Message: "Meaning of surname BABB"

Meaning of surname BABB

by Michael R Babb (guest)

8/19/2006, 6:03 PM

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.

#Babb

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- Andy ;—) (guest) +3

8/19/2006, 11:22 PM

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.

- Andy ;—) (guest) +2

8/19/2006, 11:40 PM

And here is a link

http://www.mideastweb.org/centralisraelmap.htm

- Jim Young (guest) +1

8/20/2006, 6:28 AM

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'."

- babb to be! (guest)

9/20/2006, 7:04 AM

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]

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