Nehardea Magazine

Journal of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center
No.14, Autumn 2003

JEWS OF IRAQ IN RECENT GENERATIONS

PROPER NAMES AND FAMILY NAMES AMONG THE JEWS OF IRAQ

Prof. Yona Sabar, UCLA

I. Proper Names

A famous quotation by Hamlet's (Shakespeare) is "To Be or Not To Be?" Another one, almost equally famous is "What is in a name?" The answer is - a lot, we can learn a great deal from names about their history, their culture, their interaction with the Gentile world, their wishes and desires, and what they considered important or otherwise.

Most boys in almost every country were called by traditional Hebrew-Jewish names, often with some local adjustment, e.g., these Hebrew names in their English form: Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Solomon, David, etc., became, accordingly, in Arab countries Ibrahim, IsHaq, Musa, Suleiman/Salman, Daud; while girls were more often given foreign names. It is interesting to note certain names were only used by some Jewish communities, and not by others: Rahamim, Nissim, Siman-Tov, Bekhor, Mashiah, usually by many Sephardic communites but not by Ashkenazim. Some of these names indicate when the child was born: Hanukka, PesaH, Nissan, Shabbetai (cf. June, Julie/Julia, April in English). In Iraq and Kurdistan many were called after prophets believed to be buried there: Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra, Nahum, Jonah.

Pet Names. Like in any other community, common Hebrew names aquired local pet forms, Just like in English David may become Dave, and Deborah > Deb, Debbie, so among Baghdadi Jews: YiSHaq "Isaac" > sHayyiq, Hugi, Abraham > Barhum, Efraim > Frumi,' Ezra >' Azzuri "Ezra"; YeHezqel > Hasqel; Hayyim > Hayyo; Ester > asti, Maryam > maryuma; Mordekhay > Mredikh, Mrudi.

In modern times Jewish names tell us a great deal about the history and cultural influences on the Jews. Traditional Hebrew names have more than ever before been replaced by local Gentile names. So, in Iraq many Jews were called by Arabic names

(Abdalla, Fuad, Idris, Habib, Sa'id, Ramzi. Nuri, Khzuri, SaliH; Gurjiya, TuffaHa, Latifa, Habbuba) and after contact with the British, English names became common (Edward, Morris, George, Alfred, Emil, and especially for women: Doris, Daizy, Blanche, Nancy, Fortunette, Rajina). However, names which are strongly associated with Islam or Christianity are usually avoided ; no Jew as far as I know was called Muhammad, Ali, Hasan, Hussein; Fatma;' Aysha, Khadija; Mary. Interestingly, the influence of Zionism resulted in using some very Zionistic family names as proper names, e.g. Herzel, Balfour, Weizman (after the first president of Israel).

Sehayik family in Baghdad, 1938

II. Family Names

Most people had no family names until modern times. In Iraq as a child I was called in school Yona (ibn) RaHamim, just as we still do in the synagogue, using our father's names. Some people were simply called by any identifying word, including physical defects: One-eyed Shlomo, David the Crippled, Esther with the Smooth Skin, Moshe the Tall One, Moshe the Short One, Shlomo the One-Eyed. However with urbanization, bureaucracy, military service, and taxation, it became necessary for everyone to have an official family name to make it easier to identify the person for internal Jewish needs and external government needs.

Classification of Jewish Family Names (selection only)

1) Fathers name: Sasson Daud, Nuri Ezra, Yusef Ovadya, RaHmin Efrayim; Mas'uda Shemtob.

2) Mothers (Usually when the child was raised by the mother, father having died early): NaHum Hale; Shaul Maryuma; Abraham Zilkha, Sasson Zbeda; Hayyo Latifa; Hawwa, Habba (Habiba); RiHana,' Aziza um-el-Sabun.

3) Locality: Arbili, Kirkukli, Mislawi, Mindalawi, Bisrawi, el-'Eni (<'Ana); Ajami, Irani, Halabi, Istanbuli, Hindi, el-Masri; Shahrabani, Shirazi, Hanna Kirdiyya (of Kurdistan), Shami/Shamiya; Persian and Non-Arabic names, suggest that the original families were from abroad, e.g. Babayi, Agha-Baba, Aghasi, Namardi (Iran); Laniado (Spain); Alti Barmagh (Turkish' One with six fingers').

