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A good name is better than fine oil - Kohelet 7:1 - קהלת ז:א

Yahasra.org Cemetery Statistics

Comprehensive Analysis of Moroccan Jewish Heritage Records

Generated: December 08, 2025

AI-Powered • Auto-Sync • Coordinate-Based Classification

Geographic Zone Classification

All 54 cemeteries in our database are classified into 3 geographic regions based on their precise GPS coordinates. This objective, coordinate-based approach ensures consistent regional classification for surname distribution analysis.

⬆️ North

latitude ≥ 34.26° (Kenitra and northward)

6,497 records (22.8%)

Includes: Tanger- Route de Rabat, Tetuan, Larache, Larache - Ancien cimetière, Tanger- Route du Portugal, Tanger- Route d'Assilah

⬌ Central

32.0° < latitude < 34.26° (Between Marrakech and Kenitra)

19,302 records (67.8%)

Includes: Casablanca BenM'Sik, Fez, Rabat - Ancien cimetière, Safi, Meknes, Debdou

⬇️ South

latitude ≤ 32.0° (Marrakech, Safi and southward)

2,688 records (9.4%)

Includes: Marrakech, Agadir, Mogador, Taroudant, Tafilalet, Demnate

Cemetery Distribution by Zone:

North:

• Ahfir

• Ceuta

• Imzoughen

• Kenitra

• Ksar-el-Kebir

• Larache

• Larache - Ancien cimetière

• Ouazzane

• Oujda

• Region du Rif

+ 5 more...

Central:

• Agourai

• Azemmour

• Azrou

• Beni-Mellal

• Boujad

• Casablanca

• Casablanca BenM'Sik

• Debdou

• Fez

• Mazagan

+ 9 more...

South:

• Agadir

• Ait Ourir

• Akka

• Anzal (Ouarzazate Province)

• Azaouia

• Boumalne Dades(province de Tinghir)

• Demnate

• Draa

• Er rachidia

• Erfoud

+ 10 more...

Methodology

1. AI-Powered Coordinate Discovery

When new cemeteries are discovered in burial records, the system automatically uses Claude AI to research and obtain precise geographic coordinates. Only when coordinates cannot be found automatically does the system request manual input.

2. Canonical Name Matching (Levenshtein Distance)

The Yahasra.org database employs the Levenshtein distance algorithm (Levenshtein, 1966) to standardize surname variants across cemetery records, enabling systematic identification of phonetic and orthographic variants of the same family name.

3. Location Quotients (Spatial Concentration)

Adapted from regional economic analysis (Isard, 1960), Location Quotients (LQ) measure the relative concentration of surnames across Morocco's 3 macro-regions, enabling identification of historically rooted family clusters and migration patterns.

28,487
Total Records
54
Cemeteries
1,711
Unique Surnames
1,847
Rabbis (6.48%)

Regional Distribution (Coordinate-Based)

6,497
North
latitude ≥ 34.26°
Kenitra, Tangier, Fez, Tetouan, Oujda
19,302
Central
32.0° < latitude < 34.26°
Rabat, Casablanca, Meknes, Settat
2,688
South
latitude ≤ 32.0°
Marrakech, Safi, Agadir, Essaouira

Cemetery Demographics

Cemetery Region Coordinates Records % of Sample Male % Female % Surnames Rabbis
Casablanca BenM'Sik Central 33.58°, -7.57° 9,423 33.1% 56.7% 42.3% 869 27
Fez Central 34.05°, -4.99° 6,004 21.1% 51.2% 41.2% 450 803
Tanger- Route de Rabat North 35.78°, -5.81° 4,137 14.5% 49.7% 49.6% 470 7
Marrakech South 31.62°, -7.98° 2,212 7.8% 52.7% 39.4% 311 214
Rabat - Ancien cimetière Central 34.02°, -6.84° 1,982 7.0% 54.6% 42.3% 401 37
Tetuan North 35.58°, -5.37° 1,513 5.3% 51.2% 41.6% 269 96
Safi Central 32.30°, -9.24° 852 3.0% 65.0% 29.6% 224 16
Meknes Central 33.89°, -5.57° 598 2.1% 40.1% 24.6% 154 237
Larache North 35.20°, -6.15° 502 1.8% 52.2% 47.2% 189 3
Agadir South 30.44°, -9.60° 312 1.1% 52.9% 39.7% 117 10
Debdou Central 33.98°, -3.04° 214 0.8% 43.5% 43.5% 20 37
Larache - Ancien cimetière North 35.17°, -6.16° 107 0.4% 57.9% 41.1% 59 0
Sefrou Central 33.84°, -4.84° 91 0.3% 13.2% 4.4% 34 78
Tanger- Route du Portugal North 35.78°, -5.81° 80 0.3% 40.0% 47.5% 23 11
Sale Central 34.04°, -6.81° 80 0.3% 6.2% 0.0% 41 80
Tanger- Route d'Assilah North 35.78°, -5.81° 77 0.3% 61.0% 29.9% 30 0
Mogador South 31.52°, -9.76° 35 0.1% 2.9% 0.0% 26 35
Taroudant South 30.47°, -8.88° 31 0.1% 77.4% 12.9% 21 11
Ksar-el-Kebir North 34.99°, -5.91° 30 0.1% 46.7% 26.7% 25 10
Tafilalet South 31.28°, -4.27° 28 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 15 28
Oujda North 34.69°, -1.91° 23 0.1% 56.5% 39.1% 10 1
Oufrane South 29.22°, -9.47° 19 0.1% 47.4% 0.0% 15 19
Demnate South 31.73°, -7.00° 19 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 8 19
Taza Central 34.21°, -4.00° 18 0.1% 22.2% 0.0% 13 15
Beni-Mellal Central 32.34°, -6.35° 16 0.1% 87.5% 12.5% 12 1
Ahfir North 34.95°, -2.10° 13 0.0% 61.5% 30.8% 11 1
Settat Central 33.00°, -7.62° 8 0.0% 87.5% 12.5% 8 1
Region du Rif North 34.84°, -4.50° 7 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5 7
Draa South 31.11°, -5.20° 6 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 6 6
Erfoud South 31.42°, -4.24° 5 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 3 0
Azaouia South 30.73°, -6.45° 4 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4 4
Er rachidia South 31.92°, -4.42° 4 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 4 3
Rabat - Nouveau cimetière Central 34.01°, -6.86° 4 0.0% 25.0% 75.0% 2 0
Souss-Massa South 30.43°, -9.57° 3 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3 3
Agourai Central 33.63°, -5.58° 3 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2 3
Oulad Tagra Central 32.40°, -8.65° 2 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2 2
Ceuta North 35.89°, -5.32° 2 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2 2
Tagante (Guelmim Province) South 29.13°, -9.78° 2 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2 2
Tamanarte (Souss-Massa) South 29.18°, -8.98° 2 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2 2
Kenitra North 34.27°, -6.59° 2 0.0% 50.0% 50.0% 2 1
Ouazzane North 34.80°, -5.58° 2 0.0% 50.0% 0.0% 2 2
Mazagan Central 33.26°, -8.50° 2 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 2
Azrou Central 33.43°, -5.22° 2 0.0% 50.0% 0.0% 2 2
Casablanca Central 33.59°, -7.60° 1 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 1
Boujad Central 32.76°, -6.39° 1 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 1
Azemmour Central 33.29°, -8.34° 1 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 1
Anzal (Ouarzazate Province) South 30.76°, -7.29° 1 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 1
Saidia North 35.08°, -2.22° 1 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 1
Akka South 29.42°, -8.25° 1 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 1
Telouet (Province de Ouarzazate) South 31.29°, -7.24° 1 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 1 1
Tamgret South 30.26°, -5.66° 1 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 1
Ait Ourir South 31.56°, -7.66° 1 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 1 0
Boumalne Dades(province de Tinghir) South 31.37°, -5.99° 1 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1 1
Imzoughen North 34.88°, -4.24° 1 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 1 0

Data Completeness

Surname 100.0%
28,486 valid / 1 missing
Gender 94.6%
26,936 valid / 1,551 missing
Year of Death 79.9%
22,760 valid / 5,727 missing
Age 29.2%
8,304 valid / 20,183 missing
Region 100.0%
28,487 valid / 0 missing

Temporal Distribution

Peak decade: 1950s with 5,004 records

Pre-1880s
1,540 (6.8%)
1880s
210 (0.9%)
1890s
322 (1.4%)
1900s
667 (2.9%)
1910s
483 (2.1%)
1920s
867 (3.8%)
1930s
2,044 (9.0%)
1940s
3,206 (14.1%)
1950s
5,004 (22.0%)
1960s
3,963 (17.4%)
1970s
1,803 (7.9%)
1980s
1,179 (5.2%)
1990s
809 (3.6%)
2000s
499 (2.2%)
2010s
154 (0.7%)
2020s
10 (0.0%)

Top 100 Surnames (Overall)

