▁or ▁Ab ol af ia ( ▁, ▁ ▁or ▁; ▁or ▁ ▁) ▁is ▁a ▁Se ph ardi ▁Jewish ▁surname ▁whose ▁et ym ological ▁origin ▁is ▁in ▁the ▁Spanish ▁language . ▁The ▁family ▁name , ▁like ▁many ▁other ▁His pan ic - origin ▁Se ph ard ic ▁Jewish ▁s urn ames , ▁origin ated ▁in ▁Spain ▁( H eb rew ▁Se far ad ) ▁among ▁Spanish ▁Jews ▁( Se ph ard im ), ▁at ▁a ▁time ▁during ▁when ▁it ▁was ▁ruled ▁as ▁Al - And alus ▁by ▁Arab ic - spe aking ▁Mo ors . ▁ ▁To ▁this ▁day , ▁the ▁roman ized ▁version ▁of ▁the ▁surname ▁is ▁most ▁commonly ▁Ab ol af ia . ▁Other ▁variations ▁also ▁exist , ▁mostly ▁in ▁English ▁transl iter ations , ▁including ▁Ab ou la f ia , ▁Ab ol af ia , ▁Ab ou el af ia , ▁Ab ou la fi ya , ▁Ab ul af i ya , ▁Ab ou la fi y ya , ▁Ab ol af ia etc . ▁ ▁Et ym ology ▁Et ym olog ically , ▁the ▁surname ▁is ▁composed ▁of ▁the ▁Arab ic ▁words : ▁▁ ▁Ab u ▁or ▁Ab ou ▁( ▁), ▁literally ▁" father " ▁but ▁also ▁carrying ▁the ▁meaning ▁" owner ", ▁▁ ▁al ▁or ▁el ▁( ), ▁or ▁simply ▁l ▁if ▁the ▁preceding ▁word ▁ends ▁with ▁a ▁v owel , ▁to ▁which ▁it ▁attach es ▁itself , ▁is ▁the ▁definite ▁article ▁equivalent ▁to ▁" the ", ▁and ▁ ▁A fi y ya ▁or ▁Af ia