Gorsko Jewish surnames. Which "Russian" surnames are actually Jewish

Revealing your family affiliation and your roots can be of interest to any sane person. This is required not only for the possibility of finding relatives, but also for your own understanding of your individuality. Belonging to a nation, ancestral roots, origins, traditions and culture is present in every person.

Sometimes this, due to the external situation, does not manifest itself in anything, that is, there are no manifestations of a certain nation visible to others. But the procedure for changing nationality using a passport is quite problematic in some cases. For example, how to prove Jewish roots? How to justify your belonging to the Jewish people? This is what this article is about.

Why does a modern person need to prove his nationality?

The need to change official citizenship status required in the following cases:

• move to Israel;
• receive an inheritance in Israel;
• connection with relatives;
• coming to the Jewish community.

Israel at the moment– a fairly developed state with a high level of social guarantees for the population and the ability to travel visa-free across the territory of 91 countries.

Although living in Israel is not safe– a high threat of military attacks from Arab countries, ecology, overpopulation (population density of about 300 people per 1 sq. m), religious laws, high utilities (especially prices for water, which is in short supply), as well as a hot desert climate.

But if necessary, all the shortcomings are not a problem.

In order to prove that you are an Israeli citizen by birth, you must complete several procedures to justify this.

Process of proving Jewish nationality

First of all, despite modern mechanisms for proving membership in a particular nation, documents are required for a simpler procedure.

Previously, when Jewish communities existed, no matter how numerous they were, everyone knew each other and knew the history of each family. At the moment, due to the disunity of the Jewish people and the movement of ancestors to other places of residence, the search for one’s relatives and proof of kinship becomes important not only for the current generation, but also for descendants.

This is primarily due to the fact that it is possible to prove kinship only up to the third generation, and if proof is not presented that your grandmother was Jewish, then time will already be lost, and the consequences of this can be sad.

So how can you prove your Jewish roots?

The peculiarity of official belonging to the Jewish nation is proof of belonging to it through the female line. But if your mother is not a direct Jew, and your grandmother belonged to the Jewish nation, then you will need proof of kinship, that is, you need to find your Jewish roots.

If there is no evidence of the grandmother’s Jewishness, it will be necessary to find, if not a direct one, but, for example, a great-aunt, that is, Jewish relatives.

How to find Jewish roots?

Finding relatives of Jews– a rather labor-intensive process based on the collection and analysis, as well as structuring of information.

Doing this on your own is quite problematic. The reason for this is the difficulty of accessing the archives, although they can be accessed through the Jewish Diaspora. But their residences cannot be found in every city.

The second way is to search in archives and libraries. This is even more difficult, since you will need to review a sufficient number of documents.

Note that Jewish kinship must be proven up to the third generation. That is, at most, your grandparents should be official Jews, which should be documented.

Archival searches are easier to carry out if you have accurate data on your last name/first name and date of birth, and most importantly, place of birth. Due to political repressions before 1950, this may be problematic, that is, there may be a situation where they change. The presence of this data will allow us to reduce the list of archival documents required for consideration.

Our company can simplify your search. Let's consider the procedures that we offer in this case:

• search for relatives through compiling a family tree. This is preceded by the stage of analysis of your documents, their legality and completeness - genealogical examination;
• conducting a search for information on the genealogy of your family– searching for information, justifying its reliability and structuring;
• proof of your affiliation, in the absence of documents, through DNA analysis.

Let us consider each procedure step by step according to its content and cost.

Genealogical research - searching in archives

Providing an individual approach to each family lineage, based on preliminary research, our specialists accurately determine the required amount of work to search for documents confirming your relationship.

Professionals in this field are able to carry out the search procedure in a short time.

According to the budget, an expensive study will not always be required, only if the safety of the data and its importance and necessity are identified in the process of preliminary research.

Types of genealogy research:

• Spot study– local search for documents in one place (regional or local registry office archive). The purpose of this is solely to search for documents to prove kinship.
• Traditional classical research has a more expanded purpose- tracing family history. It is already carried out in several places to search for archival documents.
• The largest and most comprehensive, with detailed information about each identified relative, is a turnkey study. It is fully suitable for searching for ancestors up to the 12th generation and drawing up a family tree, which can also be prepared by our specialists. The cost of this operation depends on the complexity and volume of work. The result is presented in the form of a report on the locations of the search, the documents themselves, their actual presentation, as well as recommendations for further, if necessary, more in-depth search.

