Every reference al-Isfahani makes to his paternal relatives includes the attributive, al-Isfahani. According to Ibn Hazm (994–1064), some descendants of the last Umayyad caliph, Marwan b. Muhammad (691–750), al-Isfahani's ancestor, settled in Isfahan.
Al-Isfahani consistently uses the title "al-Isfahani" when referring to his paternal relatives. Ibn Hazm states that descendants of the last Umayyad caliph, Marwan b. Muhammad (691–750), were related to al-Isfahani's ancestor and settled in Isfahan.