Albania Naming Customs

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Albania

Personal Names

Understanding customs used in surnames and given names can help you identify your ancestors in records. Learn to recognize name variations and see clues in names.

Surnames

Albanian names are names used in, or originating in, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and the Albanian diaspora. In Albania a complete name usually consists of a given name (Albanian: emri); the given name of the individual's father (Albanian: atësia), which is seldom included except in official documents; and a (most commonly patrilineal) family name or surname (Albanian: mbiemri). They are invariably given in the Western name order, or given name followed by family name. Hereditary family surnames developed quite late in Albania. The practice was not well established until the early 1900s.

For Further Reading

For more information on naming practices in Albania, see the Wikipedia article Albanian name.