Explore the Family Name Pasha

The meaning of Pasha

1. Muslim (mainly the Indian subcontinent): status name or honorific title from Turkish paşa ‘pasha’, a title of rank for a regional military and civil governor in the Ottoman Empire, itself most likely derived from Persian pādshāh ‘padishah (i.e. ruler)‎’. Compare Basha; see also Bey. 2. Albanian: from pasha or pashë (definite form pasha) ‘pasha’, a status name or honorific title of Turkish origin (see 1 above), used during the Ottoman Turkish rule over Albania. 3. Americanized form of Croatian Paša: nickname from paša ‘pasha’, a title of the Ottoman military and civil officers of high rank (see 1 above). It originates from the times of the Turkish occupation of the Balkans. 4. In some cases also an altered form of English (Channel Islands) Pasher, itself an Anglicized form of French Perchard: nickname, apparently derived from Old French perche ‘pole, rod’ + the suffix -ard, perhaps denoting someone who was tall and thin. The surname Perchard may have originated in Guernsey, which lies off the coast of Ille-et-Vilaine (Brittany), where the surname is also recorded from the 16th century to the modern day. 5. In some cases possibly also an Americanized form of Turkish Paşa: ornamental name or nickname from the title paşa ‘pasha’ (see 1 above) or perhaps from the same word which in certain dialects denotes ‘father’ or ‘elder brother’. History: The surname Pasha in 4 above originated in Newfoundland, Canada, where there are early instances of Perchards going back to the 18th century. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Mustafa, Syed, Kamal, Ali, Mohammad, Ibrahim, Imran, Iqbal, Levent, Mohammed, Muhammad, Abbas.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.