Tarifa: Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity

At a Glance: Name: Tarifa – Meaning: named for Tarif ibn Malik, a Berber commander – Origin: Arabic (Al-Andalus) – Pronunciation: tah-REE-fuh


Tarifa is an Arabic (Al-Andalus) name meaning “named for Tarif ibn Malik, a Berber commander”. It appears in 2 of our baby name lists.

Meaning & Origin of Tarifa

Meaning: Named for Tarif ibn Malik, a Berber commander.

Origin: Arabic (Al-Andalus).

A common claim: Tarifa is said to be named after Tariq ibn Ziyad. Actually: This conflates two different figures — Tariq ibn Ziyad is linked to Gibraltar, while Tarifa is traditionally named for the distinct commander Tarif ibn Malik/Malluk.

How to Pronounce Tarifa

Phonetic: tah-REE-fuh   IPA: /təˈriːfə/

Popularity of Tarifa

Tarifa doesn’t appear in U.S. Social Security birth records, which include every name given to at least five babies in a year — so it’s rare in the U.S.

Lists That Include Tarifa

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