4) Occupation: Abu-el-uti (one who irons); Abu-el-mishwi (sells roasted meat), Abu-el-Tirshi (sells pickles); Abu-el-Samak (sells fish); Abu-el-Shalgham (sells cooked turnips); Abu-Zluf (sold wigs for women, or had long side locks); Abu-Silan (date syrup); Tajer (merchant), Hakim (healer), Khayyat (tailor), Khayyat-Farfuri (one who joins broken china); Hayek (weaver); Kababchi, Halawchi (halwa maker), Shakarchi (candy man), Sabunchi (soap maker), Sabbagh (dyer), Tutunchi (tobacco seller), Qundarchi (shoemaker), Sayigh (smith), Battat (goose shepherd), Bazzaz (clothes merchant), Chitiyat (seller of embroidered clothes); Mekhanchi (wine-seller); Mjallid (bookbinder); Dallal (auctioneer, crier); Musaffi (refining smith); Mzayyen (barber,' beautifier'); Paniri (Cheese-seller); Fattal (owned spinning mill); Hakkak (polisher of precious stones); Sa'achi (watchman); Sarraf (banker); Tanakchi (tinsmith) Zanbar-Tut (singer, musician); Pachachi (seller of Pacha); Tawwaf (peddler of old clothes)

5) Jewish Function: (el=) Dayyan (judge in a Jewish court), Gabbay (synagogue treasure), Hakham (Rabbi), Kohen, Lewi/ Lawi, Hazzan (cantor); Somekh (aid to cantor); Mu'allim (Teacher, Rabbi), Shohet, Sofer (writer of Torah scrolls, tefillim umezuzot); Shammash (synagogue usher);' Abd-el-Nabi (servant of Prophet Ezekiel shrine);' Abd-el-'Zer (servant of the Shrine of Ezra), Rahel Immenu (in charge of a charity fund with that name), el-Wakil (in charge of Talmud Torah).

6) Quality or event: el-Aswad (black), el-Abyadh (white), Katan/Zghir (small), elKabir (big), el- qsayyer (short), Tawil (long, tall), Mkammal (perfect), Mdallal (pampered), el-Yatim (orphan), el-Majanin (crazed), Mwannes (entertainer), Dabbi (big like a bear), Da'bul (short and fat); Shahmon (very fat); Dassu-el-Jamal (was stepped on by a camel); Meshummada (one of them converted to Islam); Sha'shu' (clowns in weddings), Kashi (eunuch, hairless), Kharmush (face scared with ukht' Baghdad boil'); Jangana (noisy, quarrelsome) Bet-jiji (had many chicken in the house); Juweifi (their neighborhood was stinking of leather processing); el-Aqra' (bald); el-AfnaS (with flat nose); el-A'raj (lame), Yusuf al-A'ma (blind); el-Khanin (speaks through his nose).

7) Acronyms:

Zilkha (אכלז = ןורהא ןהכל ערז;

Mani (ינמ = ישי רצנ ןמ);

Dangur (רוגנד = הירא רוג ןד).

Selected References:

Abraham Ben-Yaacob, Hebrew and Aramaic in the Language of the Jews of Iraq, Jerusalem, 1985 (in Hebrew), names lists: pp. 24-30.

Gila Yona-Swery and Rahamim Rajwan, Dictionary of Iraqi Judeo-Arabic Dialect, Jerusalem, 1995 (in Hebrew), names list pp. 327-335.

Yona Sabar,, "First Names, Nicknames and Family Names Among the Jews of Kurdistan," Jewish Quarterly Review, 65 (1974): pp. 43-51.

,דאדגבב תידוהיה הליהקה תודלותל םיניינע ףורצב ,לבב עסמ ,ןושש ןאמילוס דוד
ו"טשתה םילשורי ,והינב ריאמ ךרע
(List of names, pp.56-98).

