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Moroccan Jewish Surnames - Common Last Names in Moroccan History - MyHeritage Wiki

Captured 2025-11-21

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Moroccan Jewish Surnames - Common Last Names in Moroccan History - MyHeritage Wiki

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This MyHeritage wiki page serves as a comprehensive guide to Moroccan Jewish surnames, exploring their origins, evolution, and variations across different linguistic and historical contexts. The page is primarily designed for genealogical researchers and those interested in tracing their Moroccan Jewish heritage, providing both historical background and practical research guidance. Contributed by Maor Malul, the resource examines surnames used by Jews in Morocco and the broader Moroccan Jewish diaspora, which has spread across Gibraltar, France, Israel, Canada, Venezuela, Portugal, Brazil, the United States, and the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The page provides extensive historical context, tracing Jewish presence in Morocco back to ancient times, with competing claims for the oldest Jewish communities between Ifrane (possibly dating to 361 BCE) and Volubilis (with 3rd-century CE Hebrew tombstones providing concrete evidence). The content details multiple waves of Jewish migration, from early Iberian Peninsula refugees fleeing Visigoth persecution in the 7th century to the massive influx following the 1492 Alhambra Decree and 1496 Portuguese expulsion. This later migration proved transformative, as the newly arrived and more affluent *rūmiyīn* ("Europeans") displaced local *forasteros* ("foreigners") in community leadership, eventually establishing Spanish religious traditions while maintaining distinctive Maghrebi influences. A key insight presented is that hereditary surnames were uncommon among Moroccan Jews before the late 15th century Spanish expulsion, with only scattered examples like L'Mdioni and Bahlul dating to the early 12th century. The practice became more widespread with Spanish Jewish settlement and peaked during the 1800s under European influence, particularly through institutions like the Alliance Israélite Universelle. The page addresses a crucial research challenge by explaining how Moroccan Jewish surnames often have multiple spellings due to different official languages (Arabic, French, Spanish, Hebrew) used by various registrars throughout history, providing examples like M'loul/Melloul/Melul/Malul and Botbol/Abitbol/Abutbul/Boutboul. Notable features include the integration of MyHeritage's genealogical tools, particularly highlighting how their SuperSearch technology accounts for spelling variants to assist researchers. The page also features historical elements like a photograph of Solica Hachuel's 1834 tombstone from Fez, Morocco, and includes promotional elements for DNA testing services. The content begins to explore patronymic surnames with the Ben- prefix (meaning "son of"), though this section appears to be cut off, suggesting the full page contains additional detailed categorization of surname origins and meanings.

Citation (APA Style)

Moroccan Jewish Surnames - Common Last Names in Moroccan History - MyHeritage Wiki. (2025, 11 21). www.myheritage.com. https://www.myheritage.com/wiki/Moroccan_Jewish_surnames

Technical Metadata

Domain www.myheritage.com
File Size 316 KB
Archived 2025-11-21T23:16:04.543883
Document ID #3
Languages 5 available