What is "sharifi"

Sharifi is a common Muslim and, to a lesser extent, Jewish, surname among Persian Iranians and Pakistanis. Among Arabs, the name takes the form al-Sharifi, which is a common surname in Iraq.

Al-Sharifi is a well-known surname in the holy city of Najaf. It usually means the "honorables". Loosely translated, it means "of high-class" or "wealthy".

In the city of Hamedan in Iran, Sharifi is a very old and big family with many sub-families such as Sharifi-Amina, Sharifi-Rahnamoon, Sharifi-Minoo, Sharifi-Monzavi. There are other big families in this city like Mansour and Izadi. Mahmoud Sharifi Amina is a poet whose contributions to the folklore poetry of Hamedan is notable.

In fiction, it is the name of major characters Jennifer Sharifi and Miranda Sharifi in Nancy Kress's Sleepless series ( Beggars in Spain, Beggars and Choosers, and Beggars Ride).

Category:Surnames Category:Arabic-language surnames