Arabic names in the Gulf region follow a simple sequence: Given name, father’s name, grandfather’s name, family name. In some cases the great grandfather’s name has to be included to differentiate similarly named persons (especially within large families). In other cases, the tribe’s name is added after the family name.

H.M. His Majesty is a title of honor for the King of Saudi Arabia, the King of Bahrain and the Sultan of Oman. H.M. the King of Saudi Arabia is also referred to as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

H.R.H. His Royal Highness / Her Royal Highness is a title of honor for royalty especially in Saudi Arabia, where the descendants of the late King Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of modern Saudi Arabia, are given this title. In Bahrain, the title is given to H.R.H. the Crown Prince, and H.R.H. the Prime Minister.

H.H. His Highness / Her Highness is a title of honor for royalty especially for a prince or princess. In Saudi Arabia it is given to members of the House of Saud who are not descendants of the late King Abdulaziz Al Saud. In Bahrain, it is given to the immediate family of H.M. the King and H.R.H. the Prime Minister. In the UAE, the title is given to the Rulers and the descendants of the Rulers of the seven emirates. In Qatar and Kuwait, the Emirs and the descendants of Emirs are given this title. In Oman, H.H. is the title of honor of members of the ruling Al Said family.

Emir. Emir, or Amir, is a title of honor for the rulers of Qatar and Kuwait. Emir, literally Prince, is used as an honorific preceding the names of all princes (whether plain, H.H. or H.R.H.) in Saudi Arabia. Emir is also used in Saudi Arabia for the senior government officials (usually princes from the royal family) who head up the Provinces. Finally, Emir is also given to tribal chiefs and to some prominent people related to the royal families.

H.E. His Excellency / Her Excellency is a title of honor for certain high officials across the Gulf region, such as Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Undersecretaries, Governors, Directors General and CEOs of government and government-related organizations, and Ambassadors. It is also an abbreviation of His Eminence, a title of honor for certain religious figures.

Sheikh / Sheikha:  An honorific in the Arabic language that literally means ‘elder’, “leader”, or ‘governor’. It is given to all ruling family members in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the seven emirates of the UAE (regardless of age). In Oman, it is given to prominent members of distinguished Omani families. In Saudi Arabia, Sheikh is given to renowned businessmen, heads of families, tribal chiefs and elders, and senior government officials.

Sheikh: Sheikh is also a religious title given to Ulemas and spiritual leaders across the entire Gulf region.

Shaikh / Shaikha: (with an ‘a’) is a proper name, not to be confused with Sheikh / Sheikha (with an ‘e’).

Sayyed / Sayyid: In Oman, members of the ruling Al Said family are given this title. Sayyed is also a proper name.

Bin: Bin, for Son, is mostly used by royal and ruling families in between the given name, the father’s name and the grandfather’s name. It is omitted in Dhow Net’s names of commoners. However, in some cases, Bin is part of a family name, such as in Bin Mahfooz and Bin Sulaiman and is not omitted in our database.

Bint: Bint, for Daughter, is mostly used by royal and ruling families. It is omitted in Dhow Net’s names of commoners.

Al / El: Al / El is the article ‘the”. It is usually prefixed to family names like ‘de’ in French names and ‘von’ in Germany and Austria.

Aal: Aal is a preposition which approximately means ‘House of’ or ‘family of”. It is commonly written ‘Al’ with one ‘a’, but in order to prevent any confusion with the article ‘Al’, we have adopted ‘Aal’, indicating a royal or a noble family lineage.