Genealogical examination

The essence of genealogical examination, as the initial stage of research, is to evaluate the available data or adjust and systematize, as well as to determine the necessary documents that still need to be collected.

In fact, the result of genealogical examination is:

Fully collected information about the family, presented in the form of a diagram (family tree) or brochure (family history). Information is provided either in a paper, designer version, or on a flash card with the full volume of documents found.

The cost of a genealogical examination is 155,000 rubles, but at the same time you will have complete material that not only you, but also your descendants can use.

Communication with your relatives

Proof of kinship can also be communication with relatives, which also helps in collecting information about the genus. This is more important for compiling a family history.

This stage is important for compiling the chronology and history of the family and family history.

This stage is also used when reuniting with relatives or the diaspora (society).

The cost of this stage is negotiated after the goal has been fully defined. For example, if you want to create a film about your family or its individual personalities, then this stage will come in handy.

DNA research

Medical analysis that clearly proves kinship up to the 50th generation. Genetic information can even tell you where your ancestors came from.

The method of conducting DNA research is based on an in-depth analysis of the genetic set of chromosomes and its further comparison with the DNA material base of other people. Painless collection of genetic material from the inside of the cheeks or saliva is collected from the customer and analyzed within a day or two.

Then comes the comparative research stage, which allows you to build several branches of people participating in your family. The main goal is to find ancestors and relatives using similar DNA codes.

This study will not only help you understand your belonging to a certain family, but also to trace the full history of the movements of ancestors and their places of residence, as well as to find the entire set of relatives.

Having examined the issue of searching for Jewish roots, it is worth moving on to the options for its use, namely the process of further application of this information.

The cost of DNA analysis is 85 thousand rubles.

Information Use Options

Initially, when considering the question of how to determine Jewish roots, the goal was to implement the possibility of moving to Israel for permanent residence while ensuring that he received all social benefits as a full-fledged Israeli. But it depends on the purpose of the move.

After all, if your goal was related to the revival of family traditions, then it will be important to document the evidence obtained.

Formally, these documents not only prove your Jewish kinship, but also tell your story, in which you can find many interesting and significant facts.

So, finishing the review of the possibilities of how to prove your Jewish roots, that is, find Jewish relatives, you can make sure that the cost of the research is not so high, given the significance of the collected material. Whether you design it in the future as a film, a book, or use another type of design is up to you.

The review was carried out on the basis of the services of the company House of Family Traditions LLC, where you will be provided with more detailed advice on all the issues considered. The company's professional employees are fruitfully engaged in restoring the history of the family, researching in this area, and have provided similar services to a large number of applicants.

edited by Z. Shklyara (Russia)
Source: http://www.sem40.ru

Surnames of Jews before 1917. Historical sketch

In Muscovite Rus' and the Russian Empire, until the last quarter of the 18th century, the number of Jews was very small and their admission to Russia was limited. The massive appearance of Jews in Russia dates back to the end of the 18th century, when, in connection with the three partitions of Poland (in 1772, 1793 and 1795), the Belarusian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian voivodeships, in which a large number of Jews lived, were annexed to Russia. In only two provinces - Mogilev and Polotsk, which arose in the territories annexed to Russia in 1772, over 40,000 Jewish families lived. New lands were organized into provinces in accordance with Russian class legislation. The new Jewish subjects were recognized as “foreigners,” and they were prohibited from living in the “native” Russian provinces. Thus the “Pale of Settlement” was established.
To collect taxes and involve in conscription, it was necessary to record and organize the entire tax-paying population. Therefore, immediately after the annexation of the lands of Eastern Belarus to Russia as a result of the first partition of Poland, Catherine II, by order of September 13, 1772 ordered the Belarusian Governor-General Chernyshev to organize a complete census of the Jewish population, list it according to the kagals (the bodies of Jewish self-government operating in Poland), and establish a poll tax for Jews in the amount of one ruble per head. The census of the Jewish population and its registration with the kahals was entrusted to the latter, and to ensure timely and tax-free receipt of the poll tax, mutual responsibility of the kahals was established for all members of the Jewish community. The beginning of the 19th century also dates back to the mass assigning hereditary surnames to Jews .