#1 1,237
cohen
cohen, kahn, kohen, kohn
#2 718
levy
benloulov, lavi, leb, leib, lev, levi, leviy, levy, livy, loeb, loeub
#3 574
ohayon
ohaion, ohana, ohanna, ohayon, ohayoun, ohnona, ohnouna, ohyion
#4 509
dahan
bendahan, bendaoud ohayon, dahan
#5 470
bendayan
aben danan, aben-danan, ben diwan, bendanan, bendayan, bendenoun, daddoun, dadon, dadoun, danan, danino, danon, danoun, dayan, dayane, dayen, denoun, douan
#6 462
bitton
battino, betan, bettan, bitan, biton, bitoun, bittan, bittane, bitton, bittoun, boton, botton
#7 442
soussan
ben sossan, ben soussan, ben sussan, bensanan, bensasson, bensiana, bension, bensiyon, bensosan, bensousan, bensoussan, benssoussan, bensusan, bensussan, sanane, sasson, sassoon, sassoun, sion, snioua
#8 413
hamou
abenhaim, ben haim, ben hamu, benhaiem, benhaim, benhamo, benhamou, benhamu, hamou, hamu, himi, himy
#9 388
amar
amar, amara, amor, ben amara, benamara, benamor, benamour
#10 363
moyal
ben mellul, ben mouyal, benmouyal, benmoyal, benmuyal, melloul, mellul, meloul, melul, moly, moual, mouiel, mouyal, moyal, muyal
#11 361
azoulay
azoulay, azoulaya, azouloay, azulai, azulay
#12 321
oiknine
ackin, akkoun, aknin, aknine, akoun, benakoun, oiknin, oiknine, ouaknin, ouaknine, waknin, waknine
#13 314
abitbol
abetbol, abi teboul, abitbol, abitbool, abiteboul
#14 307
elbaz
benelbaz, el baz, elbaz
#15 287
attias
aioutz, atias, attias
#16 287
mamane
benmaman, maman, mamane, mamani, mamann, mamin, mane, many, mnanou
#17 275
malka
ben malka, benmalka, malca, malka, malki, malqui, melka, molkou
#18 272
serero
aben-sour, abensera, abensor, abensour, abensur, sareoua, serero, seriro, seror, serouia, serouya, seroya, serreo, serrero, serroa, serrouya, serroya, serruya, soria, sra, suraoui
#19 272
perez
perez
#20 264
harroch
ben harosh, benharoch, benharoche, benharosh, benharroch, benharrosh, haroch, haroche, harosh, harouch, harroch, harroche, harrosch, harrosh, harrouch, harruch, harush
#21 248
toledano
toeldano, toledano
#22 246
suissa
bensasi, bensaya, saaya, seouya, sissey, sisso, souissa, suisia, suissa, suissia
#23 245
botbol
bitbol, botbol
#24 243
assayag
asayag, assayag, assyag, benasayag, benassayag
#25 239
chocron
benchocron, benchokrone, checroun, chocran, chocron, chokron, chokroun, choucron, choucroun, choukron, choukroun, schoukron, schoukroun, shocron, shocroun, shoucron, shukrun
#26 230
serfaty
sarfati, sarfaty, serfati, serfaty
#27 224
bensimhon
ben simhon, bensimhon, bensmehen, bensmhon, bensmihen, simhon
#28 222
assouline
assouline, assulin, asulin, benassoulin, benassouline, benasulin
#29 219
benzaquen
ben zaken, benzaken, benzakine, benzaquen, benzaquin, zaquen, zaquine
#30 217
benchimol
ben shimol, ben shmouel, ben shmuel, benchemoul, benchemoyel, benchimol, chemoul, chmouel
#31 204
edery
ederi, ederry, edery
#32 202
benchetrit
ben shetrit, benchetrit, benchettrit, chetreet, chetrit, chettrit, chitrit, shetreet, shetrit
#33 195
benarroch
benaroch, benaroche, benarosch, benarosh, benarroch, benarrosch, benarrosh
#34 191
hazan
hazan, hazon
#35 189
benatar
aben-attar, abenattar, attar, ben attar, benatar, benattar
#36 187
gabay
gababay, gabai, gabay, gabbay, jb, jobib
#37 184
sabbah
sabah, sabbah, sebah, sebbah
#38 183
abecassis
abecasis, abecassis, abeccassis, abicsous, abikassis, abikssis, aboucassis
#39 178
tordjman
tordjman, tordjmane, tordjmann, torjman, torjmane, tourdjman, tourgeman, trjman, trodjman, trojman, turjeman
#40 174
pinto
pinto, ponte
#41 160
bensimon
ben samoun, bensamoun, bensimana, bensimon, bensmien, bensmiyan, saman, samoun, samun, semana, simon, simony
#42 160
nahon
nahon
#43 154
sibony
saban, sabony, sabouny, sasbinan, seban, sebaoun, sebban, seboni, sibon, siboni, sibony
#44 152
sadoun
ben saadon, bensadon, bensadoun, bensadoune, oussadon, saadon, saadoune, sadoun, sadun, sidney
#45 148
benaim
benaim, benamou, benamu
#46 147
assaraf
assaraf, assarf, asseraf, asserraf, benaseraf
#47 145
elmaleh
almaliah, elmaleh
#48 142
marciano
marcianno, marciano, murcian, murcianno, murciano
#49 139
mimran
maimaran, maimran, memran, merran, merrane, mimran, mimrane, moreno
#50 137
sebbag
sabag, sabbag, sebag, sebbag
#51 137
ittah
benitah, benittah, itah, ittah, ytah
#52 134
hacohen
hacohen
#53 134
aflalo
afflalo, afilalo, aflalo, aflalou
#54 130
israel
israel, isrrael
#55 127
lugassy
lougassi, lougassy, lugasi, lugassi, lugassy, luguassy
#56 126
lasry
lasri, lasry, lesry, lesser
#57 125
abergel
abergel
#58 121
bouzaglo
bouzaglo, bouzaglou, buzaglo, buzaglou
#59 120
kadoch
caddich, cadoch, cadoche, cadosch, cadosh, cadouch, kaddoch, kaddoche, kaddouch, kadoch, kadoche, kadosch, kadosh
#60 120
amsellem
amsallem, amselem, amsellam, amsellem
#61 120
ouanounou
ayoun, benayan, benayon, benayoun, oianounou, oinino, oinounou, ouanono, ouanonou, ouanouno, ouanounou, wanono, wanonou, wanouno, wanounou
#62 116
bengio
ben gio, benagui, bengio, benjio, benjo
#63 115
hayon
ben hayon, ben hayun, benhanon, benhaoun, benhayon, benhayoun, hanan, hanonna, hanouna, hayane, hayon, hayun, hnina, ouhanounou, ouhayoun, ouhnouna
#64 111
chriqui
cheriki, cheriqui, chouraki, chouraqui, chrequi, chriki, chrikui, chriky, chriqui, schriqui, shrequi, shriqui, shuraki
#65 107
abittan
abetan, abettan, abitan, abittan, abtan, abttan
#66 107
benoliel
benoliel, benolol, oliel, olliel, ollo
#67 98
knafo
knafo, knafoi, knafou, knaphou, knoph
#68 94
banon
banon, banoun, ben, benain, benaion, benaioun, benbunan, benona, binayoun, bonan, bonana, bono, bouana, bounan, buenana, bueno, bunan
#69 94
benlolo
ben lulu, benlolo, benloulo, benloulou, lewy, loel, loya, oulel
#70 93
anidjar
anejar, anidjar, anijar, anjar
#71 92
obadia
obadia, ovadia
#72 91
azancot
azancot, azencot, azincot
#73 90
illouz
benillouz, benilouz, beniluz, illouz, illoz, illuz, iluz, yellouz
#74 90
abihssera
abehsera, abehserra, abehsira, abehssera, abhserra, abihsera, abihsira, abihssera, abihssira, abohasera, abouhassera, abuhsira
#75 88
zazon
benzaouen, benzazan, benzazon, benzenou, ouzana, zanon, zazan, zazon, zenou, zini
#76 88
monsonego
monsonego
#77 85
guigui
benguigui, guigue, guigui, jiu
#78 85
zrihen
benzrihen, zrihan, zrihen
#79 84
cherbit
bencherbit, charbbit, charbit, cherbit
#80 83
bentolila
bentolila, tolela, tolila
#81 81
assor
assera, assor, assour
#82 80
bohbot
bohbot
#83 79
ruimy
reyme, rouimi, rouimy, ruimi, ruimy
#84 78
sananes
sananes, senanes
#85 77
elfassy
alfassi, elfassi, elfassy, elfasy, elphassy
#86 75
berdugo
berdougo, berdugo
#87 74
dery
bendrao, de edery, derie, dery, drai, dray
#88 74
benabou
banabou, benabou, benabu
#89 74
moryoussef
morusef, moryosph, moryossef, moryoussef, moryusef, moryussef
#90 73
azran
azran, benazran
#91 72
laredo
laredo
#92 72
benmergui
ben mergui, benmergui, maraji, mergui, merguy
#93 71
wizman
ouizman, wiezman, wizeman, wizman, wizmane
#94 71
coriat
coriat, corriat, karroti, koriat, kurt
#95 70
bendavid
ben david, bendavid, dabda
#96 69
pariente
pariente
#97 68
abbou
abbou, aboab, abou, abuab, ben abbu, benabbou, benabiba
#98 68
amzallag
amzalag, amzallag
#99 66
benisty
ben isty, benisti, benisty
#100 66
nahmias
ben nahmias, nahamias, nahmias, nahmiass, nehemias

Regional Entropy Analysis

Understanding Shannon Entropy (H)

Shannon Entropy measures the geographic diversity of surname distribution across Morocco's three regions: North, Central, and South.

The Formula:

H = -Σ(pi · ln pi)

Where:

  • H: Entropy score (higher = more dispersed across regions)
  • pi: Proportion of the surname in each region
  • ln: Natural logarithm

Interpretation:

  • High Entropy (H ≈ 1.0-1.1): "Cosmopolitan" families spread evenly across all three regions (e.g., 40% North, 35% Central, 25% South)
  • Low Entropy (H ≈ 0.1-0.4): "Rooted" families concentrated in one primary region (e.g., 85% Central, 10% North, 5% South)

Note: Analysis includes only major surnames with ≥50 burial records and presence in at least 2 regions.

Visualizing Surname Dispersion Across Regions

Regional Entropy Graph

Top 10 Most Dispersed Surnames

Families spread across multiple regions

Surname Entropy (H) Regions Primary Region
moryoussef 1.094 3 Central (37.8%)
nezri 1.06 3 Central (42.1%)
benyayer 1.04 3 South (50.0%)
benlolo 1.039 3 Central (50.0%)
tangy 1.038 3 Central (50.0%)
benharbon 1.03 3 South (50.0%)
bentata 1.026 3 North (47.5%)
azancot 1.014 3 North (45.1%)
pinto 1.009 3 North (52.9%)
corsia 1.004 3 North (42.9%)

Top 10 Most Localized Surnames

Families rooted in one primary region (≥50 records)

Surname Entropy (H) Regions Primary Region
garzon 0.087 2 North (98.3%)
hacohen 0.088 3 Central (98.5%)
nahmani 0.098 2 Central (98.0%)
elalouf 0.139 2 Central (96.9%)
amiel 0.161 3 Central (96.9%)
ruimy 0.161 2 Central (96.2%)
zagury 0.163 3 Central (96.8%)
zazon 0.185 2 Central (95.5%)
elkaim 0.191 2 Central (95.2%)
marciano 0.236 2 Central (93.7%)

Top 10 Most Rooted Surnames (One region only)

Rare families with 100% concentration in ONE region only (Entropy = 0). These are truly indigenous names that never migrated across regional boundaries. Sorted by total count (≥50 records).

