Ja'fari ( ) is a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

commonly associated with descendants of

Ja'far al-Sadiq Ja'far al-Sadiq (; –765) was a Muslim hadith transmitter and the last agreed-upon Shia Imam between the Twelvers and Isma'ilis. Known by the title al-Sadiq ("The Truthful"), Ja'far was the eponymous founder of the Ja'fari school of Isla ...

, an important Muslim scholar and the 6th Shia Imam. In South Asia, Persia and the Levant, those of this genealogy, also often take the honorific title of

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

. Descendants of Ja'far al-Sadiq can most commonly be found amongst the

Shi'i 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 to ...

of Iraq, Iran and the Indian subcontinent. Some

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 ...

Muslims also associate with the surname Ja’fari. Variant transliterations include Ja'fari, Jaafari, Jafari, Jafri, Jafry, and Jaffrey.

Notable people with the surname

Jafari

*Afshin Jafari, known as

Afshin Afshin () is a common Persian language, Persian given name derived from Avestan. Afshin was used by the Sogdians. Historically, it was the title of the rulers of Principality of Ushrusana in Transoxiana before the Muslim conquest of Persia.. Etym ...

(born 1978), Iranian pop singer and songwriter * Ali Jafari, Iranian computer scientist *

Azra Jafari Azra Jafari (; born 1978 or 1979) is an Afghan politician and women rights advocate who became the first female mayor in Afghanistan appointed by President Hamid Karzai in December 2008. She became the mayor of Nili, a town in Daykundi Provi ...

(born 1978), Afghani politician, mayor of Nili, the capital of Daykundi Province in Afghanistan *

Bashar Jaafari Bashar Jaafari, also Ja'afari, (; born April 14, 1956) is a Syrian diplomat. During his tenure as the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations (PermRep) from 2006 to 2020, Jaafari was notable for his strident defense of the Assad ...

(born 1956), Syrian diplomat *

Davoud Danesh-Jafari Davoud Danesh-Jafari (Persian: داود دانش‌جعفری) (born 1954) is an Iranian politician, economist and former combat engineer who previously served as minister of economy and finance affairs of Iran from 2005 to 2008. He is currently ...

(born 1954), Iranian politician, Minister of Economy and Finance Affairs * Hadi Jafari (born 1982), Iranian footballer *

Ibrahim al-Jaafari Ibrahim Abdul Karim al-Eshaiker (; born 25 March 1947), better known as Ibrahim al-Jaafari, is an Iraqi politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq in the Iraqi Transitional Government from 2005 to 2006, following the January 2005 Iraqi parliamenta ...

(born 1947), Iraqi politician, Prime Minister of Iraq *Jonathan Aryan Jafari, known as

JonTron Jonathan Aryan Jafari () (born March 24, 1990), better known online as JonTron, is an American YouTuber. He created the eponymous YouTube web series ''JonTron'', where he reviews and parodies video games, films and other media. Jafari is t ...

(born 1990), American comedian, internet personality, and video game critic * Kamal Aljafari (born 1972), Palestinian filmmaker * Mehran Jafari (born 1985), Iranian footballer *

Mohammad Ali Jafari Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari (, born 1 September 1957, also known as Aziz Jafari and Ali Jafari) is a retired Iranian military officer and former commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from 2007 to 2019. He was ...

(born 1957), Iranian military figure, commander of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution in Iran * Mohammad-Taqi Ja'fari (1923–1998), Iranian scholar, thinker, and theologian

Jafri

Abbas Jafri Syed Muhammad Abbas Jafri () is a Pakistani politician and model. Jafri is two times Best Male Model Lux Style Awards winner and one time Hum Awards winner. Jafri contested the 2018 Sindh provincial election for the Sindh Assembly's PS-125 ...

(born 1991), Pakistani politician and model *

Abdel Fattah Jafri Abdel Fattah Jafri (born 25 February 1950) is a Moroccan former footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially br ...

(born 1950), Moroccan footballer *

Ada Jafri Ada Jafarey ( : ) , often spelled Ada Jafri (22 August 1924 – 12 March 2015), was a Pakistani poet who is regarded as the first major female Urdu poet to be published and has been called "The First Lady of Urdu Poetry". She was also an author ...

(1924–2015), Pakistani poet *

Ali Sardar Jafri Ali Sardar Jafri (29 November 1913 – 1 August 2000) was an Indian writer of Urdu language. He was also a poet, critic and film lyricist. Biography Early life and education Ali Sardar Jafri was born in Balrampur (in present-day Uttar Prad ...

(1913–2000), Urdu writer, poet, critic and film lyricist from India * Aqeel Jafri (born 1957), Pakistani writer, poet and architect *

Azfar Jafri Azfar Jafri () is a Pakistani film director, screenwriter, actor, and VFX artist. He is best known for his Independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film producti ...

, Pakistani film director *

Ehsan Jafri Ehsan Jafri (1929 – 28 February 2002) was an Indian politician and former member of the 6th Lok Sabha for the Congress Party, who was killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre. A Special Investigating Team appointed by the Supreme Court ...

