Banu

Banū is an Arabic term meaning “sons of” or “children of.” It is used as a prefix in the names of tribes, lineages, and clan groups to indicate descent from a common ancestor. In Arabic, Banū is written with diacritics as Banū and is often transliterated as Banu or Banī in English texts. The word is a grammatical construct form that links a group to its founding ancestor.

Historically, Banū has been used to form well-known tribal names across the Arab world and beyond. Examples include Banu Quraysh, the tribe of which the Prophet Muhammad was a member; Banu Hashim, a clan within Quraysh and the Prophet’s own kin group; and Banu Umayya, a rival clan to Hashim within Quraysh that later established the Umayyad Caliphate. Other prominent examples are Banu Tamim, Banu Kalb, and Banu Isra'il, the latter appearing in Islamic Scripture as “the Children of Israel.” These names reflect social and political organization in pre-Islamic and Islamic periods, as well as ongoing clan identities in many regions.

In modern usage, Banū persists in formal and scholarly contexts as a way to describe genealogies and tribal affiliations. It also appears in place and family names across the Arab world and in regions influenced by Arabic linguistic and cultural traditions. While the term is rooted in Arab tribal history, its usage extends to broader Muslim communities that retain traditional naming practices.