Meaning of surname BABB
The furthest back I can trace the surname is to England.
I was told that babb means gate in Hebrew or Old Aramaic. And it was probably taken by someone who either lived by the gate or guarded the gate to a castle, toen, etc. But, I can not find any comfirmation of this.
I have seen speculation that it somehow came from Barbara. Maybe the son of Barbara. But, I would like something more than speculation.
vote up1vote down

Replies

There is Bab el Wad, a place near Jerusalem. It's Arabic and means "gate valley". Of course Arabic is related to both Hebrew and Aramaic, so what you say is well possible. I don't know the Hebrew word though and my books are all in boxes now as we are heading for the States a week from now. So maybe Noa can help you out.
vote up1vote down
Bab, as Arabic for gate, is unlikely to be the source of the English surname. Reaney and Wilson's dictionary has the following - "Le Babbe is a nickname from babe ... 'infant, young child'."
vote up1vote down
I have also found these
Babb Surname Origin
(Latin / Greek) A diminutive of Barbara = Stranger, foreigner. (Origin English) the Anglo-Saxon personal name Babba of obscure origin, but perhaps, due to child-speech, and therefore connected with 'babe'.
[http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/b/babb.php]
Bebb - listed in records back to 1596. Families with the name immigrated to the USA. A descendant, William Bebb (1802-1873) was an Ohio governor. Bebbe, Babb, Babbs, Bibb, Bibbs.
[http://www.amlwchdata.co.uk/welsh_names_and_meaning.htm]
vote up1vote down