Did jews from arab countries ever adopt the "av [son’s name]" nickname as a form of respect?

Just saw this video of the bedouin hostage who was rescued calling bibi and called him “abu yair” which I thought was funny. is this something jews ever did among themselves in arab countries? I know “ben [father’s name]” is common as a last name among jews, but “abu [son’s name]” is largely used as a sign of respect for elders in arab culture.