Surname Total Records Region Concentration
cherbit 84 Central 100%
derhy 51 Central 100%

Sub-Lineage First Name Signature Analysis

Research Hypothesis

Even within the same canonical surname, distinct genealogical lineages may have evolved separately in different regions. These sub-lineages can be identified by their first name preferences — different branches of the same family favor different naming traditions.

Example: If Ouaknine families in Tangier favor "Salomon" and "Isaac" while Ouaknine families in Marrakech favor "Abraham" and "Joseph", this suggests two distinct genealogical lineages that happen to share a surname.

Metrics Used:

  • FNCI (First Name Concentration Index): Analogous to Location Quotient, measures if a first name is over/under-represented in a specific region within a surname. FNCI > 1.5 indicates a "signature" first name for that regional branch.
  • Jensen-Shannon Divergence: Measures the "distance" between first name probability distributions across regions. Higher values indicate more distinct naming traditions.
  • Chi-Square Test: Statistical test for whether first name choice is independent of region. Significant result (p < 0.05) confirms distinct sub-lineages.

108

Surnames Analyzed

11

With Distinct Sub-Lineages (p<0.05)

267

Signature First Names Identified

Top 15 Surnames with Distinct Regional Naming Patterns

Sorted by Jensen-Shannon divergence (higher = more distinct traditions). *** indicates statistically significant differentiation (χ² test, p < 0.05).

Surname Records JS Divergence χ² Stat p-value Signature First Names by Region
bendavid 70 0.6866 South: ouyoussef abraham (2.33×); Central: joseph (1.75×)
corcos 51 0.6823 No strong signatures
castiel 50 0.6565 No strong signatures
illouz 90 0.6473 No strong signatures
mimran 139 0.6427 No strong signatures
obadia 92 0.6414 North: esther (3.29×)
knafo 98 0.6268 No strong signatures
afriat 57 0.6256 No strong signatures
bibas 53 0.6232 No strong signatures
laredo 72 0.6230 No strong signatures
elmaleh 145 0.6209 North: isaac (6.9×); South: Yaakov (13.18×)
amsellem 120 0.6174 Central: zohra (1.56×), esther (1.56×), rahma (1.56×), simha (1.56×), myriam (1.56×), jacob (1.56×)
ettedgui 60 0.6160 No strong signatures
dery 74 0.6147 No strong signatures
sananes 78 0.6061 No strong signatures

Detailed Sub-Lineage Analysis: Top 5 Most Differentiated

bendavid — 70 records across 2 regions

Regional Distribution:

  • Central: 40 (57.1%)
  • South: 30 (42.9%)

Divergence Scores:

  • Central-South: 0.6866

Signature First Names (FNCI > 1.5):

Central:

  • joseph: 1.75× (5 in region)

South:

  • ouyoussef abraham: 2.33× (4 in region)
corcos — 51 records across 2 regions

Regional Distribution:

  • Central: 39 (76.5%)
  • South: 11 (21.6%)

Divergence Scores:

  • Central-South: 0.6823

Signature First Names (FNCI > 1.5):

Central:

  • No strong signatures

South:

  • No strong signatures
castiel — 50 records across 2 regions

Regional Distribution:

  • North: 25 (50.0%)
  • Central: 22 (44.0%)

Divergence Scores:

  • North-Central: 0.6565

Signature First Names (FNCI > 1.5):

North:

  • No strong signatures

Central:

  • No strong signatures
illouz — 90 records across 2 regions

Regional Distribution:

  • North: 16 (17.8%)
  • Central: 73 (81.1%)

Divergence Scores:

  • North-Central: 0.6473

Signature First Names (FNCI > 1.5):

North:

  • No strong signatures

Central:

  • No strong signatures
mimran — 139 records across 2 regions

Regional Distribution:

  • Central: 124 (89.2%)
  • South: 10 (7.2%)

Divergence Scores:

  • Central-South: 0.6427

Signature First Names (FNCI > 1.5):

Central:

  • No strong signatures

South:

  • No strong signatures

Methodological Notes:

  • Analysis restricted to surnames with ≥50 records and presence in ≥2 regions (10+ per region)
  • FNCI (First Name Concentration Index) adapts Isard's Location Quotient for first name analysis
  • Jensen-Shannon divergence is a symmetrized version of KL divergence, bounded [0, ln(2)]
  • Chi-square test uses top 20 first names per surname to ensure adequate cell counts

Family Naming Culture Fingerprint

Concept

Each surname family has its own "naming culture" — certain first names appear more frequently within that family than in the general population. This analysis identifies distinctive first names that serve as markers for each family lineage.

Example: If "DAVID" appears in 7% of OUAKNINE records but only 3% of all records, then DAVID is 2.3× more common in Ouaknine families — suggesting it's a characteristic name for this lineage.

Metric Used:

  • FN-SQ (First Name Surname Quotient): (% in surname) ÷ (% globally). FN-SQ > 1.5 indicates a distinctive family name.

Note: As the database grows, these patterns will become more statistically robust.

1,696

Surname Families

28,209

Records Analyzed

2,190

Unique First Names

392

With Distinctive Patterns

Top 30 Largest Surname Families — Naming Fingerprints

Surname Records Unique Names Most Common First Name Distinctive Names (FN-SQ > 1.5)
cohen 1,229 29 ISAAC (4.1%) SIMHA (1.5×)
levy 707 19 ESTHER (6.5%) ESTHER (1.7×), ISAAC (1.65×)
ohayon 565 21 ABRAHAM (5.0%) MEIR (2.05×), SIMY (1.92×), JOSEPH (1.6×), MESSOD (1.51×)
dahan 507 20 JOSEPH (5.7%) HANNA (2.1×), JOSEPH (1.91×)
bendayan 466 14 GRAND (4.9%) GRAND (4.56×), ZOHRA (1.55×)
bitton 455 17 DAVID (4.8%) SHALOM (2.48×), DAVID (1.56×), SIMON (1.55×)
soussan 439 14 ABRAHAM (4.3%)
hamou 410 14 ABRAHAM (5.4%) MERIAM (2.04×), SIMHA (1.61×)
amar 384 15 ABRAHAM (4.7%) MEIR (2.61×), FREHA (2.54×), SIMHA (2.23×), SHALOM (2.2×)
moyal 362 14 RACHEL (11.3%) RACHEL (4.0×), ELIE (3.12×), HAIM (1.72×)
azoulay 354 14 ABRAHAM (4.8%) NISSIM (2.86×)
oiknine 314 11 DAVID (7.3%) DAVID (2.36×), HANNA (2.08×), MEIR (1.96×)
abitbol 308 14 JOSEPH (4.5%) RAFAEL (3.03×), HAIM (2.03×), MEIR (1.75×), JOSEPH (1.52×)
elbaz 305 11 ESTHER (5.9%) SHALOM (2.16×), GRAND (2.12×), ESTHER (1.54×)
attias 287 15 JOSEPH (5.2%) GRAND (3.22×), SIMON (2.9×), MESSOD (2.45×), MERIAM (2.18×)
mamane 287 14 HANNA (7.0%) HANNA (5.7×), ELIE (3.01×), RAFAEL (2.44×), ESTHER (1.64×)
malka 273 12 DAVID (5.9%) HAIM (2.97×), ELIE (1.95×), DAVID (1.89×), ZOHRA (1.51×)
serero 271 8 GRAND (17.3%) GRAND (16.04×), MAZAL-TOV (5.55×), RAFAEL (2.15×)
perez 266 12 DAVID (6.0%) HANANIA (5.71×), MEIR (2.32×), SALOMON (2.09×), DAVID (1.94×)
harroch 262 11 MOSES (5.0%) SIMHA (2.77×), MERIAM (1.86×), MOSES (1.83×), ZOHRA (1.57×)
toledano 248 9 ABRAHAM (4.4%) ESTRELLA (5.99×), YOSSEF (2.96×), MESSODY (2.47×), SIMY (1.8×)
botbol 245 11 ABRAHAM (4.5%) REINA (4.36×), HANNA (3.0×), MESSOD (2.05×), MERIAM (1.99×)
suissa 244 10 ISAAC (4.5%) FREHA (2.28×), MESSOD (2.06×), SIMON (1.84×), HAIM (1.79×)
assayag 242 11 ABRAHAM (7.0%) MESSOD (2.91×), SIMON (2.38×), YOSSEF (2.28×), MESSODA (2.27×)
chocron 236 9 ISAAC (6.4%) AMRAM (5.12×), LUNA (4.72×), CLARA (4.01×), ISAAC (1.77×)
serfaty 229 10 ABRAHAM (7.4%) GRAND (4.85×), MESSODA (2.06×), ABRAHAM (1.9×), HAIM (1.64×)
bensimhon 223 10 MESSODA (4.5%) MESSODA (3.52×), GRAND (2.9×), HANNA (2.57×), SIMHA (1.77×)
assouline 221 11 ESTHER (7.7%) MAKHLOUF (4.43×), HANNA (2.59×), HAIM (2.26×), FREHA (2.21×)
benzaquen 217 11 SIMY (8.3%) SIMY (5.29×), HANNA (2.26×), JOSEPH (1.69×)
benchimol 215 9 ESTHER (6.0%) ESTRELLA (4.32×), MESSODY (2.38×), JUDAH (2.34×), ESTHER (1.58×)

