Madoff's name

[Prof Steven P Hill]

Dear colleagues:

In the news this December is an accused major Wall St. swindler 
named Bernard L. MADOFF.   (Arrested Dec. 11 for allegedly 
bilking big investors out of some billion dollars.)   Tsk, tsk. 

I suppose it would be ironically appropriate if his surname 
originally would go back to an older Slavic root with meanings 
like "honey" or "sweet," as in contemp. Russ. m'od.   (Cf. also 
Engl. "mead.")    Or perhaps "Madoff" goes back to some very 
different source,    lacking the ironic appropriateness of 
"honey/sweet"...?

Gratefully,
Steven P Hill,
University of Illinois.
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