ancient Ecbatana |
| Khorasani | From Khorasan | The historic northeastern region |
| Gilani | From Gilan | Caspian province |
| Mazandarani | From Mazandaran | Caspian province; also Mazandi |
| Semnani | From Semnan | City east of Tehran |
| Ardabili | From Ardabil | Home of the Safavid dynasty’s shrine |
| Zanjani | From Zanjan | Northwestern city |
| Kordestani | From Kurdistan | Used by some Iranian Kurdish families |
| Lahiji | From Lahijan | Gilan’s tea-growing town |
| Bushehri | From Bushehr | Persian Gulf port |
| Neyshabouri | From Nishapur | Birthplace of Omar Khayyam |
| Farahani | From Farahan | Region near Arak; actress Golshifteh Farahani |
| Rafsanjani | From Rafsanjan | Pistachio-growing town in Kerman |
| Khamenei | From Khamaneh | Village near Tabriz |
Surnames ending in -zadeh, -pour and -nejad
Three Persian suffixes all say “child of” in slightly different ways: -zadeh (“born of”), -pour (“son of”) and -nejad (“lineage, race”).
| Surname | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alizadeh | Born of Ali | One of the most common -zadeh names |
| Hosseinzadeh | Born of Hossein | Very common in Azerbaijan province |
| Hassanzadeh | Born of Hassan, “good” | Widespread |
| Taghizadeh | Born of Taghi, “pious” | Also Taqizadeh |
| Rahimzadeh | Born of Rahim | Common in the north |
| Malekzadeh | Born of the king | Malek is Arabic for “king” |
| Amirzadeh | Born of the emir | Prince, nobleman |
| Nikzadeh | Born of good | Nik is Persian for “good” |
| Rostamzadeh | Born of Rostam | Hero of the Shahnameh |
| Ghorbanzadeh | Born of Ghorban, “sacrifice” | Refers to Eid al-Adha |
| Alipour | Son of Ali | Common across Iran |
| Hassanpour | Son of Hassan | Common in Kurdish areas |
| Rezapour | Son of Reza | Widespread |
| Bahrampour | Son of Bahram | Bahram is the Persian name for Mars and a Sassanid king name |
| Nikpour | Good son | Positive Persian coinage |
| Ahmadinejad | Of Ahmadi lineage | Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Alinejad | Of Ali’s lineage | Journalist Masih Alinejad |
| Mohammadinejad | Of Mohammadi lineage | Common in Mazandaran |
Occupational Persian last names
Many families registered the trade they were known for in the bazaar. These are some of the most recognizable.
| Surname | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Zargar | Goldsmith | From zar, “gold” |
| Ahangar | Blacksmith | From ahan, “iron” |
| Najjar | Carpenter | Arabic loanword |
| Attar | Perfumer, druggist | Like the Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar |
| Khayyam | Tent maker | Made famous by poet-mathematician Omar Khayyam |
| Bazargan | Merchant | Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan |
| Sarraf | Money changer | Old bazaar profession |
| Khayyat | Tailor | Arabic loanword |
| Kafash | Shoemaker | Also Kaffashi |
| Baghban | Gardener | From bagh, “garden” |
| Dehghan | Landowner, farmer | From the Sassanid dehqan gentry class |
| Chitsaz | Chintz maker | Textile printer |
| Mostowfi | Accountant, treasurer | A Qajar-era government title |
| Hakim | Physician, sage | Also a title for philosophers |
| Moallem | Teacher | Arabic loanword |
| Sepahi | Soldier | From sepah, “army” |
| Makhmalbaf | Velvet weaver | Filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf |
| Darvish | Dervish, Sufi mystic | Also spelled Darvishi |
Surnames from Persian words and heroes
Some families picked a word they liked or a hero from Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. These names sound the most distinctly Persian, and many share roots with Persian boy names.