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JEWS OF IRAQ IN RECENT GENERATIONS
PROPER NAMES AND FAMILY NAMES AMONG THE JEWS OF IRAQ Prof. Yona Sabar, UCLA
I. Proper Names A famous quotation by Hamlet's (Shakespeare) is "To Be or Not To Be?" Another one, almost equally famous is "What is in a name?" The answer is - a lot, we can learn a great deal from names about their history, their culture, their interaction with the Gentile world, their wishes and desires, and what they considered important or otherwise. Most boys in almost every country were called by traditional Hebrew-Jewish names, often with some local adjustment, e.g., these Hebrew names in their English form: Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Solomon, David, etc., became, accordingly, in Arab countries Ibrahim, IsHaq, Musa, Suleiman/Salman, Daud; while girls were more often given foreign names. It is interesting to note certain names were only used by some Jewish communities, and not by others: Rahamim, Nissim, Siman-Tov, Bekhor, Mashiah, usually by many Sephardic communites but not by Ashkenazim. Some of these names indicate when the child was born: Hanukka, PesaH, Nissan, Shabbetai (cf. June, Julie/Julia, April in English). In Iraq and Kurdistan many were called after prophets believed to be buried there: Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra, Nahum, Jonah. Pet Names. Like in any other community, common Hebrew names aquired local pet forms, Just like in English David may become Dave, and Deborah > Deb, Debbie, so among Baghdadi Jews: YiSHaq "Isaac" > sHayyiq, Hugi, Abraham > Barhum, Efraim > Frumi,' Ezra >' Azzuri "Ezra"; YeHezqel > Hasqel; Hayyim > Hayyo; Ester > asti, Maryam > maryuma; Mordekhay > Mredikh, Mrudi. In modern times Jewish names tell us a great deal about the history and cultural influences on the Jews. Traditional Hebrew names have more than ever before been replaced by local Gentile names. So, in Iraq many Jews were called by Arabic names (Abdalla, Fuad, Idris, Habib, Sa'id, Ramzi. Nuri, Khzuri, SaliH; Gurjiya, TuffaHa, Latifa, Habbuba) and after contact with the British, English names became common (Edward, Morris, George, Alfred, Emil, and especially for women: Doris, Daizy, Blanche, Nancy, Fortunette, Rajina). However, names which are strongly associated with Islam or Christianity are usually avoided ; no Jew as far as I know was called Muhammad, Ali, Hasan, Hussein; Fatma;' Aysha, Khadija; Mary. Interestingly, the influence of Zionism resulted in using some very Zionistic family names as proper names, e.g. Herzel, Balfour, Weizman (after the first president of Israel). Sehayik family in Baghdad, 1938 II. Family Names Most people had no family names until modern times. In Iraq as a child I was called in school Yona (ibn) RaHamim, just as we still do in the synagogue, using our father's names. Some people were simply called by any identifying word, including physical defects: One-eyed Shlomo, David the Crippled, Esther with the Smooth Skin, Moshe the Tall One, Moshe the Short One, Shlomo the One-Eyed. However with urbanization, bureaucracy, military service, and taxation, it became necessary for everyone to have an official family name to make it easier to identify the person for internal Jewish needs and external government needs. Classification of Jewish Family Names (selection only) 1) Fathers name: Sasson Daud, Nuri Ezra, Yusef Ovadya, RaHmin Efrayim; Mas'uda Shemtob. 