Detailed Naming Analysis — Top 10 Families

cohen — 1,229 records, 29 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
ISAAC 50 4.1% 3.6% 1.13×
JACOB 46 3.7% 3.07% 1.22×
ABRAHAM 45 3.7% 3.91% 0.94×
DAVID 43 3.5% 3.11% 1.13×
RACHEL 36 2.9% 2.83% 1.04×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 11.5% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 1
  • Distinctive names:
  • • SIMHA: 1.5× more common (28 occurrences)
levy — 707 records, 19 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
ESTHER 46 6.5% 3.83% 1.7×
ISAAC 42 5.9% 3.6% 1.65×
MOSES 22 3.1% 2.72% 1.15×
JOSEPH 20 2.8% 2.99% 0.95×
DAVID 17 2.4% 3.11% 0.77×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 15.6% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 2
  • Distinctive names:
  • • ESTHER: 1.7× more common (46 occurrences)
  • • ISAAC: 1.65× more common (42 occurrences)
ohayon — 565 records, 21 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
ABRAHAM 28 5.0% 3.91% 1.27×
JOSEPH 27 4.8% 2.99% 1.6×
ESTHER 26 4.6% 3.83% 1.2×
RACHEL 23 4.1% 2.83% 1.44×
DAVID 23 4.1% 3.11% 1.31×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 14.3% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 4
  • Distinctive names:
  • • MEIR: 2.05× more common (15 occurrences)
  • • SIMY: 1.92× more common (17 occurrences)
  • • JOSEPH: 1.6× more common (27 occurrences)
  • • MESSOD: 1.51× more common (17 occurrences)
dahan — 507 records, 20 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
JOSEPH 29 5.7% 2.99% 1.91×
ABRAHAM 27 5.3% 3.91% 1.36×
ISAAC 19 3.7% 3.6% 1.04×
JACOB 17 3.4% 3.07% 1.09×
MOSES 16 3.2% 2.72% 1.16×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 14.8% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 2
  • Distinctive names:
  • • HANNA: 2.1× more common (13 occurrences)
  • • JOSEPH: 1.91× more common (29 occurrences)
bendayan — 466 records, 14 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
GRAND 23 4.9% 1.08% 4.56×
ESTHER 19 4.1% 3.83% 1.06×
MOSES 15 3.2% 2.72% 1.19×
DAVID 15 3.2% 3.11% 1.04×
ZOHRA 14 3.0% 1.94% 1.55×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 12.2% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 2
  • Distinctive names:
  • • GRAND: 4.56× more common (23 occurrences)
  • • ZOHRA: 1.55× more common (14 occurrences)
bitton — 455 records, 17 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
DAVID 22 4.8% 3.11% 1.56×
ABRAHAM 21 4.6% 3.91% 1.18×
JOSEPH 20 4.4% 2.99% 1.47×
ESTHER 15 3.3% 3.83% 0.86×
JACOB 14 3.1% 3.07% 1.0×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 13.8% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 3
  • Distinctive names:
  • • SHALOM: 2.48× more common (12 occurrences)
  • • DAVID: 1.56× more common (22 occurrences)
  • • SIMON: 1.55× more common (11 occurrences)
soussan — 439 records, 14 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
ABRAHAM 19 4.3% 3.91% 1.11×
DAVID 19 4.3% 3.11% 1.39×
MOSES 15 3.4% 2.72% 1.26×
ESTHER 15 3.4% 3.83% 0.89×
RACHEL 13 3.0% 2.83% 1.05×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 12.1% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 0
hamou — 410 records, 14 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
ABRAHAM 22 5.4% 3.91% 1.37×
ESTHER 13 3.2% 3.83% 0.83×
RACHEL 12 2.9% 2.83% 1.03×
MERIAM 12 2.9% 1.44% 2.04×
JACOB 11 2.7% 3.07% 0.87×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 11.5% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 2
  • Distinctive names:
  • • MERIAM: 2.04× more common (12 occurrences)
  • • SIMHA: 1.61× more common (10 occurrences)
amar — 384 records, 15 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
ABRAHAM 18 4.7% 3.91% 1.2×
JOSEPH 16 4.2% 2.99% 1.39×
ISAAC 15 3.9% 3.6% 1.09×
DAVID 15 3.9% 3.11% 1.26×
FREHA 14 3.6% 1.44% 2.54×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 12.8% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 4
  • Distinctive names:
  • • MEIR: 2.61× more common (13 occurrences)
  • • FREHA: 2.54× more common (14 occurrences)
  • • SIMHA: 2.23× more common (13 occurrences)
  • • SHALOM: 2.2× more common (9 occurrences)
moyal — 362 records, 14 unique first names

Top 5 First Names:

Name Count % in Family % Global FN-SQ
RACHEL 41 11.3% 2.83% 4.0×
ELIE 17 4.7% 1.51% 3.12×
ISAAC 15 4.1% 3.6% 1.15×
JACOB 12 3.3% 3.07% 1.08×
HAIM 10 2.8% 1.6% 1.72×

Family Statistics:

  • Top 3 names cover: 20.2% of family
  • Distinctive names (FN-SQ > 1.5): 3
  • Distinctive names:
  • • RACHEL: 4.0× more common (41 occurrences)
  • • ELIE: 3.12× more common (17 occurrences)
  • • HAIM: 1.72× more common (10 occurrences)

Methodological Notes:

  • Analysis uses canonical_firstname field for normalized first name comparison
  • FN-SQ (First Name Surname Quotient) = (% in surname) ÷ (% globally)
  • FN-SQ > 1.5 indicates a distinctive name for that family (50% more common than expected)
  • No minimum record threshold — all families included for future growth
  • As database expands, patterns will become more statistically significant

📊 Surname Wordcloud

Visual representation of the most common surnames. Larger text indicates higher frequency.

Surname Wordcloud

Location Quotients (Regional Concentration)

Surnames with LQ > 1.5 indicate regional concentration. Higher values suggest historical family clusters.

Surname Region LQ Regional Count National Count
nahon North 3.89 142 160
benzaquen North 2.98 149 219
bitton South 2.55 111 462
benarroch North 2.41 107 195
pinto North 2.32 92 174
chocron North 2.11 115 239
hazan South 2.05 37 191
oiknine South 2.01 61 321
pinto South 2.01 33 174
ohayon South 1.88 102 574
benchimol North 1.86 92 217
sibony South 1.86 27 154
abitbol South 1.82 54 314
toledano North 1.79 101 248
azoulay South 1.76 60 361
abecassis North 1.75 73 183
perez South 1.68 43 272
benaim North 1.66 56 148
benchetrit South 1.57 30 202
benatar South 1.57 28 189

Canonical Name Matching - Confidence Distribution

Canonical name matching is calculated on the basis of the Laredo Moroccan Sephardi Names Index, the authoritative reference for standardizing name variants in Moroccan Jewish onomastics.

The Yahasra.org database employs the Levenshtein distance algorithm (Levenshtein, 1966) to standardize surname variants across cemetery records. This computational approach measures the minimum number of single-character edits required to transform one string into another, enabling systematic identification of phonetic and orthographic variants of the same family name against the canonical forms established in Laredo's authoritative index (1978).

Laredo, A. I. (1978). Les noms des Juifs du Maroc: essai d'onomastique judéo-marocaine. Hebraica Ediciones.

843
0
1,231
cohen_rule
21,553
exact_canonical
63
exact_variant
1,974
high
742
levy_rule
783
medium

Match Distance Statistics

0.99
Mean Distance
1.0
Median Distance
0.8
Min Distance
1.0
Max Distance

Rabbinic Distribution

142
North
2.19% of regional records
1,344
Central
6.96% of regional records
361
South
13.43% of regional records

Temporal-Spatial Migration Analysis

Tracking surname movement across Morocco's 3 geographic regions over 16 decades (1880s-2020s)

Most Mobile Families

Surnames showing significant geographic redistribution across decades. Mobility Score measures how frequently a surname's primary zone changed over time (0 = stable, 1 = maximum mobility).

Surname Mobility Score Zone Changes North % Central % South % Total Records
pinto 0.67 4 52.9% 28.2% 19.0% 174
toledano 0.5 5 40.7% 59.3% 0.0% 248
benarroch 0.5 3 54.9% 44.6% 0.5% 195
azoulay 0.44 4 20.2% 63.2% 16.6% 361
chocron 0.44 4 48.1% 49.4% 2.5% 239
benchimol 0.43 3 42.4% 53.5% 4.1% 217
benaim 0.4 2 37.8% 59.5% 2.7% 148
levy 0.33 4 27.3% 60.3% 12.4% 718
mamane 0.33 4 22.0% 68.6% 9.4% 287
botbol 0.33 4 22.0% 78.0% 0.0% 245
assayag 0.33 3 33.3% 63.0% 3.7% 243
gabay 0.33 2 31.6% 63.1% 5.3% 187
abecassis 0.33 3 39.9% 48.1% 12.0% 183

Most Rooted Families

Surnames maintaining stable geographic distribution across 5+ decades. These families demonstrate strong regional anchoring with minimal inter-zone migration.

dahan
Records: 509
Decades: 15
Central (80.0%)
hamou
Records: 413
Decades: 15
Central (75.5%)
attias
Records: 287
Decades: 15
Central (85.7%)
harroch
Records: 264
Decades: 15
Central (90.9%)
suissa
Records: 246
Decades: 14
Central (81.7%)
bensimhon
Records: 224
Decades: 13
Central (87.1%)
assouline
Records: 222
Decades: 14
Central (81.1%)
hazan
Records: 191
Decades: 15
Central (66.5%)
tordjman
Records: 178
Decades: 15
Central (79.8%)
bensimon
Records: 160
Decades: 13
Central (75.6%)
nahon
Records: 160
Decades: 13
North (88.8%)
sibony
Records: 154
Decades: 12
Central (74.0%)
sadoun
Records: 152
Decades: 14
Central (83.6%)
assaraf
Records: 147
Decades: 15
Central (88.4%)
marciano
Records: 142
Decades: 14
Central (93.7%)
mimran
Records: 139
Decades: 13
Central (89.2%)
sebbag
Records: 137
Decades: 13
Central (82.5%)

Surname Persistence & Evolution

📍 Continuous Presence Across All Decades

These 2 surnames appear in every decade from Pre-1880s to 2020s, demonstrating unbroken genealogical continuity across 140+ years.

moyal (363) azoulay (361)

🎯 High Zone Loyalty (≥80% in One Zone)

Surnames demonstrating exceptional regional anchoring with minimal migration patterns.

dahan 80.0%
Central • 509 records • 15 decades
attias 85.7%
Central • 287 records • 15 decades
harroch 90.9%
Central • 264 records • 15 decades
assaraf 88.4%
Central • 147 records • 15 decades
suissa 81.7%
Central • 246 records • 14 decades
assouline 81.1%
Central • 222 records • 14 decades
sadoun 83.6%
Central • 152 records • 14 decades
marciano 93.7%
Central • 142 records • 14 decades
bensimhon 87.1%
Central • 224 records • 13 decades
nahon 88.8%
North • 160 records • 13 decades
mimran 89.2%
Central • 139 records • 13 decades
sebbag 82.5%
Central • 137 records • 13 decades

🆕 Emerging Surnames (Post-1920)

Surnames first appearing in records after 1920, potentially indicating immigration, marriage alliances, or new cemetery documentation.