| Surname | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roshan | Bright, light | Pure Persian word |
| Golestan | Rose garden | Also the title of Saadi’s classic book |
| Golzar | Rose garden, flower bed | Poetic and popular |
| Nikbakht | Good fortune | Nik “good” + bakht “luck” |
| Khoshbakht | Happy, lucky | Khosh “good, pleasant” |
| Azadi | Freedom | Also the name of Tehran’s famous tower and square |
| Omidi | Of hope | From omid, “hope” |
| Parsa | Pious, devout | Also a boy’s first name |
| Firouzi | Turquoise; victorious | From firouzeh, Iran’s national gemstone |
| Shahbazi | Royal falcon | Shahbaz is a mythic falcon of Persian kings |
| Rostami | Of Rostam | The great hero of the Shahnameh |
| Sohrabi | Of Sohrab | Rostam’s tragic son |
| Jamshidi | Of Jamshid | Legendary king linked to Nowruz |
| Esfandiari | Of Esfandiar | Invincible prince of the Shahnameh |
| Bahrami | Of Bahram | Planet Mars; Sassanid royal name |
| Farhadi | Of Farhad | Lover of Shirin; director Asghar Farhadi |
| Kiani | Of the Kayanians | Legendary dynasty of the Shahnameh |
| Behrouzi | Of Behrouz, “fortunate” | Beh “good” + rouz “day” |
| Kamali | Of perfection | Arabic kamal |
| Jalali | Of majesty | Also the name of the Persian solar calendar reform |
Tribal, noble and famous Iranian family names
Some surnames point to a tribe or a historic family. Others are known worldwide because of the people who carry them.
| Surname | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bakhtiari | Of the Bakhtiari tribe | Nomadic Lur tribe of the Zagros mountains |
| Ghashghai | Of the Qashqai tribe | Turkic nomads of Fars province |
| Afshar | Of the Afshar tribe | Nader Shah was an Afshar |
| Pahlavi | Parthian; heroic | Surname chosen by Reza Shah for the last royal dynasty |
| Farmanfarmaian | Of the Farmanfarma, “commander” | Prominent Qajar-descended family |
| Mosaddegh | Confirmed, trustworthy | Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh |
| Kiarostami | From Kiarostam | Filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami |
| Satrapi | Of the satrap, a provincial governor | Author Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) |
| Mirzakhani | Mirza + Khan, both noble titles | Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, first woman to win the Fields Medal |
| Shajarian | Of the tree (shajar) | Master vocalist Mohammad-Reza Shajarian |
| Ansari | Of the Ansar, the Prophet’s helpers | Astronaut and entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari |
| Boniadi | Of the foundation | Actress Nazanin Boniadi |
| Ferdowsi | Of paradise | Pen name of the Shahnameh poet |
| Rouhani | Spiritual | Adopted by former president Hassan Rouhani |
Tips for researching or choosing a Persian surname
- Read the suffix first. -i means “of,” -zadeh “born of,” -pour “son of,” -nejad “lineage,” and -ian is a plural or family marker. The root usually tells you the rest.
- Expect several spellings. Persian script has no fixed Latin form, so Ghasemi, Qasemi and Kasemi can be the same family. Search all versions in records.
- Don’t assume the name is very old. Most Iranian surnames date only to the 1920s, so two unrelated families can share one.
- Look for the hometown. Names like Tabrizi or Kermani are often the best clue to where to start searching for ancestors.
- Writers and world-builders: pair a surname with names from our Persian girl names list for realistic characters, and check our Muslim names for the religious first names most families used.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common last name in Iran?
Mohammadi is usually named as the most common surname in Iran, followed by names like Hosseini, Ahmadi, Rezaei and Hashemi. All come from popular religious first names.
When did Iranians start using last names?
Fixed surnames became mandatory in the 1920s under Reza Shah, when Iran set up modern civil registration. Before that, people were known by a father’s name, a title or a hometown.
What does -zadeh mean in a Persian last name?
Zadeh means “born of” or “child of.” Alizadeh means “born of Ali,” and Malekzadeh means “child of the king.”
What does the ending -i mean in Persian surnames?
The -i suffix means “of” or “from.” Shirazi is “from Shiraz,” and Karimi is “of Karim.” It works like the English “-son” or the Irish “O’.”
Are Persian last names the same as Arabic last names?
Many share Arabic roots because of Islam, but the suffixes (-i, -zadeh, -pour, -nejad) are Persian. Iran also has many surnames built from purely Persian words, like Roshan and Golestan.