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Naming practices and traditions differ across regions, ethnic identities and linguistic groups in Iraq. While customs vary, most minority communities have adopted the structure and patrilineal system of Arab naming conventions. Children inherit their father's personal/given name at birth, and women typically maintain their own names after marriage.

Unlike English-Western naming conventions, most Iraqis do not possess a surname. Individuals may have a descriptive word, nickname, or title that functions similarly to a surname, although there is no standardised custom for this.

The Arab naming conventions outlined below offer a guideline for general practices. However, specific customs vary depending on the language spoken and local traditions. The conventions below outline common practices among Kurdish speakers (including Yazidis), Chaldeans and Assyrians.

Arabic Naming Conventions

• Iraqi Arab names include multiple distinct parts and conjunctive words (see ism, laqab, nisba, nasab and kunya). However, these components vary in use, and not all may appear on official documentation.
• In everyday life, most Iraqis use a two- or three-part name reflecting their family ties. This structure comprises their personal/given name (ism), followed by the personal names of their father and grandfather. Some people may add their great-grandfather’s name as well.
• This patrilineal name is arranged as follows: [personal name] [father’s personal name] [grandfather’s personal name]. For example, Ahmed Hussain Khalil and Zeena Hussain Khalil share Hussain as their father and Khalil as their paternal grandfather.
• It is important to understand that this naming convention does not involve using a surname. In some cases, Iraqis may use their grandfather’s personal name as the surname to conform to English naming conventions. Others may use their nisba or laqab.
• Iraqis usually try to address people using nicknames and titles (laqab, kunya, nasab). It is considered rude to address strangers by their first/personal name (ism) alone.
• Identifying someone by their first/personal name (ism) alone can be difficult, as many Iraqis share the same name.
• Arabic names can be translated into English in various ways. For example, the same name can be written as "Majid", "Majeed", or "Mejeed". The spelling can also differ depending on whether one uses contractions. For example, “����������徱��” could also be spelt “Salah al-Din” or “Salah Addin”.
• Only names written in Arabic characters are considered official and have standardised spellings in Iraq. Therefore, some people's names may appear differently on official documents, such as passports, when translated into the Roman alphabet.

Ism

The ism is a personal name chosen at birth as the individual’s personal identifier. It is often derived from Islam (e.g. Muhammad) or traditional Arab names. Biblical names such as Maryam (Mary) are also popular among Arab Christians.

Nisba

A nisba is similar to what one would call a surname in English. It’s a name that may be inherited from the father and usually relates to occupation, a geographic location, an ancestral tribe or family heritage. For example, it could reflect the town the family originated from (e.g. the AL-SAMARRA'I family originated from the city of Samarra). Iraqi Arabs may use their nisba when referring to themselves and as a surname on official documents. However, a person’s family name (nisba) or nickname will not always appear on official documents.

Laqab

A laqab is a nickname or title that typically describes a person’s qualities. One of the most common is Abdullah, meaning “slave of God”. Other examples include al-Rashid (“the rightly guided”) and al-Fadl (“the prominent”). The laqab usually follows a person’s given name (e.g. Yousef al-Rashid), although sometimes it is used in surnames.

Nasab

Some people may add a patronymic noun (nasab) to their name that indicates the person’s heritage by the words ‘i����’/’b����’ (son of) or ‘i���Բ���’/’b����t (daughter of). For example, Nusayba bint Yousef ibn Hussam means “Maryam, daughter of Yousef, son of Hussam”. The nasab convention is most common in formal contexts.

Kunya

Parents are often referred to by an honorific nickname (kunya), which indicates their relationship with their eldest child. However, if the eldest child is female, it may also come from the eldest male. A kunya uses the titles ‘a����’ (“father of”) and ‘u��’/‘o��’ (“mother of”). For example, the mother and father of Ahmad would be referred to as “Um Ahmad” and “Abu Ahmad”. Sometimes, a childless person may be granted a kunya that designates them the symbolic parent of some quality, such as “father of good deeds”.

Kurdish Naming Conventions

The following information describes general conventions used by Kurds, Yazidis and other Kurdish-speaking ethnic groups in Iraq.