Surname First Appearance Total Records Dominant Zone
anidjar 1920s 93 North
benabou 1930s 74 Central
moryoussef 1920s 74 Central
benisty 1920s 66 Central
ifrah 1940s 60 Central
farache 1930s 56 North
ifergan 1930s 53 Central
barugel 1920s 49 North
bouhadana 1930s 49 Central
bouganim 1920s 47 Central
elharrar 1940s 47 Central
abisror 1920s 40 Central
zafrany 1930s 40 South
bensabat 1930s 39 Central
kakon 1940s 39 Central

First Names Analysis

Comprehensive analysis of 4,546 unique first names across all records

First Names Overview

TOTAL RECORDS
28,215
UNIQUE FIRST NAMES
4,546
MOST COMMON
esther
954 records (3.4%)

Top 50 First Names

1. esther (954)
3.4%
2. abraham (839)
3.0%
3. isaac (769)
2.7%
4. david (749)
2.7%
5. joseph (677)
2.4%
6. rachel (661)
2.3%
7. salomon (617)
2.2%
8. jacob (609)
2.2%
9. messod (471)
1.7%
10. simha (381)
1.4%
11. simon (366)
1.3%
12. simy (360)
1.3%
13. haim (354)
1.3%
14. freha (352)
1.2%
15. zohra (328)
1.2%
16. messoda (317)
1.1%
17. moise (275)
1.0%
18. samuel (264)
0.9%
19. hanna (263)
0.9%
20. aicha (259)
0.9%
21. elie (247)
0.9%
22. chalom (239)
0.8%
23. myriam (231)
0.8%
24. messody (216)
0.8%
25. meyer (207)
0.7%
26. sultana (185)
0.7%
27. aaron (184)
0.7%
28. albert (175)
0.6%
29. moche (174)
0.6%
30. raphael (170)
0.6%
31. judah (163)
0.6%
32. saada (152)
0.5%
33. mardoche (148)
0.5%
34. clara (147)
0.5%
35. reina (141)
0.5%
36. makhlouf (140)
0.5%
37. yossef (138)
0.5%
38. hnina (137)
0.5%
39. rahma (134)
0.5%
40. zahra (128)
0.5%
41. moses (127)
0.5%
42. sol (123)
0.4%
43. hanania (123)
0.4%
44. nissim (119)
0.4%
45. elyahou (114)
0.4%
46. hanina (112)
0.4%
47. estrella (111)
0.4%
48. nessim (111)
0.4%
49. Abraham (110)
0.4%
50. hassiba (108)
0.4%

📊 First Names Wordcloud

Visual representation of the most common first names. Larger text indicates higher frequency.

First Names Wordcloud

First Names by Decade

Evolution of popular first names across different time periods.

Pre-1880s

1. Abraham (95)
2. Yitshak (61)
3. Yaakov (58)
4. Moshe (58)
5. Yosef (50)
6. Yehuda (48)
7. Shlomo (45)
8. David (42)
9. Shmuel (33)
10. Messod (28)
11. Mordekhay (26)
12. Haim (18)
13. Maimon (16)
14. Shalem (14)
15. Aharon (13)
16. Eliahu (12)
17. Rafael (8)
18. abraham (8)
19. Reuben (7)
20. Yihye (7)

1880s

1. isaac (9)
2. moche (7)
3. elyahou (7)
4. abraham (7)
5. haim (6)
6. yehouda (6)
7. makhlouf (6)
8. simha (6)
9. messoda (6)
10. esther (5)
11. samuel (5)
12. messod (5)
13. yaacov (5)
14. raphael (4)
15. mazal-tov (4)
16. clara (4)
17. yossef (4)
18. yacoth (3)
19. grand rabbin messod (3)
20. grand rabbin abraham (3)

1890s

1. simha (15)
2. yossef (14)
3. david (13)
4. messoda (12)
5. myriam (11)
6. esther (11)
7. moche (10)
8. isaac (10)
9. abraham (9)
10. salomon (9)
11. yacoth (7)
12. haim (6)
13. rahma (6)
14. raphael (6)
15. mordekhai (6)
16. rachel (6)
17. yehouda (6)
18. zohra (6)
19. elyahou (6)
20. reina (5)

1900s

1. esther (31)
2. simha (27)
3. abraham (23)
4. isaac (19)
5. elyahou (19)
6. moche (18)
7. myriam (18)
8. messoda (18)
9. zohra (17)
10. hanna (16)
11. rahma (14)
12. david (14)
13. salomon (12)
14. yacoth (12)
15. yehouda (12)
16. samuel (11)
17. joseph (9)
18. hana (9)
19. freha (9)
20. yossef (9)

1910s

1. esther (18)
2. messoda (17)
3. isaac (16)
4. simha (13)
5. moche (13)
6. messod (13)
7. abraham (13)
8. hanna (11)
9. salomon (11)
10. yossef (10)
11. jacob (9)
12. mazal-tov (8)
13. elyahou (7)
14. samuel (7)
15. sultana (7)
16. yaacov (6)
17. zohra (6)
18. raphael (6)
19. myriam (6)
20. haim (6)

1920s

1. abraham (32)
2. isaac (28)
3. esther (27)
4. rachel (25)
5. simha (23)
6. zohra (21)
7. samuel (21)
8. freha (19)
9. myriam (19)
10. hanna (17)
11. messod (16)
12. moche (16)
13. aicha (15)
14. salomon (15)
15. messoda (14)
16. makhlouf (11)
17. jacob (10)
18. sultana (10)
19. david (10)
20. yaacov (10)

1930s

1. abraham (84)
2. esther (60)
3. isaac (58)
4. salomon (50)
5. david (44)
6. jacob (44)
7. rachel (41)
8. simha (41)
9. joseph (36)
10. messoda (35)
11. moses (33)
12. hanna (32)
13. messod (28)
14. zohra (27)
15. freha (26)
16. myriam (26)
17. messody (25)
18. samuel (25)
19. simy (24)
20. haim (21)

1940s

1. isaac (92)
2. abraham (88)
3. david (86)
4. esther (83)
5. rachel (82)
6. jacob (73)
7. salomon (61)
8. joseph (57)
9. simy (52)
10. haim (52)
11. messod (49)
12. simon (46)
13. myriam (45)
14. simha (39)
15. aicha (39)
16. samuel (35)
17. messoda (35)
18. sultana (34)
19. zohra (32)
20. moise (31)

1950s

1. esther (200)
2. abraham (153)
3. isaac (136)
4. david (132)
5. salomon (124)
6. jacob (120)
7. joseph (119)
8. rachel (103)
9. messod (89)
10. freha (87)
11. simon (81)
12. moise (80)
13. simy (74)
14. haim (60)
15. messoda (60)
16. zohra (58)
17. chalom (56)
18. aicha (54)
19. simha (51)
20. hanna (48)

1960s

1. esther (135)
2. abraham (124)
3. joseph (124)
4. isaac (109)
5. salomon (104)
6. david (104)
7. jacob (94)
8. rachel (93)
9. messod (66)
10. freha (57)
11. simon (53)
12. simha (48)
13. moise (47)
14. zohra (47)
15. simy (47)
16. haim (46)
17. elie (45)
18. aicha (41)
19. messoda (40)
20. judah (35)

1970s

1. esther (76)
2. jacob (45)
3. isaac (45)
4. joseph (43)
5. rachel (42)
6. abraham (40)
7. david (39)
8. simy (34)
9. salomon (32)
10. messod (29)
11. samuel (26)
12. haim (25)
13. messody (23)
14. albert (23)
15. simha (22)
16. moise (21)
17. freha (20)
18. meyer (19)
19. sultana (18)
20. simon (18)

1980s

1. esther (42)
2. joseph (34)
3. isaac (33)
4. simy (32)
5. rachel (31)
6. david (29)
7. salomon (25)
8. jacob (25)
9. abraham (21)
10. messody (20)
11. simon (19)
12. elie (19)
13. messod (17)
14. meyer (16)
15. zohra (16)
16. aicha (14)
17. freha (14)
18. samuel (13)
19. moise (12)
20. sultana (12)

1990s

1. rachel (25)
2. david (24)
3. joseph (23)
4. abraham (20)
5. esther (19)
6. simy (18)
7. isaac (17)
8. salomon (14)
9. messody (13)
10. jacob (13)
11. meyer (13)
12. simon (11)
13. estrella (10)
14. messod (10)
15. clara (10)
16. albert (9)
17. alegria (9)
18. judah (8)
19. reina (8)
20. haim (8)

2000s

1. esther (19)
2. david (14)
3. isaac (12)
4. rachel (12)
5. simy (11)
6. jacob (10)
7. meyer (9)
8. simon (9)
9. joseph (8)
10. jacques (7)
11. messod (7)
12. haim (7)
13. abraham (7)
14. moise (6)
15. zohra (6)
16. salomon (6)
17. alegria (6)
18. samuel (6)
19. elie (5)
20. chalom (5)

2010s

1. jacob (7)
2. marie (5)
3. simy (4)
4. esther (4)
5. david (3)
6. rachel (3)
7. joseph (2)
8. georgette (2)
9. perla (2)
10. abraham (2)
11. donna (2)
12. sarah (2)
13. salomon (2)
14. sol (2)
15. mazal (2)
16. zahra (2)
17. gabriel (2)
18. mazaltov (2)
19. claude (2)
20. salvador (2)

2020s

1. abraham (1)
2. alfred (1)
3. mazalto (1)
4. Madeleine (1)
5. elie (1)
6. nisso (1)
7. albert (1)
8. abrahm (1)
9. rachel (1)
10. raphael (1)

🆕 Emerging First Names (Post-1920)

First names appearing in records after 1920, indicating evolving naming traditions, immigration patterns, or cultural shifts.