Until the 19th century, Russian Jews, with rare exceptions, did not have hereditary surnames. Those few Jews who are mentioned in Russian historical documents are referred to only by personal names. But already in the documents relating to the trial of the head of the Lithuanian Hasidim, the famous rabbi Shneur-Zalmen ben Borukh from the Liozno borough, initiated at the end of the 18th century and lasting until 1811, the accused is named Zalman Borukhovich, and his opponent, the Pinsk rabbi, is named Avigdor Chaimovich. The patronymic name is used here in the meaning of a patronymic surname. The author of the first Russian-Jewish journalistic work, “The Cry of the Daughter of Judah” (1803), signed himself Leib Nevakhovich after the name of his father Noach, in Russian transcription Novakh, which later became his and his descendants’ hereditary surname.

Obligation of Jews to adopt a hereditary surname was legally established by the Statute on Jews, developed specifically for this purpose, created in 1802 Committee and approved by Alexander 1 by Nominal Decree of December 9, 1804. For the reasons given in paragraph 32 of this Regulation, the assignment of surnames to Jews is established “for the better organization of their civil status, for the more convenient protection of their property and for the settlement of litigation between them.” The assignment of surnames to Jews - an undeniably progressive phenomenon - stemmed from the “liberal” ideas that permeated the legislation of the first years of the reign of Alexander I .

The right to a hereditary nickname was one of the civil rights of the individual, along with his right to universally engage in trade and any trade, to study in all educational institutions. In this regard, the “Regulation on the Jews” met the economic needs of the country. Jews were recognized as personally free in all states (Articles 12 and 42), they were recognized with the right to own, use and dispose of property, the right to freely engage in all kinds of trade and handicrafts, except for wine, with registration to the appropriate classes.

The Senate, by Decree of February 24, 1808, ordered a special census of all Jews to be carried out, obliging them to “fit into one of the states provided for by the Regulations and certainly take a well-known surname or nickname, if this has not already been done. Upon entry of the Jews into one of the mentioned states and upon acceptance their surnames, oblige them to stock up on the types, rank and surname of each meaning ".

The “Regulations on Jews” of 1804 prohibited Jews from changing their assigned surnames.

Assigning surnames to Jews in the Kingdom of Poland(ten Polish provinces that made up the Grand Duchy of Warsaw until 1815), annexed to Russia after the Patriotic War of 1812, proceeded somewhat differently. The obligation of Jews to choose hereditary surnames was imposed on them by a decree of the Governor of the Kingdom of Poland, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, from March 27, 1821. According to this decree, Jews were required to register their names and surnames with city magistrates and district administrations, and those without surnames were to elect them. When after some time it became clear that many Jews did not comply with the decree, an order was given to the city authorities to assign surnames to the Jews who evaded this. This, by the way, explains the presence among Polish Jews of a significant number of surnames created artificially and sounding in the German style, and a small number of surnames from the Hebrew language. In 1844, Jewish kahal self-government was abolished in Russia, the kahals were dissolved, and the Jewish population was administratively subordinated to city administrations. At the same time it was decided: “Every Jew, the head of the family, is informed by what name and nickname he is recorded according to the audit, included in the family and alphabetical lists and must be named in passports and in all documents. Those who change this name or nickname are dealt with on the basis of general rules.” volume of laws." This legal provision was later included in the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire. Article 954 of Part I of Volume IX of the Code of Laws, which was in force until the February Revolution of 1917, stated: “Jews will forever retain their adopted surname or nickname, without change, with the addition of a name given by faith or birth.”

It is characteristic that by a special law issued in 1850 and also included in the code of laws, Jews were forbidden to change their surname even when converting to another religion. As a sanction against violators of this ban, a special article 14161 was included in the Penal Code, which established criminal liability for a Jew bearing a name and surname that was not assigned to him.

At the end of the last century, some Jews who received a secular education began to use names in their Russian or German transcription in everyday life and in business relations: Abram, Isaac, Arkady, Efim, etc. instead of Avrum, Itsek, Aron, Chaim. This was seen as an unacceptable violation of the law. The opinion of the State Council, approved by the highest authority on April 23, 1893, decreed that Jews should be named in passports and in all documents only by the names under which they are recorded in the registry books, under penalty of criminal liability.

Soviet legislation allowed all citizens to change their surnames at will. Jews also changed their surnames, sometimes for reasons of national mimicry. However, most pre-revolutionary surnames remained unchanged. Mostly Jewish surnames have been preserved in the form in which they were adopted by their first bearers at the beginning of the last century.

As you know, in ancient times people did not have surnames - only first names. The exception is the Holy Roman Empire, where noble people received surnames. In the Middle Ages, surnames were the prerogative of aristocrats and public people. However, this stratum covered a tiny part of the population, which did not affect the general trend of insignificant identification of the main mass of people.

