One of the early Nasrid ancestors was nicknamed "Yusuf Al Ahmar" (Yusuf the Red) and hence the (Nasrid) fraction of the Banu Khazraj took up the name of Banu al-Ahmar.
Drug možen izvor imena je rodovna označba dinastije Nasrid, znane kot Banu al-Ahmar v arabščini: "Rdeči sinovi" (moški), pod-rodu plemena Qahtanite Banu Khazraj.