First Name First Appearance Total Records Dominant Zone
messody 1920s 216 North
albert 1930s 175 Central
hanina 1920s 112 Central
luna 1920s 90 North
mazal 1920s 86 Central
marie 1930s 82 Central
perla 1920s 70 Central
alice 1920s 64 Central
alegria 1920s 54 North
rebecca 1930s 54 Central
jacques 1940s 53 Central
izza 1940s 52 Central
maurice 1940s 52 Central
hola 1930s 52 North
yudah 1920s 49 North

Temporal Analysis by Period

Detailed breakdown of surnames, name variants, and first names across 16 time periods

Pre-1880s

1,540 records (6.8% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. serero (73)
2. cohen (56)
3. toledano (48)
4. bendayan (43)
5. serfaty (33)
6. berdugo (32)
7. levy (31)
8. elbaz (26)
9. dahan (23)
10. cohen skali (22)
11. benatar (22)
12. abitbol (21)
13. sadoun (20)
14. bibas (20)
15. harroch (18)
16. hamou (18)
17. bensimhon (17)
18. monsonego (17)
19. malka (16)
20. mansano (16)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
serero (73): aben-sour, abensur, serero, serouya, serruya
cohen (56): cohen
bendayan (43): aben danan, aben-danan, danan, danino, dayan
serfaty (33): sarfati, sarfaty
levy (31): lavi, levi
elbaz (26): elbaz
dahan (23): dahan
cohen skali (22): cohen skali
benatar (22): aben-attar, attar, ben attar
sadoun (20): ben saadon, saadon, sadoun
bibas (20): bessia, bibas, bissia
harroch (18): ben harosh, benharroch, harosh, harroch
hamou (18): ben haim, ben hamu, hamou, hamu, himi
bensimhon (17): ben simhon, bensimhon
monsonego (17): monsonego
malka (16): malka
mansano (16): mansano, monson
mimran (16): maimaran, mimran, moreno
assouline (14): assouline, assulin
amar (13): amar, amor, ben amara
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. Abraham (95)
2. Yitshak (61)
3. Yaakov (58)
4. Moshe (58)
5. Yosef (50)
6. Yehuda (48)
7. Shlomo (45)
8. David (42)
9. Shmuel (33)
10. Messod (28)
11. Mordekhay (26)
12. Haim (18)
13. Maimon (16)
14. Shalem (14)
15. Aharon (13)
16. Eliahu (12)
17. Rafael (8)
18. abraham (8)
19. Reuben (7)
20. Yihye (7)

1880s

210 records (0.9% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. bendayan (9)
2. cohen (9)
3. attias (7)
4. sadoun (7)
5. bensimhon (7)
6. serero (7)
7. mamane (7)
8. dahan (6)
9. hamou (6)
10. hacohen (6)
11. harroch (5)
12. soussan (5)
13. serfaty (5)
14. monsonego (5)
15. botbol (4)
16. zazon (4)
17. elalouf (3)
18. elhyani (3)
19. benoliel (3)
20. sultan (3)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
bendayan (9): aben-danan, danan
cohen (9): cohen
sadoun (7): bensadoun, sadoun
serero (7): aben-sour, serero
mamane (7): maman, mamane
dahan (6): bendaoud ohayon, dahan
hamou (6): benhamou, hamou
harroch (5): benharroch, harroch
soussan (5): bensoussan, soussan
serfaty (5): sarfati, sarfaty
zazon (4): zazon, zenou, zini
moyal (3): melloul, moyal
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. isaac (9)
2. moche (7)
3. elyahou (7)
4. abraham (7)
5. haim (6)
6. yehouda (6)
7. makhlouf (6)
8. simha (6)
9. messoda (6)
10. esther (5)
11. samuel (5)
12. messod (5)
13. yaacov (5)
14. raphael (4)
15. mazal-tov (4)
16. clara (4)
17. yossef (4)
18. yacoth (3)
19. grand rabbin messod (3)
20. grand rabbin abraham (3)

1890s

322 records (1.4% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (27)
2. serero (15)
3. botbol (11)
4. bensimhon (8)
5. attias (8)
6. hamou (7)
7. soussan (7)
8. assouline (6)
9. hacohen (6)
10. dahan (6)
11. illouz (6)
12. serfaty (6)
13. elalouf (6)
14. benhamron (5)
15. mamane (5)
16. bitton (5)
17. sabbah (5)
18. tordjman (5)
19. mimran (5)
20. abbou (4)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
serero (15): aben-sour, serero, serouya
hamou (7): benhamou, hamou
soussan (7): bensoussan, sasson, soussan
mamane (5): mamane, mnanou
bitton (5): biton, bitton
abbou (4): abbou, benabbou
bendayan (4): aben danan, aben-danan, danan, danino
harroch (4): benharroch, harroch
sadoun (4): bensadoun, sadoun
sibony (3): sebban, sibony
chocron (3): checroun, chocron
amar (3): amar, amara, amor
benatar (2): attar, benattar
benoliel (2): benoliel, oliel
moyal (2): melloul, moyal
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. simha (15)
2. yossef (14)
3. david (13)
4. messoda (12)
5. myriam (11)
6. esther (11)
7. moche (10)
8. isaac (10)
9. abraham (9)
10. salomon (9)
11. yacoth (7)
12. haim (6)
13. rahma (6)
14. raphael (6)
15. mordekhai (6)
16. rachel (6)
17. yehouda (6)
18. zohra (6)
19. elyahou (6)
20. reina (5)

1900s

667 records (2.9% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (46)
2. bendayan (23)
3. dahan (21)
4. hacohen (20)
5. elbaz (18)
6. hamou (16)
7. assouline (16)
8. botbol (16)
9. harroch (14)
10. sadoun (14)
11. attias (13)
12. soussan (13)
13. bensimhon (13)
14. moyal (12)
15. serero (11)
16. monsonego (11)
17. assaraf (9)
18. mimran (9)
19. aflalo (9)
20. illouz (8)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
bendayan (23): aben-danan, ben diwan, bendenoun, dadoun, danan, dayan
dahan (21): bendaoud ohayon, dahan
hamou (16): benhamou, hamou
harroch (14): benharroch, harroch
sadoun (14): bensadoun, sadoun
soussan (13): bensoussan, sasson, soussan
bensimhon (13): bensimhon, simhon
moyal (12): melloul, moyal
serero (11): aben-sour, serero
assaraf (9): assaraf, asseraf
mimran (9): maimran, mimran
benatar (7): aben-attar, attar, benattar
suissa (6): sisso, suissa
cherbit (6): charbit, cherbit
hayon (5): benhayon, hayon
amar (5): amar, amor
benzaquen (4): benzaquen, zaquen
benchetrit (4): benchetrit, chetrit
benchimol (4): benchimol, chmouel
barchechat (4): bar sheshet, barchichat
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. esther (31)
2. simha (27)
3. abraham (23)
4. isaac (19)
5. elyahou (19)
6. moche (18)
7. myriam (18)
8. messoda (18)
9. zohra (17)
10. hanna (16)
11. rahma (14)
12. david (14)
13. salomon (12)
14. yacoth (12)
15. yehouda (12)
16. samuel (11)
17. joseph (9)
18. hana (9)
19. freha (9)
20. yossef (9)

1910s

483 records (2.1% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (21)
2. botbol (14)
3. hacohen (13)
4. harroch (11)
5. bensimhon (11)
6. serfaty (11)
7. bendayan (10)
8. serero (10)
9. hamou (10)
10. soussan (9)
11. assayag (9)
12. sadoun (8)
13. assouline (8)
14. attias (8)
15. abitbol (8)
16. sibony (8)
17. levy (7)
18. elbaz (7)
19. dahan (7)
20. aflalo (6)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
harroch (11): benharroch, harroch
bensimhon (11): bensimhon, simhon
serfaty (11): sarfaty, serfati, serfaty
bendayan (10): aben-danan, danan
serero (10): aben-sour, abensur, serero, serruya
soussan (9): bensoussan, sasson, soussan, susanna
assayag (9): asayag, assayag
sibony (8): sebban, siboni, sibony
dahan (7): bendaoud ohayon, dahan
aflalo (6): afflalo, aflalo
mamane (6): maman, mamane
cherbit (5): bencherbit, cherbit
azoulay (5): azoulay, azulay
amar (5): amar, amara, amor
mimran (5): maimran, mimran
zazon (5): zazon, zenou, zini
hayon (4): hayon, hnina
abbou (3): abbou, abuab
nahmani (3): nahmani, nahmany
moyal (3): melul, moyal, muyal
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. esther (18)
2. messoda (17)
3. isaac (16)
4. simha (13)
5. moche (13)
6. messod (13)
7. abraham (13)
8. hanna (11)
9. salomon (11)
10. yossef (10)
11. jacob (9)
12. mazal-tov (8)
13. elyahou (7)
14. samuel (7)
15. sultana (7)
16. yaacov (6)
17. zohra (6)
18. raphael (6)
19. myriam (6)
20. haim (6)

