Qureshi (also known as Quraysh Qureyshi, Quraishi, Qurayshi, Qureshy, Quraishy, Qoraishi, Qoreshi, Koraishi, Kureshi, Kureshy, Kureishi, Coreish) is a Muslim family name. In English it has many spellings, in Arabic it is spelled "قريشي", which means part of the Quraish clan (Arabic: قريش). The title is associated with the ruling clan of ancient Mecca.[1]

Qureshi
PronunciationArabic: [qureːʃiː, qureʃiː]
Origin
MeaningMember of the Quraish tribe
Region of originMakkah, Hijaz, modern day Saudi Arabia
Other names
Variant form(s)Qureshi, Kureshi, Qurashi, Quraishy, Qureishy, Qureyshi, Qurayshi, Quraishi, Qureshy, Quraishy, Quoreshi, Qoraishi, Qoreshi, Koraishi, Kureshi, Kureshy, Kureishi, Kourashi, Qurrish, Quraish

It is a common surname in South Asia and parts of Western Asia, particularly the Arabian peninsula.[1] Most bearers of the name, by far, are in Pakistan (82%: 1,210,000, out of 1,470,000 worldwide), where it is the ninth most common surname. India has the second most (11%: 162,000), followed by Saudi Arabia (2.5%: 36,300), England (0.65%: 9,580) and Iran.[2]

History edit

The Quraish at first opposed Muhammad's teachings and are said to have persecuted him and his followers, but by the time of his death they had begun to convert to the new faith and played an important role in bringing Islam to Arabia.[3]

Families with surname Qureshi in the Indian subcontinent claim inheritance from the Quraish tribe. Quraish, the ruling tribe of Mecca at the time of the birth of the Prophet Muḥammad. There were 10 main clans, the names of some of which gained great lustre through their members’ status in early Islām. These included Hāshim, the clan of the Prophet himself (see Hāshimite); Zuhra, that of his mother; and Taim and ʿAdī, the clans of the first and second caliphs, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar I, respectively; and Umayya, the clan of the third caliph, ʿUthmān, and his relatives, the dynasty of the Umayyad caliphs.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Ahmad, Zarin (2018-06-14). Delhi's Meatscapes: Muslim Butchers in a Transforming Mega-City. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-909538-4.
  2. ^ "Qureshi Surname Meaning & Statistics". Forebears. Retrieved 31 March 2017. Data as of 2014. Frequency counts rounded to three significant digits; percentages to two significant digits. See the Talk page.
  3. ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. 2013, Oxford University Press.