I would like to know the origins of my last name...

Question

my last name is Bedaoud, my father changed it to a more westernized version, but i found papers of the original name and i know it means:: house of David, or from David...just wondering where it comes from?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

The name Bedaoud is quite common in the whole Maghreb, with  prevalence around Casablanca in Morocco and in the western Algerian town of Oran (the birth place of Rai Music).

It is probably a variation in the transcription of Ben Daoud (son of David) and was a name often given to people with Jewish ancestry in Morocco and in the Arabic Spain (before the XII century).

Edit: What your grandfather says can be correct. Many people of Jewish and Berber, non Arab descent , during the Ottoman Empire were employed or utilized as serfs by Imperial Emirs in the middle east for intellectual jobs (secretarial, teaching, writing) due to their higher average culture. This stopped in the second half of 19 century when the Ottoman Empire lost its grip on the Mediterranean. Meanwhile some could have been descendants still leaving in Baghdad or Istanbul.

Asked to a Moroccan friend: the origin of Bedaoud in Morocco is in near Ain Guisser, Settat region, near Casablanca in the berber tribes arouun Oued Sidi Ben Daoud (a river)

Answer 2

Hi, I've been searching and none of the usual sites have this surname listed (ancestry.com, behindthename.com, google searches), and unfortunately none of the "free translation" sites I use can provide any help either.

I'd suggest that you go back to the papers where you found that it means "house of David," or "from David," it sounds like a Biblical (possibly Hebrew origin?) surname to me.

I did find this information, which might help:

The phrase “House of David” is not surprisingly thought to mean the family or the descendants of David. It denotes the kingly line of Judah and all those who had David as their physical forefather. Jesus had David as His forefather and He was in line to occupy the Throne of David. 1 Clearly it does mean this in the majority of instances. It also means on occasion — quite surprisingly — something else. It specifies a location, a physical place, that has great importance, if understood correctly in context. This second meaning is the subject of this article.

The phrase “House of David” is used some 26 times in the Hebrew Old Testament and at other times with additional qualifying terms.

Answer 3

It has been 2 hours and no one has answered this. . .I'm very new at tracing my family tree, so I'll help you if I can . . .Knowing what your name means helps some as to location. . .Definitely middle-eastern. . .from the house of David could mean a direct decedent of David or of a servant of the house of David.  The way to start is to talk to your oldest living relative and pick their brain for information, anything, even family recipes can give a hint to heritage.  Next, visit Ancestory.com, or roots.com, all free websites where you enter names and dates and up pops all kinds of info.  It's not hard, but very time consuming and sometimes frustrating when you come to a blank wall . . .but fun. . .I hope this little bit helps.  Renew your question in 3 days and maybe a pro will answer too.. . .Good Luck

See, they were busy researching . . .Phewwww  Listen to the pro. . .