Abulafia or Abolafia (Arabic: أبو العافية Abū l-ʿāfiya, Abou l-Afiyya or Abu l-Afia; or Hebrew: אבולעפיה Abulafia) is a Sephardi Jewish surname whose etymological origin is in the Arabic language. The family name, like many other Hispanic-origin Sephardic Jewish surnames, originated in Spain (Hebrew Sefarad) among Spanish Jews (Sephardim), during the time when it was ruled as Al-Andalus by Arabic-speaking Moors.
The romanized version of the surname is most commonly Abolafia. Other variations also exist, mostly in English transliterations, including Aboulafia, Abolafia, Abouelafia, Aboulafiya, Abulafiya, Aboulafiyya and Abolafia.
It is one of only a few dozen surnames of Sephardic origin documented among Russian Jews.[1]