Surnames arose in parallel with the emergence of an administrative mechanism that required more precise identification of a specific person. It is noteworthy that each nation has its own special tradition of forming surnames. Note that the word “nation” was used here for a reason. The phenomenon of giving a person a surname undoubtedly has its own historical, social and lexical roots. In fact, this topic is quite extensive. Therefore, in this article we will limit ourselves to briefly reviewing the most common Jewish surnames.

Since the end of the 18th century, the Jews of Europe received surnames

Most Jewish surnames (EF) arose following the Western European tradition, starting from the end of the 18th century (and this is precisely the time of the final formation of nations). States began to conduct censuses of their subjects. The official recording of Jewish surnames in Austria-Hungary began in 1797. In Germany, this process took place between 1807 and 1834.

However, some Jewish families were already using family surnames at that time. This exception was the nobility.

In the Middle Ages, representatives of the aristocracy and the scientific elite already had surnames. The well-born surnames of rabbis are known (Lurie, Kalonymus, Schiff). This state of affairs was facilitated by the clan traditions of the nobility associated with the genealogy of the clan.

However, the majority of Jews did not have surnames. For example, in France, until the reign of Bonaparte, no one obliged them to choose a surname for their identification. The mass “acquisition” of this personality requisite began precisely in those times. The meaning of Jewish surnames was consistent with the way of life of the people and their traditions.

Surnames of Jews in Russia

Jewish surnames appeared in Russia later than in France. According to documents, this process took place in the period 1804-1860. Often the basis for the formation of a surname was the person’s professional affiliation translated into Yiddish (for example, Melamed is a teacher, Schneider is a tailor). However, the classic pronunciation of the word was often distorted by various Yiddish dialects. In addition, the clerks, who were unfamiliar with this language, introduced their own errors into the classical name of the specialty named by the petitioner. So, for example, Malamet and Malamud could appear. A professional sign was not the only way to create a surname... We will return to this issue and consider it in more detail in this article.

Jewish surname - what is it?

Now it would be appropriate to present to your attention some extremely broad definition that would explain the concept of “Jewish surnames” in understandable language. It will be short.

So, these are surnames whose direct bearers are Jews, provided that they are not pseudonyms.

Thus, EFs have an integral feature: they indicate Jewish origin, this is important for understanding the essence of the topic! Following this logic, we cannot classify the surname of the writer Kaverin as Jewish, but we can classify his family surname - Zilber! At the same time, the surnames of Kissinger and Sverdlov are Jewish.

Groups of Jewish surnames

Having defined the phenomenon of EF, it would be logical to present some classification of them.

The first group includes common Jewish surnames that are unique to Jews: Chagall, Marshak, Etkind, Luzzatto. Obviously, they (these surnames) could not have arisen among non-Jews.

However, we are still forced to present other sets of surnames. After all, it is known that the carriers of the majority of EFs are both Jews and non-Jews. This is the second group of the EF. This includes, for example, Abramovich, Adler, Abulafia.

Also worth mentioning separately is a group of surnames of non-Jewish origin, the bearers of which, for the most part, were Jews (Novikov, Kravets).

The fourth group of EF includes those that, although they have the origin of Jewish surnames (in the classical sense), however, at present their carriers, for the most part, are non-Jews (Abramov, Romanov, Konstantinov). This group of surnames is quite numerous.

Concluding our brief classification of EFs, we should, as usual, mention exceptions to the rules. After all, you can make a mistake when you hear a person’s surname similar to a Jewish one. Despite the similar pronunciation, it is important to understand the pattern: those that carry Muslim or Christian semantic content in their content (Uspensky, Rozhdestvensky, Magomedov) cannot be classified as EF.

Exceptions also include purely Russian surnames with the ending -y, -them, characteristic of the Siberian ethnic group, such as: Deaf, Black. They are a product of the Siberian ethnic group.

In the future, we will focus on the characteristics of the first above-mentioned group of EF, which is characteristic specifically for the Jewish environment.

Beautiful Jewish surnames

Traditional, purely Jewish surnames are those that indicate the class characteristics of ancient Jewish society. As you know, there were three such classes: priests or priests (kohanim), flock (levevim) and am Yisrael - the rest of the people. This social division is a deep and revered tradition of the Jewish people.

Hence the surnames Cohen and Levi. Historically, in ancient times, there were always relatively few carriers of such EFs (after all, it is obvious that temples required a limited number of priests).

