The “Bet” Revolution:

How Your Surname/Last Name Can Ensure the Assyrian Nation’s Longevity
By: Atouraya Bet Younadam

It comes as no surprise that with every passing generation, specifically the Diaspora (referring to
the movement of any population sharing common ethnic identity who were either forced to leave
or voluntarily left their settled territory, and became residents in areas often far remote from their
homeland), the Assyrian nation faces extinction on multiple levels: Cultural, language, heritage,
political, religious…you name it. Assyrians must begin to look at what options they have at
curbing the Assyrian nation’s demise, what better way to start revolting against this certain end
than with your name.

A person’s name is the most unique and identifiable component to recognizing where that
individual hails from and what culture they are. Last names like: Rothman, Goldstein, Edleman,
Altman, etc. immediately provoke a response of…“that’s a Jewish name!” Orlov, Petrov, Ivanov,
Fedorov…..Russian. Kardashian, Sarkisian, Tateossian, Suzmeian…..Armenian. Many of the
suffixes (a letter or group of letters added at the end of a word) associated with these last names
are merely “clarifying” that specific name, for example, in the case of the Armenians, the
suffixes “ian, yan, jan” comes from the old Armenian word meaning “son”, so Sarkisian means
“son of Sarkis”, and so on. Same with the Russian names, “ov” is also associated with “son”;
therefore, Ivanov would translate to “son of Ivan”. In each and every case we find that a person’s
last name has a direct connection to that person’s heritage, any person would automatically know
an individual’s culture/race based on the last name.

In the case of the Assyrians, however, there is not one identifiable suffix or prefix (a letter or
group of letters added at the beginning of a word) within every last name that would differentiate
the culture/race. It was, and in many cases still is, the practice in the Assyrian homeland for
names to be given as follows:

o First Name (given by the parent and usually their choice)

o Middle Name (Father’s first name)
o Last Name (Grandfather’s first name)

With this method of assigning names, all Assyrians have last names that were once first names,
so, names such as David, Toma and Joseph are not uncommon as Assyrian last names. Herein
lies the problem. Years from now there will be Assyrians with names like Kevin David , these
individuals may not know they are Assyrian, and others would not know because names like
Kevin David seem like ordinary names found in many cultures, the same with Mark Toma or
Evelyn Joseph for instance, they may all very well be Assyrians but one would never know by
their names. Even names like Younan, Oshana, Odisho, etc., although fairly specific and well
known to Assyrians, are not names that are recognized by the average non-Assyrian as Assyrian
names.

Beyond the vastness of last names that disappear in Diaspora, there is a solution at hand. A
common prefix among all Assyrians will ensure the longevity of the Assyrian nation and, at the
same time, unite the masses. By simply placing the prefix “Bet” before ones last name, the
Assyrian nation will live beyond its language, culture and heritage’s extinction. Names like Bet
David, Bet Toma, Bet Joseph, Bet Yonan, Bet Odisho, Bet Oshana, etc. will cause the knee jerk
response of…“That’s an Assyrian name!”

Why “Bet”? Other than it has already been used by many Assyrians in the past and present,
“Bet” specifically means “house of” or “of the house”, therefore, Bet Joseph would translate to
“house of Joseph”. It is important to note that this is not technically “changing” the last name, it
is merely clarifying the name to inform what “household” (or Bai-tu-ta in neo-Aramaic) one
comes from. Since the passing down of a common last name is a recent occurrence for
Assyrians, the past two generations will inherit the opportunity to change the course of the
Assyrian nation. Also, since men carry on the name of the family, it is important for the Assyrian
male to add the “Bet” prefix to their last name.

It is therefore the proposal of this author that a revolution must be started, a metaphorical call to
arms for all Assyrian men who do not want to be part of the reason why their nation disappears, a
call to arms for all Assyrian women to require their future husbands to join the revolution before
they’re married. A revolution against the surname standards that have dissolved the Assyrian
nation, a revolution to be acknowledged by all the peoples of the world…..A revolution known
as: The “Bet” Revolution.

Atouraya Bet Younadam is an Assyrian activist and currently serves on the executive board of
the Assyrian American National Coalition. Before writing the article, Atouraya Bet Younadam
legally changed his name to include the prefix “Bet”.