Occasionally, it indicates a rabbi, but not always. Get in touch! In a country with a population of over 86 million, Germany's Jewish population is estimated to be about 200,000. Miscellaneous other names included Diamond; Glick/Gluck luck; Hoffman hopeful; Fried/Friedman happiness; Lieber/Lieberman lover. Of German origin. Torinesi - Revere (sul Po) - Among themselves, they kept their traditional names. Palermo - This Ashkenazi Jewish name is composed of the German elements morgen meaning morning and stein meaning stone., It is derived from the Biblical name of the Jewish leader who led Jews out of Egypt. Only three surnames, and their variations, are of specifically Jewish origin: Cohen, Levi, and Israel. This surname is an anglicized spelling of the name Chayat that is derived from the Yiddish word khayet meaning tailor.. Roma - Schiano - Family Education is part of the Sandbox Learning family of educational reference sites for parents, teachers, and students. Rosen: Rosenberg, Rosenburg, Rozenburg, Rozenburgh, Rosner, Rose, Rosemand, Schuler: Schul, Shulton, Schulerr, Schuller. It's the adopted stage name of Natalie Hershlag (a common surname in Israel) who took her grandmother's maiden name as a stage name to protect her identity when she began acting as a minor. A Germanized variant of the shorter surname, "Rabin," indicating descendants of a rabbi, ultimately from the Hebrew "rav.". Najavich/Noevisci/Noehiovici/Noejovich (originaly Romanian, it became its current form in Argentina as well as other parts of South America). Ackerman plowman; Baker/Boker baker; Blecher tinsmith; Fleisher/Fleishman/Katzoff/Metger butcher; Cooperman coppersmith; Drucker printer; Einstein mason; Farber painter/dyer; Feinstein jeweler; Fisher fisherman; Forman driver/teamster; Garber/Gerber tanner; Glazer/Glass/Sklar glazier; Goldstein goldsmith; Graber engraver; Kastner cabinetmaker; Kunstler artist; Kramer storekeeper; Miller miller; Nagler nailmaker; Plotnick carpenter; Sandler/Shuster shoemaker; Schmidt/Kovalsky blacksmith; Shnitzer carver; Silverstein jeweler; Spielman player (musician? Jewish surnames are mostly related to an individuals native place and occupation. Some Jewish surnames may have come from Jewish-only occupations. Pisani - Italian for "chivalrous." According to the YIVO Encyclopedia, The resulting names often are associated with nature and beauty. These names are fascinating because they have been used for several centuries and are still popular. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. In the Hebrew scriptures, God gives Jacob this name, because he wrestled with an angel of God. The name originally referred to people who came from the city. This was used as a nickname and originated from the combination of the German words still meaning quiet or calm and mann meaning man., It is a toponymic name derived from the Germanic elements tal meaning valley and man for man., It is an ornamental name originating from the German word Tannenbaum, which means pine tree or fir tree., This is a metronymic name from the Yiddish feminine personal name Tile taken from the Hebrew word tehila meaning splendor.. German and Yiddish in origin. Marcaria - Meaning "supplanter." Terni - Angel = common name among Rhodesli families. A habitational surname from the village of Yavor in Belarus, a country in Eastern Europe. This is a listing of common surnames (alphabetical by country names): Gonzlez Rodrguez Lpez Garca Gmez Prez Galleti Villa Dominguez argentinez Ahmed Alam Begum Choudhury Das Hossain Khan Miah . This surname is an ornamental name adopted from the German phrase rosen baum meaning rose tree referring to the rose plant. It is an Ashkenazi Jewish toponymic surname referring to those who originally came from the places of Nemirov in Ukraine or Neimirow in Poland. Sereni - From Baden-Wuerttemburg in the south to Schleswig-Holstein in the north. Karl Marx, author of The Communist Manifesto, was born Jewish. A descendant from the biblical tribe of Levi. Montalcino - This was used as a nickname and was derived from the Yiddish word frish meaning fresh. This surname is from the Hebrew tsion referring to Mount Zion which is a hill in Jerusalem. It's a common surname for families from the Iberian Peninsula. Rarer names tend to accumulate in the north and south. The following two tabs change content below. Other names, chosen or purchased, were combinations with these roots: Blumen (flower), Fein (fine), Gold, Green, Lowen (lion), Rosen (rose), Schoen/Schein (pretty) combined with berg (hill or mountain), thal (valley), bloom (flower), zweig (wreath), blatt (leaf), vald or wald (woods), feld (field). Frascati -, Gattinara - A surname for those Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent. AnAshkenazic surname indicating some affiliation with birds or animals. Schfer/Schaefer Meaning: Shepherd. ritual slaughterer from Hebrew schochet; Shofer/Sofer/Schaeffer scribe; Shulman/Skolnick sexton; Spector inspector or supervisor of schools. This surname is composed of the German words rosen meaning rose and kranz meaning wreath. The name thus means rose wreath, It is a variation of the Hebrew name Reuben. This name is composed of the Hebrew elements reu meaning behold and ben meaning a son.. It is derived from the Yiddish word zinger, which means singer. This occupational name was adopted by those who worked as a cantor in a synagogue. Many modern Jewish surnames are derived from place names. The two most common Jewish names are Cohen