The Gabbay family of merchants and Ottoman officials flourished from the late eighteenth century through the end of the nineteenth. The name Gabbay is found mostly in Iraq, but it also appears in Turkey and other countries. It is one of the most common surnames of Iraqi Jewry, attributed by family lore to Davidic descent. A number of well-known members of the family served in key roles in the Baghdad community.

      Isaac ben David ben Joshua Gabbay was chief banker (Ar. ṣarrāf bāshī) and nasi (Heb. head) of the Jewish community of Baghdad from 1745 until his death in 1773. His son Ezra al…