Belonging to the Cohen family later transformed into a much wider range of surnames: Koganov, Kaganovich, Kaganov, etc.

Another class also gave birth to a whole series of EFs: Levis, Levitans, Alevis, Levins. The meaning of these Jewish surnames is associated with national tradition. These are beautiful surnames. Often the fathers of Jewish families proudly tell their descendants that they are Leviim or Am Yisrael.

Surnames derived from the names and nicknames of parents

These EFs form a separate group. Some of them, as if in themselves, are the answer to the question that sounds incomparably in Russian: “Whose will you be?” The one who is asked answers: “Abramson,” that is, “son of Abram.” Similar Jewish surnames have a fairly simple design. The endings in them indicate kinship.

However, EFs are most often tied to the mother’s name. The reason is the distribution of work responsibilities in the average Jewish family of the 19th century. Traditionally, all household and economic issues were entrusted to the wife’s shoulders; she communicated a lot and resolved public issues. The Jewish woman worked endlessly, and at the same time her husband studied the Talmud after work.

Thus, the communicative function of the Jewish family with society was absolutely dominated by women. Accordingly, it was more natural for neighbors to determine the gender of their child by the mother’s name. If a woman’s name was Rivka, then, accordingly, both the son and the husband received the Rivkina surname as a “gift”. A whole series of surnames were created in a similar way: Malkins, Eskins, Leins. However, the mother’s child named Esther could well have been given the surname Esterkind (using the word “kinder” - child).

That is, kinship on the mother’s side is reflected by Jewish surnames, the endings of which are - in or -kind.

When creating the EF, personal epithets were also included. In everyday communication, they most often reflected existing street nicknames, given, for example, for the external differences of a person (family). Families prone to being overweight could well have received the surname Dicker (fat man) in the 19th century. Red-haired, freckled families - Roitman.

Geographical names in Jewish surnames

Often Jewish immigrants (and under conditions of persecution this was not uncommon) chose a surname based on the city or country from which they came. After all, this distinguished them from other members of the community, and therefore was in demand for identifying a person. Naturally, people living in a certain area were not given surnames corresponding to it. After all, the idea of ​​a surname is to identify, not to generalize. Thus, the Polish-Jewish surnames were replenished with Posners - Jews who left Poznan, Warsawers - former residents of the capital of Poland.

Often such surnames sound in the Russian manner.

However, such logic is not always correct. For example, EF Engleder most likely indicates that its owner was trading with the British.

Jewish surnames based on profession

Jews have always taken an active social position, including production, trade, science, medicine, etc. A person who was a master of his craft was often given a surname corresponding to his professional skills. Most EFs of professional significance have a Russian or German basis. For example, Schumacher (shoemaker), Shkolnik (that’s what a servant was called in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church).

However, there are Jewish surnames based on the Yiddish language. A list of some of them is given below.

Non-Yiddish Jewish surnames are even more common. The list of them includes associations with various professions presented 150-200 years ago in the countries where Jews lived.

German Jewish surnames, as we see from the table, are quite common.
This is explained by the geographical settlement of Jews at the beginning of the 19th century (when surnames were assigned to people). Based on this logic, a third of the Jewish population lived in German countries. Jewish surnames in Germanic countries most often end with -man. For example, Zilberman (silver man), Goldman (this EF, obviously, was appropriated by officials to wealthy people). It was in this way, at the discretion of the official, that German Jews were “rewarded” with surnames. It is obvious that the level of decency of the EF was equivalent to the bribe received by the official.

After all, those who did not pay the bribe could receive quite offensive surnames as a gift: Schnapser (drunkard), Knoblauch (garlic), etc.

Jewish surnames in Russia are not uncommon. We will only introduce famous financiers: Evgeniy Ashkenazi, Evzel Gintsburg, Samuil Polyakov.

Compound abbreviated surnames

Jews have used abbreviations since ancient times. Moreover, this was natural not only for farming, but also in human relations. Thus, the traditionally long ancient names of outstanding people who worked in the Middle Ages were initially shortened. Perhaps a surname created in this way is the most Jewish surname. Why? Yes, because it distinguished the family of a great man at a time when the plebeians used only names in their identification.

Let us give examples: philosopher, doctor, writer Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon (Spain, 12th century) is identified by the surname Rambam.

Likewise, a respected Jewish priest could earn the surname Katz (Kohen Tzedek, righteous priest).