(1929–2002), Indian Muslim parliamentarian *

Husain Mohammad Jafri Syed Husain Mohammad Jafri was a Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-la ...

(1938–2019), Pakistani historian *

Liaqat Jafri Liaqat Jafri (born 18 February 1971) is an Indian poet, scholar and researcher of Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and '' ...

(born 1971), Indian poet and scholar *

Meezaan Jafri Meezaan Jafri (born Syed Meezaan Ahmed Jaffrey; 9 March 1995) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. The son of actor Jaaved Jaaferi and grandson of comedian Jagdeep, he made his acting debut in ''Malaal'' (2019), which earned him crit ...

(born 1995), Indian actor *

Muhammad Abbas Jafri Syed Muhammad Abbas Jafri is a Pakistani politician who was a member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh from August 2018 to August 2023. Political career He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of Sindh The Provincial Assembly of Sin ...

, Pakistani politician *

Murtaza Jafri Murtaza Jafri () is a Pakistani painter, draftsman, sculptor and college professor. He is also a principal and vice chancellor at National College of Arts since August 2013. Early life and education He studied in Fine Arts at National Co ...

(born 1958), Pakistani artist *

Sacha Jafri Sacha Jafri (born 3 January 1977 in United Kingdom) is a British artist known for creating the world's largest painting on canvas, ''Journey of Humanity'' (as recognised by ''Guinness World Records'') over seven months in 2020 during the COVID-1 ...

(born 1977), British artist *

Syed Ali Aslam Jafri Syed Ali Aslam Jafri (13 October 1943 – 29 September 2021) was a Pakistani jurist, professor of law, social worker, Justice of the Sindh High Court, Federal Ombudsman for Insurance, Director General of Sindh Judicial academy and principal of S ...

(1943–2021), Pakistani judge * Syed Aminul Hasan Jafri (born 1955), Indian journalist and politician * Syed Imran Raza Jafri (born 1979), Pakistani writer and scholar *

Wasim Jafri S. M. Wasim Jafri () is a Pakistani gastroenterologist. He serves as a professor of medicine and head of the gastroenterology section at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan. He obtained ...

, Pakistani gastroenterologist *

Zakia Jafri Zakia Naseem Jafri (1938 or 1939 – 1 February 2025) was an Indian human rights activist known for her legal efforts related to the 2002 Gujarat riots. She became widely recognized as the widow of Ehsan Jafri, a Congress Member of Parliament wh ...

(1938/1939–2025), Indian human rights activist * Zamir Jafri (1916–1999), Pakistani poet

Jaffri

* Ainy Jaffri (born 1981), Pakistani actress and model *

Naila Jaffri Naila Jaffri was a Pakistani actress and director. She was known for her roles in dramas ''Woh (TV series), Woh'', ''Ek Kasak Reh Gayi'', ''Mausam (TV series), Mausam'', ''Anaya Tumhari Hui'' and ''Tera Mera Rishta''. Early life Naila was born ...

(1965–2021), Pakistani actress and director *

Rizwan Ali Jaffri Rizwan Ali Jaffri is a Pakistani model, actor and singer. He is best known for his modeling work with renowned Pakistani fashion labels, he also mark his television debut in 2012 drama serial '' Pani Jaisa Piyar'' directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoos ...

(born 1992), Pakistani model, actor, and singer * Saman Sultana Jaffri, Pakistani politician

Jaffry

* Waqar Jaffry (born 1980), Pakistani academic and scientist

Jaffrey

Javed Jaffrey Syed Jaaved Ahmed Jaffrey (born 4 December 1963) is an Indian actor, dancer, and comedian who has appeared in Hindi films and television shows. He is the son of the comedian Jagdeep. He joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in March, 2014 and cont ...

(born 1963), Indian actor, dancer, and comedian, son of Jagdeep *

Madhur Jaffrey Madhur Jaffrey Order of the British Empire, CBE (née Bahadur; born 13 August 1933) is an Indian-born British-American actress, cookbook and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the weste ...

(born 1933), Indian actress and food writer * Naved Jaffrey (born 1969), Indian television producer, son of Jagdeep *

Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey (born May 28 1975) is a British actor who is known for his roles as Zafar Younis in the BBC One spy drama series '' Spooks'' (2004–2007) and Neal Hudson in the CBS medical drama '' Code Black'' (2015). He also had a recurring role ...

(born 1975), British actor and singer *

Saeed Jaffrey Saeed Jaffrey (8 January 1929 – 15 November 2015) was a British-Indian actor. His career covered film, radio, stage and television roles over six decades and more than 150 British, American, and Indian movies. During the 1980s and '90s, he was ...

(1929–2015), Indian-born British actor * Sakina Jaffrey (born 1962), Indian-American actress *Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffrey, stage name

Jagdeep Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffrey (19 March 1939 – 8 July 2020), better known by his stage name Jagdeep, was an Indian actor and comedian who appeared in more than 400 films. He played Soorma Bhopali in ''Sholay'' (1975), Machchar in '' Purana Mandi ...

(1939–2020), Indian actor and comedian

Notable people with the middle name

* Masoud Jafari Jozani (born 1948), Iranian film director, screenwriter and film producer