[4] As Mount Lebanon was an area of continuous civil unrest at the end of the 19th century, many Nehme families were forced to flee to nearby towns, including the city of Deir el Qamar,[5] while others ventured further south to reach the city of Haifa and beyond.
[6] The surname Nehme is most prominent within Christian families in the north of Lebanon;[3][7] Shia, Sunni, and Druze families in the country also share the surname.
[8][9] For example, a Shia branch of the family tree is also present in the south of Lebanon, specifically in the town of Mahrouna.
[10] Because of the challenges facing transliteration, many variations of Nehme exist such as Naameh, Nemeh, Neme, Nimah and Naama.
There are other Nehme families in the Middle East which may not be related to the Lebanese branch, for example in Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, who usually have the "Al-" or "Abu" prefix, such as Al-Neama or Abu Nimah.