Hussein
A surname from the Arabic personal name Ḥusayn, meaning “little Ḥasan” or “good/beautiful one.”
The #4,903 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,989 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hussein is generally taken from the Arabic given name Ḥusayn, a diminutive of Ḥasan. The older name Ḥasan carries the sense of “good,” “handsome,” or “beautiful,” so Ḥusayn is often explained as “little Ḥasan” or an affectionate form of that name. As a surname, it usually began as a patronymic, identifying someone as the descendant of a man named Hussein/Ḥusayn.
History
The name is widely used across the Arabic-speaking world and spread more broadly through Islamic naming traditions. In many places it became hereditary as families began to keep a respected ancestor’s given name as a fixed surname. English-language sources from the 19th century also recorded spellings such as Hussin or Hussein.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Ḥusayn is especially famous as the name of Husayn ibn ʿAlī, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, which helped the name remain highly respected for centuries.
From the historical record
“doura, Douben (Doubau), - Saydi, Sadi, Sahadi, Kaus, Coobad (Kobad), Zall, Saura, Tur, Tus, Kustan, Roustan, Rostan, Hussin (Hussein), Sawush (Saiawush?), Gerascheid (Jem- shied), Halim, Nazzer, - Selim, Saleem, Amrafh (Amurath), Bajazec (Bajazet), Ben Yussuf, Mooklar, Mustapher, Israael, Ibram, - Alp, Arselin…”
— A Grammar of American Surnames