Albanian Names

First names

Albanian given names draw on four traditions at once, which is unusual: indigenous names (Agron, Teuta, Genti — Illyrian rulers), Muslim names (Ardit, Besnik, Fatmir, Arben), Christian names (Gjergj, Pjetër, Marie), and names revived during the national awakening.

Skënder and Gjergj are both after Skanderbeg. Many modern names are transparently Albanian words: Besnik means 'faithful', Fatmir 'lucky', Drita 'light', Lule 'flower'.

Surnames

Family names often derive from a place (Shkodrani, Korçari, Dibra), from an ancestor, or from an occupation. The suffix -aj is common in the north and typically indicates descent from a named ancestor. The great medieval families — Kastrioti, Dukagjini, Thopia, Arianiti, Balsha, Muzaka — survive as surnames.

Under the communist government some names were changed to remove religious associations, and a 1975 decree required citizens with names deemed unsuitable to change them.

How names are written

Albanian uses ë and ç, and names are frequently written without them abroad — Berisha for Berisha, Hoxha for Hoxha, but Çela becomes Cela and Përparim becomes Perparim. Both forms refer to the same person.