and Levi. Hoffman Origin: Ashkenazi Meaning: Steward or farm laborer. It is taken from the Hebrew word shor which means ox. The name may also have been inspired from the name of Joseph, the Biblical character who is compared to an ox. Segal: Sagan, Shagal, Siegel, Spiegal, Segalis -- This is the name of a Levitical priest. Romano - List of Common Jewish Surnames With Meanings. It is an Ashkenazi Jewish name composed of the Yiddish words kil meaning cool and man meaning man. The name means cool man and may have begun as a nickname. This surname is made from the Yiddish elements klein meaning small and feld meaning field., It is a metronymic occupational name derived from the Yiddish word knop meaning button.. Poggibonsi - The surname borne by American singer and actress, Barbra Streisand. Weber Meaning: Occupational name for a weaver. A patronymic from the Yiddish word, "Yude," or the Hebrew, Jude, meaning "praised.". Jewish surname that is a Slovenian derivative of klin. It means sugarman in German and referred to a Jewish family line that were confectioners. It's also the name of a man, Jonah, with a book by his name in the Hebrew Scriptures. The names are to return, at least symbolically. Pesaro - Volterra - Huber is common in southern Bavaria and is, with the exception of Munich, the most frequent name in that area. Genovesi - And, Jews gave themselves their last name inspired by the town or region they lived or originated from (1). Daniel. Kohen: Cohen, Cohn, Kuhn, Kohn, Cohen, Cahan -- This name may have originally referred to a line of a priest, Kohath. Norlenghi - Guastalla - Mondolfo - It is an elaborated form of Sack which is an acronym for the Hebrew phrase Zera Keshodim meaning seed of the holy. The phrase refers to the martyrs of the Jewish community. Black pepper was the most valuable spice. This is an ornamental name of Yiddish origin and means gold, the precious compound. "Jablon" is "apple tree" in Czech. Sorani Marino - Trieste - This surname can be found in English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish communities. It is a toponymic surname for someone from any of the several places called Ostrov in Russia and the Czech Republic. Pontecorvo, from Pontecorvo - It is a toponymic Jewish surname that refers to someone who originally belonged to a place called Yurkovtsy in Ukraine. 4. This list, while not comprehensive, will be a helpful resource as you come to recognize the names and their variations. A surname given to a happy person or someone who liked to sing, or an occupational surname for a bird catcher. Derived from "Pepper, pepper field, or grower or seller of pepper (Portuguese Jews controlled the global spice trade in the 1500s - 1600s). Here is an infographic that presents some of the most prominent Jewish surnames you may have heard at least once. So, if you are in awe of Jewish surnames, consider them for your baby. These surnames have been influenced by the cultural assimilation, geographic diversity of the community, and the Hebraization of surnames (1). According to the website, Behind the Name, "For an unknown reason, Jewish immigrants who passed through the port at Baltimore had their names changed to Caplan, while the Jewish immigrants who passed through Ellis Island retained the original K spelling.". Wolf is the root of the Ashkenazic last names Wolfson, Wouk, and Volkovich. This occupational name is from the Middle High German word lant referring to someone who was a landlord. This is a list of Jewish surnames. This surname comes from the German city, Trier. As a Jewish name, it sometimes represents a pet form of western Yiddish term for "lion." Goldberg - Goldberg is a surname of German/Yiddish origin meaning "mountain of gold." Cohen - From the Hebrew word kohen, meaning "priest." This is a variant spelling for Fischer which is an occupational name for fisherman. Minerbi - Garfinkel/Garfunkel diamond dealer; Holzman/Holtz/Waldman timber dealer; Kaufman merchant; Rokeach spice merchant; Salzman salt merchant; Seid/Seidmansilk merchant; Tabachnik snuff seller; Tuchman cloth merchant; Wachsman wax dealer; Wechsler/Halphan money changer; Wollman wool merchant; Zucker/Zuckerman sugar merchant. Spanish = Herrero, Herrerio. This is a patronymic surname that means son of Aaron. The family name Aaron is derived from Hebrew name Aharon meaning mountain of strength or high mountain., It is an Ashkenazi Jewish surname and a patronymic form of the personal name Abel. In both cases, as previously in Hungary, for many families the newly adopted surnames had either certain sounds in common with surnames used in Eastern Europe or a similar meaning. Jewish last names come from various origins, including family history, nationality, and language. It is a toponymic name for those who originally belonged to the German city of Speyer. It is composed of the Yiddish elements libe meaning love or loved and man meaning man. The name thus means beloved man, and must have started as a nickname. A variation of the Hebrew word for priest, "kohein," refers to descendants of Aaron. 2022 Sandbox Networks Inc. All rights reserved. Locative surnames indicate a geographic or topographic (landscape) location. '' in Czech geographic diversity of the Jewish community may have heard at least.! Parts of south America ) Mount Zion which is a toponymic name for those Jews of Spanish and Portuguese.. Are of specifically Jewish origin: Cohen, Levi, and must started! 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