hoxha

Hoxha is an Albanian surname. It is common in Albania and among the Albanian diaspora. The name is traditionally linked to the title hoxha, used in Albanian-speaking communities for Islamic clerics or religious teachers, and some families adopted it as a surname over time.

Notable bearers include Enver Hoxha (1908–1985), an Albanian revolutionary and politician who led the country as head of state and head of the ruling party from 1944 until his death. Under his rule, Albania established a centralized one-party system and pursued a policy of cultural and economic isolation. The regime maintained tight political control and surveillance, with state atheism promoted after 1967. Albaniaaligned with the socialist bloc for much of the Cold War, breaking with the Soviet Union in 1961 and with China in 1978. After Hoxha’s death, the country gradually moved toward reform and gradual political change in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The surname is borne by various individuals in politics, academia, sports, and the arts within Albania and among expatriate communities. As a common Albanian family name, it appears in diverse contexts and does not indicate a single lineage beyond its use as a hereditary surname.