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Re: my surname
in reply to a message by lizka
Maghrebian Jewish seems to be correct. The Maghreb having been a part of the French Empire, Maghrebi names are usually romanised, alphabetically speaking, French style. So this name is usually found as Chlouch, Chelouche, Chalouche, et al. You'll also find Ben Chelouche and Ait Chalouche (Berber form), which makes me wonder if it's exclusively Jewish, and if it could be a male given name.
The explanation I have is that it's from the Hebrew shalosh, meaning "three". If it's Hebrew it must be Jewish, and the meaning may identify a third-born child, or third-born son.It was found historically in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
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