2) Mothers (Usually when the child was raised by the mother, father having died early): NaHum Hale; Shaul Maryuma; Abraham Zilkha, Sasson Zbeda; Hayyo Latifa; Hawwa, Habba (Habiba); RiHana,' Aziza um-el-Sabun. 3) Locality: Arbili, Kirkukli, Mislawi, Mindalawi, Bisrawi, el-'Eni (<'Ana); Ajami, Irani, Halabi, Istanbuli, Hindi, el-Masri; Shahrabani, Shirazi, Hanna Kirdiyya (of Kurdistan), Shami/Shamiya; Persian and Non-Arabic names, suggest that the original families were from abroad, e.g. Babayi, Agha-Baba, Aghasi, Namardi (Iran); Laniado (Spain); Alti Barmagh (Turkish' One with six fingers'). 4) Occupation: Abu-el-uti (one who irons); Abu-el-mishwi (sells roasted meat), Abu-el-Tirshi (sells pickles); Abu-el-Samak (sells fish); Abu-el-Shalgham (sells cooked turnips); Abu-Zluf (sold wigs for women, or had long side locks); Abu-Silan (date syrup); Tajer (merchant), Hakim (healer), Khayyat (tailor), Khayyat-Farfuri (one who joins broken china); Hayek (weaver); Kababchi, Halawchi (halwa maker), Shakarchi (candy man), Sabunchi (soap maker), Sabbagh (dyer), Tutunchi (tobacco seller), Qundarchi (shoemaker), Sayigh (smith), Battat (goose shepherd), Bazzaz (clothes merchant), Chitiyat (seller of embroidered clothes); Mekhanchi (wine-seller); Mjallid (bookbinder); Dallal (auctioneer, crier); Musaffi (refining smith); Mzayyen (barber,' beautifier'); Paniri (Cheese-seller); Fattal (owned spinning mill); Hakkak (polisher of precious stones); Sa'achi (watchman); Sarraf (banker); Tanakchi (tinsmith) Zanbar-Tut (singer, musician); Pachachi (seller of Pacha); Tawwaf (peddler of old clothes) 5) Jewish Function: (el=) Dayyan (judge in a Jewish court), Gabbay (synagogue treasure), Hakham (Rabbi), Kohen, Lewi/ Lawi, Hazzan (cantor); Somekh (aid to cantor); Mu'allim (Teacher, Rabbi), Shohet, Sofer (writer of Torah scrolls, tefillim umezuzot); Shammash (synagogue usher);' Abd-el-Nabi (servant of Prophet Ezekiel shrine);' Abd-el-'Zer (servant of the Shrine of Ezra), Rahel Immenu (in charge of a charity fund with that name), el-Wakil (in charge of Talmud Torah). 6) Quality or event: el-Aswad (black), el-Abyadh (white), Katan/Zghir (small), elKabir (big), el- qsayyer (short), Tawil (long, tall), Mkammal (perfect), Mdallal (pampered), el-Yatim (orphan), el-Majanin (crazed), Mwannes (entertainer), Dabbi (big like a bear), Da'bul (short and fat); Shahmon (very fat); Dassu-el-Jamal (was stepped on by a camel); Meshummada (one of them converted to Islam); Sha'shu' (clowns in weddings), Kashi (eunuch, hairless), Kharmush (face scared with ukht' Baghdad boil'); Jangana (noisy, quarrelsome) Bet-jiji (had many chicken in the house); Juweifi (their neighborhood was stinking of leather processing); el-Aqra' (bald); el-AfnaS (with flat nose); el-A'raj (lame), Yusuf al-A'ma (blind); el-Khanin (speaks through his nose). 7) Acronyms: Zilkha (אכלז = ןורהא ןהכל ערז; Mani (ינמ = ישי רצנ ןמ); Dangur (רוגנד = הירא רוג ןד). Selected References: Abraham Ben-Yaacob, Hebrew and Aramaic in the Language of the Jews of Iraq, Jerusalem, 1985 (in Hebrew), names lists: pp. 24-30. Gila Yona-Swery and Rahamim Rajwan, Dictionary of Iraqi Judeo-Arabic Dialect, Jerusalem, 1995 (in Hebrew), names list pp. 327-335. Yona Sabar,, "First Names, Nicknames and Family Names Among the Jews of Kurdistan," Jewish Quarterly Review, 65 (1974): pp. 43-51. ,דאדגבב תידוהיה הליהקה תודלותל םיניינע ףורצב ,לבב עסמ ,ןושש ןאמילוס דוד ו"טשתה םילשורי ,והינב ריאמ ךרע (List of names, pp.56-98).
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