1920s

867 records (3.8% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (45)
2. hamou (29)
3. soussan (21)
4. bensimhon (21)
5. harroch (19)
6. serfaty (18)
7. bendayan (17)
8. chocron (17)
9. serero (15)
10. benchimol (15)
11. assouline (15)
12. levy (14)
13. dahan (12)
14. bitton (11)
15. azoulay (11)
16. botbol (10)
17. assayag (10)
18. oiknine (9)
19. amsellem (9)
20. ittah (9)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
hamou (29): benhaim, benhamou, benhamu, hamou, himy
soussan (21): bensoussan, bensusan, sniouai, soussan, soussana
bensimhon (21): bensimhon, simhon
harroch (19): benharroch, harroch, harush
serfaty (18): sarfaty, serfati, serfaty
bendayan (17): aben-danan, bendayan, danan, danoun
chocron (17): checroun, chocron, choukroun, shocron
serero (15): aben-sour, sareoua, serero, serouya, serreo, serruya
dahan (12): bendahan, dahan
bitton (11): bettan, biton, bitton
azoulay (11): azoulay, azulay
oiknine (9): akkoun, aknin, oiknine, ouaknine, waknine
amsellem (9): amselem, amsellem
ittah (9): benittah, ittah
moyal (9): melloul, melul, moyal
abbou (8): abbou, abuab
cherbit (8): charbit, cherbit
ohayon (7): ohana, ohayon
benchetrit (7): benchetrit, chetrit
mamane (7): benmaman, maman, mamane
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. abraham (32)
2. isaac (28)
3. esther (27)
4. rachel (25)
5. simha (23)
6. zohra (21)
7. samuel (21)
8. freha (19)
9. myriam (19)
10. hanna (17)
11. messod (16)
12. moche (16)
13. aicha (15)
14. salomon (15)
15. messoda (14)
16. makhlouf (11)
17. jacob (10)
18. sultana (10)
19. david (10)
20. yaacov (10)

1930s

2,044 records (9.0% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (122)
2. levy (60)
3. dahan (46)
4. bendayan (43)
5. hamou (43)
6. moyal (37)
7. benzaquen (37)
8. bensimhon (34)
9. assayag (30)
10. soussan (30)
11. azoulay (29)
12. attias (27)
13. benchimol (26)
14. benarroch (25)
15. mamane (24)
16. bitton (24)
17. elbaz (23)
18. chocron (22)
19. botbol (21)
20. tordjman (21)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
dahan (46): bendahan, bendaoud ohayon, dahan
bendayan (43): aben-danan, bendayan, dadon, danan, danino, danoun, dayan
hamou (43): abenhaim, ben haim, benhaim, benhamou, benhamu, hamou
moyal (37): ben mouyal, benmouyal, melloul, melul, mouyal, moyal, muyal
benzaquen (37): benzaquen, zaquen
bensimhon (34): bensimhon, simhon
assayag (30): asayag, assayag, benasayag, benassayag
soussan (30): bensasson, bension, bensousan, bensoussan, bensusan, sasson, sion, soussan, soussana, susana
azoulay (29): azoulay, azulay
attias (27): atias, attias
benchimol (26): benchimol, chemoul
benarroch (25): benaroch, benarroch, benarrosh
mamane (24): benmaman, maman, mamane
bitton (24): bettan, bitan, biton, bitton
elbaz (23): benelbaz, elbaz
tordjman (21): tordjman, trodjman
harroch (20): benharoch, benharroch, benharrosh, harroch
amsellem (20): amselem, amsellem
benchetrit (19): benchetrit, chetrit
serero (18): aben-sour, abensour, abensur, serero, serouya, serruya
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. abraham (84)
2. esther (60)
3. isaac (58)
4. salomon (50)
5. david (44)
6. jacob (44)
7. rachel (41)
8. simha (41)
9. joseph (36)
10. messoda (35)
11. moses (33)
12. hanna (32)
13. messod (28)
14. zohra (27)
15. freha (26)
16. myriam (26)
17. messody (25)
18. samuel (25)
19. simy (24)
20. haim (21)

1940s

3,206 records (14.1% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (164)
2. levy (96)
3. azoulay (64)
4. dahan (55)
5. soussan (50)
6. bitton (48)
7. bendayan (46)
8. amar (39)
9. hamou (39)
10. serfaty (38)
11. hazan (36)
12. chocron (36)
13. moyal (35)
14. bensimhon (32)
15. harroch (32)
16. benzaquen (32)
17. botbol (32)
18. assouline (31)
19. ohayon (30)
20. benarroch (30)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
levy (96): levi, levy, loeub
azoulay (64): azoulay, azulai, azulay
dahan (55): bendahan, bendaoud ohayon, dahan
soussan (50): bensoussan, bensusan, sanane, sasson, soussan, soussana, susana
bitton (48): biton, bitoun, bitton
bendayan (46): aben-danan, bendayan, bendenoun, daddoun, dadon, danan, danino, dayan, denoun
amar (39): amar, amara, amor
hamou (39): abenhaim, benhaim, benhamou, benhamu, hamou
serfaty (38): sarfaty, serfaty
chocron (36): checroun, chocron, choucron
moyal (35): benmoyal, benmuyal, melloul, melul, mouyal, moyal, muyal
bensimhon (32): bensimhon, simhon
harroch (32): benharroch, harroch
benzaquen (32): benzaquen, zaquen
assouline (31): assouline, asulin
ohayon (30): ohana, ohayon, ohnona
benarroch (30): benarroch, benarrosh
serero (29): aben-sour, serero, serruya
benoliel (28): benoliel, benolol, oliel, ollo
mamane (27): benmaman, maman, mamane, mnanou
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. isaac (92)
2. abraham (88)
3. david (86)
4. esther (83)
5. rachel (82)
6. jacob (73)
7. salomon (61)
8. joseph (57)
9. simy (52)
10. haim (52)
11. messod (49)
12. simon (46)
13. myriam (45)
14. simha (39)
15. aicha (39)
16. samuel (35)
17. messoda (35)
18. sultana (34)
19. zohra (32)
20. moise (31)

1950s

5,004 records (22.0% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (228)
2. levy (132)
3. amar (93)
4. bitton (89)
5. ohayon (87)
6. soussan (81)
7. dahan (78)
8. bendayan (71)
9. azoulay (71)
10. hamou (66)
11. oiknine (61)
12. toledano (56)
13. abitbol (56)
14. perez (55)
15. suissa (53)
16. moyal (52)
17. malka (51)
18. elbaz (47)
19. benchimol (47)
20. edery (47)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
cohen (228): cohen, kahn, kohen, kohn
levy (132): leb, leib, levy, loeb, loeub
amar (93): amar, amara, amor, benamara, benamor
bitton (89): bettan, biton, bitoun, bittan, bitton
ohayon (87): ohana, ohayon, ohayoun, ohnona, ohnouna, ohyion
soussan (81): ben sossan, bensanan, bensoussan, bensusan, sasson, sassoun, soussan, soussana, susana
dahan (78): bendahan, bendaoud ohayon, dahan
bendayan (71): aben-danan, bendayan, bendenoun, dadoun, danan, danino, dayan, dayen, denoun
azoulay (71): azoulay, azoulaya, azulay
hamou (66): abenhaim, benhaim, benhamou, benhamu, hamou, hamu, himy
oiknine (61): oiknin, oiknine, ouaknin, ouaknine, waknin, waknine
abitbol (56): abetbol, abi teboul, abitbol, abitbool, abiteboul
suissa (53): sisso, souissa, suissa, suissia
moyal (52): benmouyal, melloul, mellul, melul, mouyal, moyal, muyal
malka (51): ben malka, malca, malka, malqui, molkou
elbaz (47): benelbaz, elbaz
benchimol (47): benchimol, chemoul
edery (47): ederry, edery
benzaquen (45): benzaken, benzakine, benzaquen, zaquen
mamane (42): benmaman, maman, mamane, mamann, mane
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. esther (200)
2. abraham (153)
3. isaac (136)
4. david (132)
5. salomon (124)
6. jacob (120)
7. joseph (119)
8. rachel (103)
9. messod (89)
10. freha (87)
11. simon (81)
12. moise (80)
13. simy (74)
14. haim (60)
15. messoda (60)
16. zohra (58)
17. chalom (56)
18. aicha (54)
19. simha (51)
20. hanna (48)

1960s

3,963 records (17.4% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (191)
2. levy (104)
3. ohayon (77)
4. bitton (73)
5. dahan (66)
6. bendayan (64)
7. soussan (56)
8. amar (51)
9. hamou (47)
10. chocron (45)
11. malka (44)
12. edery (42)
13. abitbol (42)
14. mamane (41)
15. benarroch (40)
16. moyal (40)
17. bensimon (39)
18. azoulay (38)
19. perez (38)
20. elbaz (38)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
levy (104): leb, leviy, levy, loeub
ohayon (77): ohana, ohayon, ohnona
bitton (73): battino, bettan, biton, bitoun, bitton
dahan (66): bendahan, dahan
bendayan (64): aben danan, aben-danan, bendayan, dadon, dadoun, danan, danino, dayan, denoun, douan
soussan (56): bensoussan, bensusan, bensussan, sasson, sassoon, sion, soussan, soussana, susana
amar (51): amar, amor
hamou (47): abenhaim, benhaim, benhamou, benhamu, hamou, hamu
chocron (45): benchokrone, checroun, chocron, chokron, chokroun, choukron, choukroun, schoukron, schoukroun, shocron
malka (44): ben malka, malca, malka, melka
mamane (41): benmaman, maman, mamane, mamann, many
benarroch (40): benaroch, benarosch, benarosh, benarroch, benarrosch, benarrosh
moyal (40): benmouyal, benmoyal, melloul, mellul, meloul, melul, mouyal, moyal, muyal
bensimon (39): bensamoun, bensimon, bensmien, samoun, semana, simon, simony
azoulay (38): azoulay, azulay
elbaz (38): benelbaz, elbaz
pinto (38): pinto, ponte
oiknine (37): benakoun, oiknin, oiknine, ouaknin, ouaknine, waknine
abecassis (34): abecasis, abecassis
assouline (33): assouline, benassouline, benasulin
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. esther (135)
2. abraham (124)
3. joseph (124)
4. isaac (109)
5. salomon (104)
6. david (104)
7. jacob (94)
8. rachel (93)
9. messod (66)
10. freha (57)
11. simon (53)
12. simha (48)
13. moise (47)
14. zohra (47)
15. simy (47)
16. haim (46)
17. elie (45)
18. aicha (41)
19. messoda (40)
20. judah (35)

