Nehme () is a prominent Lebanese surname which is derived from the given name Nehme. As of 2014, Nehme is the 39th most common surname in Lebanon with about 13,000 people holding the surname, or about one in 380 people.

Etymology and history

The name derives from the Arabic word for “blessing” or “grace”. The Nehme family is believed to stem from the Daou family tree with one of its sons, Nehme Daou, as the father of all Nehme families within the Levant. Lehfed, a small village near

Byblos Byblos ( ; ), also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl (, Lebanese Arabic, locally ), is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The area is believed to have been first settled between 8800 and 7000BC and continuously inhabited ...

in the

Byblos district Byblos District (; transliteration: ''Qadaa' Jbeil''), also called the Jbeil District (''Jbeil'' is Lebanese Arabic for "Byblos"; standard Arabic ''Jubail''), is a district ('' qadaa'') of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is located ...

of modern-day

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, is believed to be the ancestral home of the Nehme family. As

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...

was an area of continuous civil unrest at the end of the 19th century, many Nehme families were forced to flee to nearby towns, including the city of Deir el Qamar, while others ventured further south to reach the city of

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

and beyond. The surname Nehme is most prominent within

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

families in the north of Lebanon;

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

, and

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

families in the country also share the surname. For example, a Shia branch of the family tree is also present in the south of Lebanon, specifically in the town of Mahrouna.

Variations

Because of the challenges facing transliteration, many variations of Nehme exist such as Naameh, Nemeh, Neme, Nimah and Naama. There are other Nehme families in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

which may not be related to the Lebanese branch, for example in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, who usually have the "Al-" or "Abu" prefix, such as Al-Neama or Abu Nimah.

Notable people

Nehme

Abeer Nehme Abeer Nehme (; born 19 May 1980) is a Lebanese singer and a musicologist. She performs traditional Tarab music, Lebanese traditional music, Rahbani music, and sacred music from the Maronite, Syriac Orthodox, and Byzantine traditions. Biograph ...

(born 1980), Lebanese singer and musicologist *

Abraham Nehmé Abraham Nehmé, BC or Ibrahim Naameh (8 October 1927 – 9 December 2022) was Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs in Syria. Life Nehmé was born in Kaïtouly, Lebanon on 8 October 1927. Nehmé was ordained to the priesth ...

(1927–2022), Syrian archbishop *

Adel Nima Adel Nima (; born 26 February 1970) is a coach and former international Iraqi football player. He played as a defender, he is currently working as a coach for Al-Sinaat Al-Kahrabaiya Coaching career Al-Hudood On 24 July 2018, Nima signed for ...

(born 1970), Iraqi football coach and former player *

Angelo Nehmé Angelo Luca Nehmé (born 23 January 2004) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for Danish 2nd Division club Næstved Boldklub, on loan from AC Horsens. Club career Coming from Ikast's youth sector, Nehmé jo ...

(born 2004), Danish footballer *

Ghassan Nehme Ghassan Nehme is a former Lebanese professional basketball player for Atlas Club in the Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is recognized as the top-tier professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league i ...

(born 1995), Lebanese basketball player *

Laïla Nehmé Laïla Nehmé (born 1966) is a Lebanese-French archaeologist. A specialist in the archaeology and epigraphy of the ancient Near East, she is known for her research on Nabataean writings, the evolution of the Nabataean script into the Arabic, and ar ...

(born 1966), Lebanese-French archaeologist *

Lina Murr Nehmé Lina Murr Nehmé (born 1955) is a French-Lebanese author and professor at the Lebanese University.

(born 1982), Mexican actor *

Stephen Nehmé Esțfān Nehmé (born Yūsuf Nehmé, ; 8 March 1889 – 30 August 1938), was a Lebanese Maronite professed religious from the Lebanese Maronite Order. Nehmé worked to alleviate people's pain during World War I through the distribution of food ...

(1889–1938), Lebanese Maronite Catholic monk * Tania Nehme (born 1966), Australian film editor * Safaa Ali Nema (born 1959), Iraqi wrestler

Abu-Nehme

* Hasan Abu Nimah (born 1935), Jordanian ambassador *

Ali Abunimah Ali Hasan Abunimah (, Arabic: ; born December 29, 1971) is a Palestinian-American journalist who advocates a one-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. A resident of Chicago who contributes regularly to publications such as the ...

(born 1971), Palestinian-American journalist

Al-Nehme

* Ahmad Alenemeh (born 1982), Iranian association football player

References

{{surname Arabic-language surnames Lebanese families