The meaning of names among Mediterranean Jews
Marc Eliany
©
ABRAVANEL AbRabanEl (see also Abraham)
among other possible variations depending on the country and language of the person.
Abravanel is one of the most representative names of the Golden Age of the Spanish/Portuguese Jewry. The name may be related to Abraham but it may stand alone, as a composite of three Hebrew elements: ab = father, raban = rabbi/teacher and el = God. The name is especially meaningful as it may be related to the early split between Judaism and Christianity, a period when followers of Jesus adopted names to reflect their affiliation with a 'father/teacher/god.'
Prefixes attached
to the root name such as (aben, iben, abe, abi, abou, aboul, avi, am, ben, bin,
abou, a, aj, al, bel, even, ha, i, la, lel, me, m, o, wi, vi, ) denotes usually
a relation to a person, i.e., the father of or the son of X, a place, i.e.,
a person from X, an occupation, i.e., a person who practices a specific occupation,
a characteristic of a person, i.e., beautiful... The prefixes al, el are equivalent
to 'the' in English or the article 'le' in French. In the Moroccan Berbers tradition,
prefixes such as 'wi' 'vi' 'i' means usually a family relationship to X, the
equivalent of Abu in Arabic, i.e., 'the father of', 'son of' a man, a tribal
affiliation and so forth.In
the Hebrew tradition, the prefix ‘M ‘ is an abbreviation of
the word 'from.'
Complex
prefixes such as 'Ab e' in the name Ab E Rgel consist of two elements Ab=father
and E=the.
Suffixes
such as 'an' or 'in' denote affiliation or a characteristic in Aramaec.
Suffixes
such as 'a' characterize ancient Hebrew names, i.e., AviHatsir'a'
Suffixes
such as oulah, oulay, ilah, ily, el, eli are used in Hebrew and Arabic to associate
a name with God' blessing.
Suffixes such as 'illo' 'ano' 'ino'
Suffixes such as 'oun' 'on' 'yout' 'out' characterize adjectives in Hebrew,
for example: Hayoun, hayout...
ABRAVANEL
Benvenida (XVIes.). Spain. Daughter-in-law of Don Itshak Abravanel. Businesswoman.
Philanthrop. Liberated Jewish hostages. Assisted the royal family in Naples.
ABRAVANEL Chémouèl (1473-1551). Portugal (Lisbon). Son of Don Itshak Abravanel.
Found refuge in Naples after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Treasurer
of Don Pédro of Naples.
ABRAVANEL David (Manuel Martinez) (XVIIes.). Spain. Marrano. Treasurer of Andalousia.
Arrested by the Inquisition but escaped to Bordeaux. He returned to Judaism
in Amsterdam. Conducted international trade in London and Brasil. Founded the
first synagogue in Brasil.
ABRAVANEL Lévy (XIXes.). Morocco. Descendant of Don Itshak Abravanel. Wealthy
merchant in Marrakech, executed by Moulay Abderrahman.
ABRAVANEL Yéhoudah (XIIIes.). Spain. Treasurer of Ferdinand IV, king of Castillia.
ABRAVANEL Yéhoudah (XIXes.). Morocco. Son of Lévy Abravanel. Merchant. Executed
along with his father by Moulay Abderrahman.
ABRAVANEL Yéhoudah (Léon l’Hébreu) (1465-1535). Portugal (Lisbon). Son of Don
Itshak Abravanel. Doctor. Philosopher. Found refuge in Naples after the expulsion.
Author of Dialoghi di Amore (Love dialogues), influenced Michel-Ange, Le Tasse,
Giordano Bruno and Spinoza.
ABRAVANEL Yona (?-1667). Netherlands. Poet. Author of famous eulogies on Itshak
de Castro Tartas and Bernal.
ABRAVANEL David Lindo (1772-1852). England. Rabbi. Opposed
the reform movement.
ABRAVANEL DE SOUZA Isaac (XVIIIes.). Netherlands. Rabbi in Bayonne and Bordeaux.
ABRAVANEL Itshak (1437-1508). Portugal
(Lisbon). Rabbi. Philosopher. Treasurer of Portugal (accused of conspiracy)
and Castillia. Contributed to the financing of Colombus voyage to America. Found
refuge in Italy after the Expulsion from Spain. Treasurer of Naples. Died in
Venise. Author of Ma’yané Hayechoua'
(Sources of salvation); Yéchouo't Méshiho (Messianic salvations); Machmia’
yéchoua' (The anouncer of redemption); A'téret zékénim (Wisdom of
our forfathers); Nifla’ot Élokim (Divine marvels); Mirkévét hamishné
(The other chariot); Chamayïm hadachim (New Heavens); Nahalat Avot
(Ancestral heritage); Tsédék h’olamim (Eternal justice); Yémot hao'lam
(Days of the world).
References:
ABEHSSERA Chalom Séfér youhassin (Genealogy Registers).
Azoulay, Hayim Yossef Shem Hagdolim (the names of the great)
AZOULAY Haïm Yossef David (Hida) (1724-1807) Chém haguédolim va’ad lahakhamim (The names of the Great Council of Sages).
Levi, J et. al. 2000 Dictionnaire biographique du monde Juif Sepharade et Mediteranean, Editions Elysee, Montreal.
Toledano, J. 1983 La saga des familles, Les juifs du Maroc et leurs noms, Editions Stavit, Tel Aviv
Laredo A. 1978 Les noms des juifs au Maroc (Madrid, 1978)