Muslim Surname

[kh70]

Is Sharif a muslim surname?

[Clanad]

Not necessarily... this, from House of Names:

The name Sharif has been recorded in British history since the time when Anglo-Saxons ruled the region. This name was no doubt originally used by someone who held the office of sheriff. This occupational surname is derived from the Old English words �scir� meaning �shire� and �refa� meaning �reeve�. A Shire Reeve was a Vice Count in charge of the law for a county. Spelling variations include: Sheriff, Sherriff, Sherriff, Shireffs and many more.

The name can be of Muslim origin, however, if derived from the middle east. If it is of Arabic origin, its meaning is "honored." A name of descendants of Mohammed. Actor Omar Sharif, born in Egypt is an example...

Sharif has 3 variant forms: Shareef, Shereef and Sherif.

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Will this website help? Here

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Apart from Clanad's brilliant answer of course!

[Narolines]

Muslim culture -like many others worldwide - doesn't have surnames in the same way that Western culture does; members of the same family may have completely different last names - a characteristic that led to some confusion when I taught in a 90% muslim inner-city school. But if you're asking if Sharif is a Muslim name, then Clanad's answer about covers it - and in that spelling it almost always is.