Page 26 - MHC Magazine 2018

26 Milnerton Hebrew Congregation - High Holy Days 5779
The Meaning of Some Common Jewish Last Names
by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
Some of these will surprise you.

Last names are a relatively new phenomenon. In ancient times, many people were known by their fi rst
name only. Jews often added the names of their fathers or their mothers to their names, and still do
today in religious situations, being called by their name “ben” (son of) or “bat” (daughter of) their par-
ent’s name. Jews descended from the priestly groups of Cohens and Levis sometimes note this status
in their name; indeed, variations of “Cohen” and “Levi” are the most common Jewish last names today.

Within the Jewish community, widespread adoption of last names was fi rst seen after the expulsion of
Jews from Spain in 1492, when many Jewish families adopted the names of their family’s hometowns
as a surname. Baruch Spinoza evoked the name of Espinosa, a town in Spain from where his ancestors
hailed. Many other Jews gained place-based surnames two hundred years later, when the Austro-Hun-
garian Emperor Joseph II decreed that his subjects adopt last names; the custom was seen at the time
as modern.

Here is a list of some common Jewish last names and their meanings. Some of these might surprise you!

Abrams: from the Biblical patriarch Abraham, who moved from what is today Iraq to Israel
Abramson: a patronymic name (from one’s father) meaning son of Abraham
Becker: Germanic name for baker, refers to an ancestor who was a Jewish baker
Blau: meaning blue, this name refl ects the popularity of colors as surnames among German-speaking

Jews
Blum: from the Jewish woman’s name Bluma, meaning “fl ower” in Yiddish
Cantor: one who sings in a synagogue (Chazzan in Hebrew)
Cohen: from the priestly caste who served in the Jewish Temple in ancient times
Cooperman: Cooper is a form of the Yiddish nickname Yankel, meaning Jacob
Diamond: this name refl ects the popularity of using beautiful gems as surnames among German-speaking
Jews

Ehrlich: a name bestowed in the Austro-Hungarian Empire meaning “honest”
Eisen: meaning “iron”, it was a popular choice for Austrian Jews
Elkayim: this Middle Eastern Jewish name refers to a family profession and means tentmaker
Fingerhut: from the Yiddish word for “thimble”, this name refers to an ancestor who was a tailor
Fishman: this name means fi sh-seller, and refers to a family’s profession
Gelb: Like Geller, this name means yellow in Yiddish, and was often given to people with light hair
Geller: Yiddish for yellow, this name was often given to people with lighter or reddish hair
Gold: many German-speaking Jews adopted the names of precious metals, like gold, as names
Goldberg: this name refers to the towns of Goldberg in Germany and/or in Poland, both once home to

Jewish communities. The name means “golden town”.
Goldman: a popular choice among Austrian Jews for its beautiful connotation “gold” and “man”
Goldschmidt: this Germanic name refers to an ancestor who worked as a goldsmith
Green: adopting colors as surnames was popular among Austro-Hungarian Jews
Greenberg: referring to the towns of Grunberg in Germany and Poland, both once home to Jewish com-
munities
Hakimi: this Persian surname is derived from the Arabic “Hakim” meaning wise

Horowitz: referring to the town of Horovice in the Czech Republic, once home to a Jewish community
Kaplan: a Germanic form of Cohen, the priestly workers who served in the Temple in Jerusalem
Katz: acronym of “Kohen Tzedek”, or “righteous Cohen”, one who served in the Temple in Jerusalem