1970s

1,803 records (7.9% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (81)
2. levy (49)
3. dahan (38)
4. ohayon (37)
5. bitton (31)
6. bendayan (28)
7. soussan (26)
8. elbaz (24)
9. hamou (23)
10. oiknine (22)
11. attias (21)
12. abitbol (20)
13. benchimol (18)
14. amar (17)
15. azoulay (17)
16. benchetrit (16)
17. serfaty (15)
18. assayag (15)
19. benzaquen (15)
20. edery (15)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
levy (49): leb, levy
dahan (38): bendahan, bendaoud ohayon, dahan
ohayon (37): ohana, ohayon, ohnona
bitton (31): bitoun, bittan, bitton
bendayan (28): aben-danan, bendanan, bendayan, dadoun, danan, danino, dayan, denoun
soussan (26): bensoussan, bensusan, bensussan, soussan, soussana, soussane
hamou (23): abenhaim, benhaim, benhamou, benhamu, hamou, hamu, himi, himy
oiknine (22): oiknine, ouaknin, ouaknine, waknine
azoulay (17): azoulay, azulay
benchetrit (16): benchetrit, chetrit, shetrit
assayag (15): assayag, assyag, benassayag
bengio (14): bengio, benjo
malka (14): malca, malka
ruimy (14): reyme, ruimy
mamane (13): benmaman, maman, mamane
bensimon (13): bensimon, bensmien, saman, simony
ouanounou (13): benayon, benayoun, ouanounou, wanono
harroch (12): benharroch, benharrosh, harosh, harroch, harrosh, harrouch
bensimhon (12): bensimhon, bensmihen, simhon
chocron (12): chocron, shocron
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. esther (76)
2. jacob (45)
3. isaac (45)
4. joseph (43)
5. rachel (42)
6. abraham (40)
7. david (39)
8. simy (34)
9. salomon (32)
10. messod (29)
11. samuel (26)
12. haim (25)
13. messody (23)
14. albert (23)
15. simha (22)
16. moise (21)
17. freha (20)
18. meyer (19)
19. sultana (18)
20. simon (18)

1980s

1,179 records (5.2% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (44)
2. levy (29)
3. bitton (26)
4. ohayon (26)
5. abitbol (25)
6. oiknine (23)
7. moyal (22)
8. soussan (22)
9. hamou (22)
10. dahan (18)
11. amar (16)
12. abecassis (16)
13. tordjman (16)
14. toledano (16)
15. benchetrit (16)
16. perez (15)
17. edery (14)
18. bendayan (13)
19. bouzaglo (12)
20. azoulay (12)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
levy (29): leb, levy
bitton (26): biton, bitoun, bitton, bittoun
ohayon (26): ohana, ohayon
oiknine (23): ackin, akoun, oiknin, oiknine, ouaknine, waknine
moyal (22): melloul, mellul, melul, mouyal, moyal, muyal
soussan (22): bensiyon, bensoussan, bensussan, soussan, soussana
hamou (22): benhaim, benhamou, benhamu, hamou, hamu, himi, himy
dahan (18): bendahan, dahan
tordjman (16): tordjman, torjman, trodjman
toledano (16): toeldano, toledano
benchetrit (16): benchetrit, chetrit
perez (15): perez
bendayan (13): bendayan, dadoun, danan
bouzaglo (12): bouzaglo, bouzaglou, buzaglo
azoulay (12): azoulay, azulay
obadia (10): obadia, ovadia
gabay (10): gabay, gabbay
suissa (10): bensaya, sisso, suissa
chocron (10): chocron, choucroun, choukroun, shocron
benarroch (10): benarroch, benarrosh
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. esther (42)
2. joseph (34)
3. isaac (33)
4. simy (32)
5. rachel (31)
6. david (29)
7. salomon (25)
8. jacob (25)
9. abraham (21)
10. messody (20)
11. simon (19)
12. elie (19)
13. messod (17)
14. meyer (16)
15. zohra (16)
16. aicha (14)
17. freha (14)
18. samuel (13)
19. moise (12)
20. sultana (12)

1990s

809 records (3.6% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (34)
2. levy (25)
3. ohayon (19)
4. bitton (17)
5. elbaz (15)
6. dahan (13)
7. soussan (12)
8. suissa (12)
9. hamou (11)
10. benzaquen (11)
11. amar (10)
12. benchimol (9)
13. bendayan (9)
14. botbol (9)
15. lasry (9)
16. edery (8)
17. elmaleh (8)
18. kadoch (8)
19. sebbag (8)
20. myara (8)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
levy (25): leb, levy
ohayon (19): ohana, ohayon, ohnona
bitton (17): bettan, bitoun, bitton
elbaz (15): benelbaz, elbaz
dahan (13): bendahan, dahan
soussan (12): bensoussan, sasson, soussan, soussana
suissa (12): bensaya, suissa
hamou (11): abenhaim, benhamou, hamou, himy
bendayan (9): bendayan, dadoun, danan, dayan
kadoch (8): kadoch, kadoche
sebbag (8): sebag, sebbag
myara (8): benmiyara, meyer, myara
benarroch (8): benaroch, benarroch, benarrosh
assayag (7): assayag, benasayag, benassayag
benchetrit (7): benchetrit, chetrit
oiknine (7): oiknine, ouaknine, waknine
benatar (6): attar, benatar, benattar
ittah (6): benitah, ittah
obadia (6): obadia, ovadia
moyal (6): melul, moyal
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. rachel (25)
2. david (24)
3. joseph (23)
4. abraham (20)
5. esther (19)
6. simy (18)
7. isaac (17)
8. salomon (14)
9. messody (13)
10. jacob (13)
11. meyer (13)
12. simon (11)
13. estrella (10)
14. messod (10)
15. clara (10)
16. albert (9)
17. alegria (9)
18. judah (8)
19. reina (8)
20. haim (8)

2000s

499 records (2.2% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. cohen (18)
2. ohayon (17)
3. dahan (14)
4. levy (14)
5. bitton (10)
6. botbol (9)
7. abecassis (8)
8. oiknine (8)
9. elbaz (8)
10. perez (8)
11. chocron (8)
12. hamou (8)
13. abitbol (8)
14. moyal (7)
15. benzaquen (7)
16. malka (6)
17. toledano (6)
18. elharrar (6)
19. hazan (6)
20. edery (6)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
ohayon (17): ohana, ohayon, ohnona
dahan (14): bendahan, dahan
bitton (10): bitoun, bittane, bitton
oiknine (8): ackin, oiknine, ouaknin, ouaknine, waknine
chocron (8): chocron, chokron
hamou (8): abenhaim, benhaim, benhamou, himy
moyal (7): melloul, mellul, melul, moyal, muyal
benzaquen (7): benzaquen, zaquine
amsellem (5): amsallem, amsellem
tordjman (5): tordjman, torjmane
soussan (5): bensoussan, soussan, soussana, soussanna
ouanounou (5): benayon, benayoun, oinounou, ouanounou
chriqui (4): chriqui, shriqui
marciano (4): marciano, murciano
benarroch (4): benarroch
sibony (3): siboni, sibony
elfassy (3): elfassy, elfasy
abittan (3): abitan, abittan, abtan
benatar (2): benatar, benattar
benzekri (2): benzekri, benzekry
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. esther (19)
2. david (14)
3. isaac (12)
4. rachel (12)
5. simy (11)
6. jacob (10)
7. meyer (9)
8. simon (9)
9. joseph (8)
10. jacques (7)
11. messod (7)
12. haim (7)
13. abraham (7)
14. moise (6)
15. zohra (6)
16. salomon (6)
17. alegria (6)
18. samuel (6)
19. elie (5)
20. chalom (5)

2010s

154 records (0.7% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. levy (10)
2. cohen (8)
3. abitbol (4)
4. tordjman (4)
5. bendayan (3)
6. hamou (3)
7. oiknine (3)
8. dahan (3)
9. ouanounou (3)
10. serfaty (3)
11. wahnich (3)
12. chocron (2)
13. bisror (2)
14. azoulay (2)
15. bengio (2)
16. azancot (2)
17. assayag (2)
18. serero (2)
19. perez (2)
20. lasry (2)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
bendayan (3): bendayan, dadoun, dayan
hamou (3): benhaim, benhamou
oiknine (3): oiknine, ouaknine
dahan (3): bendahan, dahan
ouanounou (3): benayoun, ouanounou, wanounou
serfaty (3): sarfaty, serfaty
chocron (2): choukroun, schoukroun
azoulay (2): azoulay, azulay
serero (2): serero, serruya
gabay (2): gabay, gabbay
essayag (2): esayag, essayag
elbaz (2): el baz, elbaz
benarroch (2): benaroch, benarroch
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. jacob (7)
2. marie (5)
3. simy (4)
4. esther (4)
5. david (3)
6. rachel (3)
7. joseph (2)
8. georgette (2)
9. perla (2)
10. abraham (2)
11. donna (2)
12. sarah (2)
13. salomon (2)
14. sol (2)
15. mazal (2)
16. zahra (2)
17. gabriel (2)
18. mazaltov (2)
19. claude (2)
20. salvador (2)

2020s

10 records (0.0% of temporal sample)

Top 20 Surnames

1. amzallag (1)
2. azoulay (1)
3. benzekri (1)
4. bouskila (1)
5. elalouf (1)
6. gabay (1)
7. benlisha (1)
8. levy bencheton (1)
9. moyal (1)
10. sadoun (1)
View Name Variants (Top 20)
View Top First Names (Top 20)
1. abraham (1)
2. alfred (1)
3. mazalto (1)
4. Madeleine (1)
5. elie (1)
6. nisso (1)
7. albert (1)
8. abrahm (1)
9. rachel (1)
10. raphael (1)

About This Analysis

This comprehensive statistical analysis is based on the Yahasra.org digital heritage project, documenting Moroccan Jewish cemetery records spanning 1850-2025. The methodology employs coordinate-based geographic classification, Levenshtein distance for canonical name matching, and Location Quotients for spatial concentration analysis.

Research and analysis by: Dr Yohanan Ouaknine
Yahasra.org - Preserving Moroccan Jewish Heritage

References

Isard, W. (1960). Methods of regional analysis: An introduction to regional science. MIT Press.

Laredo, A. I. (1978). Les noms des Juifs du Maroc: essai d'onomastique judéo-marocaine. Hebraica Ediciones.

Levenshtein, V. I. (1966). Binary codes capable of correcting deletions, insertions, and reversals. Soviet Physics Doklays, 10(8), 707-710.

Ouaknine, Y. (2025). Yahasra.org: Digital archive of Moroccan Jewish cemetery records [Database]. Retrieved December 08, 2025, from https://yahasra.org