• Most Iraqi Kurds have adopted the Arabic naming conventions, in which the given name is followed by the father’s and grandfather’s names. For example, Haval Diaco Arzani (male) and Serav Kochar Sidar (female).
• The standard convention used on formal documents in the Kurdistan region is as follows: [personal name] [father’s personal name] [grandfather’s personal name].
• Many Kurdish families have a name related to their family heritage – often the name of the tribe they descend from (e.g. BARZANI, JAFF, SURAMIRI) or their region or village of origin (e.g. QAMISLO, KURDI, SHENGAL). Those not belonging to a historical tribe are more likely to have geographical family names.
• Outside official contexts, Kurdish speakers generally use a two-word name, pairing their personal name with either their father’s name or family name. For example, a man named Guran may be known as Guran KOCHAR (father’s name), Guran BARZANI (tribal name) or Guran KURDI (geographical name).
• Some Iraqi Kurds have adopted their grandfather’s or great-grandfather’s personal name as a surname to conform to English naming conventions.
• Many Kurds have adopted Turkish, Arabic or Persian surnames to conform to the cultural norms or political policies of the nation-state they live in. For example, in Iraq, some were forced to abandon their native Kurdish name under Saddam Hussein’s Arabisation policies. However, most Kurdish speakers’ personal names are derived from their native language.
• Traditional Kurdish personal names include Diaco, Kochar, Redoir, Roj, Jochar and Sherko (male), and Aveen, Awat, Dilsoz, Sidar and Zhian (female).
• Kurdish parents generally choose a child’s personal name based on its unique significance. For example, a child may be named after a respected relative or famous figure (religious, political, historical, literary, etc.) whose qualities are admired.
• Names may also be derived from natural phenomena or features, such as �������î�� (wild rose), Heyv (the moon), Hinar (pomegranate) and ��ê�� (apple). These are common female names among Yazidis.
• It is also common to name people after individuals in the Qur’an and early Islam. These Islamic names almost always originate from Arabic.

Assyrian and Chaldean Names

• Assyrians and Chaldeans traditionally follow Semitic naming conventions, which structure names similar to Arabic conventions.
• The standard convention used on formal documents in Iraq is as follows: [personal name] [father’s personal name] [grandfather’s personal name]. For example, Yohannan Subhi Elias.
• Traditional Semitic names do not historically involve the use of a surname. However, in the 1920s and 1930s, most Assyrians adopted the personal name of a grandparent as their family name to conform to national policies where they lived. As a result, modern Assyrian and Chaldean ‘surnames’ are usually the first names of relatives who lived in the early 20th century. This is also why many Assyrian family names are also very common first names.
• In everyday life, most Assyrians and Chaldeans use a two-word name, pairing their personal name with either their father’s name or family name. For example, Yohannan Subhi Elias may be known as Yohannan Subhi.
• Assyrians and Chaldeans historically used the patronymic nouns ‘�����’ or ‘������’, which literally means "house" in Neo-Aramaic. In the context of the name, it means "from the house of” [father's name]." For example, Khannah bit Gewargis is understood to mean ‘K�󲹲ԲԲ��� from the house of �ұ�ɲ���������’.
• The patronymic words (‘�����’ and ‘������’) have been incorporated into many modern Assyrian surnames. For example, the family name BIT-BABIK means 'house of sparrows'.
• Some Assyrian and Chaldean families have Arabic surnames (e.g. AZIZ, MOURAD, BET-MANSOUR), which were adopted during Saddam Hussein’s regime. These families were often forced or felt coerced into changing their name, fearing having a native Aramaic surname would make them a target of persecution.
• Most Assyrians and Chaldeans use traditional names derived from their native Neo-Aramaic language.
  • Aramaic names often have religious or historical origins and may describe a place, occupation, characteristic, or phenomenon. Some examples are Gilyana (revelation), Larsa (a Sumerian city in Iraq), Zeyno (weapon), and Tamuza (the Assyrian month of July).
  • Many popular Aramaic names have biblical roots, such as Younan (Jonah), Oraham (Abraham), Khawa (Eve) and Istir (Ester).
  • It is common for Chaldeans and Assyrians to be named after figures from Mesopotamian mythology or early Assyrian history, which hold unique cultural significance to their identity. These include Mesopotamian kings and dignitaries (e.g. Sargon, Shamiram, Akhiqar), ancient Assyrian gods (e.g. Ashur, Nina) and early Assyrian saints, martyrs and leaders (e.g. Zaia, Bakos, Nimrod).
  • Many personal and family names are diminutives or nicknames of the original longer names. For instance, Akho is the diminutive of Akhiqar.
• The name chosen for a child is particularly important for communities that practise Chaldean Numerology. This ancient Babylonian system analyses an individual’s name and date of birth to gain insight into the person’s personality traits, life path and divine destiny. Chaldean Numerology uses only the name an individual is most known by. Therefore it is believed changing one’s name can partially reprogramme one’s destiny.