“Well, it’s far away and also a long time ago!” - the Russians will say. However, this point of view is wrong. Who in Russia knows the children's poems of Samuil Marshak? What do you think is the origin of this surname? This is an abbreviation. It consists of a number of words: Moreinu (our teacher), Rabbi; Shlomo (name), Qaidany (city where the rabbi lived).

Surnames of Russian Jews

Some researchers believe that the Slavic suffix included in the surname during its formation -sky(and -ich) distinguishes Russian Jewish surnames. However, it is not. In this case, we are dealing with EFs of Polish and Ukrainian origin.

In fact, when Jews came to Russia, they changed their surnames, assimilating to the absolutely predominant Russian language. For this they used other - “Russian” - suffixes: -in, -ev, -ov. In particular, the surname Arlazorov was created in a similar way (obviously a derivative of the name Elazar). However, in Russia there was an administrative practice of “mandatory” introduction of such suffixes for immigrants.

Surnames and Hebrew

It is obvious that such EFs as the Rabinskys and Rabinoviches appeared in a family where the ancestor was a rabbi (in Hebrew, rabbi). However, traditional Jewish surnames were often chosen by people familiar with literacy.

So, in particular, EF Yoffe translated into Hebrew means “beautiful” (if we remember the Russian academician who bears this last name, then it is worth mentioning his obvious fame as a heartthrob).

The surname Bernes identifies a person literate in Hebrew and Aramaic. Bar (aram) means son, and nes (Hebrew) means miracle. Indeed, the famous Soviet singer was characterized by the miracle of heartfelt communication with people. He was so sincere that it was impossible not to believe the words of his songs.

And EF Rachmaninov owes its origin to the Hebrew “Rahman” (merciful - one of God’s names). Indeed, isn’t the music of the composer crowned with this name divine!

Instead of a conclusion

Jewish surnames contain a lot of interesting information. From them one can determine the circumstances of the family’s life. Where did he come from, what social stratum should he belong to.

Let us provide some statistical information directly on the topic of this article. Recent studies conducted by the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs found that the most common EF in the country is Cohen (1.93% of the population), then Levi (1.12%). The third most common name was taken by the surname Mizrahi.

The trend in changing the surnames of repatriates from the USSR was the replacement of the process of Hebrewization of surnames by replacing them with double ones, which also included the Soviet version of the surname.

Story origin Jewish surnames quirky and entertaining. Until the end of the 18th century, Ashkenazi Jews living in Europe did not have surnames. Since ancient times, they used a personal name, to which was added the name of their father or mother, the name of the locality where the ancestor lived or his nickname. Jews were first required to adopt surnames in Austria, and then in other European countries. In Russia, this was taken up by the poet Derzhavin, who believed that the hereditary names of Jews should be similar to the surnames of Little Russians (Ukrainians and Belarusians). Jewish surnames are closely related to the traditions and language of the countries where they lived, and therefore are distinguished by great diversity.

History of the formation of Jewish surnames

If you view list of Hebrew names in alphabetical order, then you can be sure that one of the most common methods was the formation of surnames from personal names - Aizikov, Ezafov from Isaac, Abramovich from Abraham. In Jewish culture, the role of the mother has always been high and many surnames are derived from female names - Rivkin from Rebekah, Dvorkin from Dvoira, Rokhlin from Rachel. Many Jewish surnames are associated with the occupation of their first owner. The teacher at the religious school became Melamed, the money changer became Weksler, the tailors took the surname Schneider, and the driver began to be called Furman. Meaning many Jewish surnames associated with the names of settlements. Here the names of countries and cities, small towns and places where the family’s roots went were “involved” - Englander, Warshaver, Krichev, Berdichev, Oistrakh (from Austria).

Jewish surnames in religion

List of Jewish surnames identifies a special group of surnames that originate from the Levites (descendants of Levi) and Kohanim (priests). Many members of these clans received the surnames Cohen and Levi, often in modified form. Kogan, Kagan, Koganovich, Kogenman, Kaganashvili are derivatives of Cohen. Levitin, Levinson, Levitan, Leviev and Levitashvili descended from Levi. This also includes the surnames Brill (son of Rabbi Levi), Segal, Segal, Chagall (assistant to the Kohen-Levitic priest).

Abbreviated surnames of Jews

Meaning some Jewish surnames quite complicated. Perhaps only in the Jewish tradition are there surnames that are essentially abbreviations. They “encrypt” the names of the ancestors and their merits - Katz (kohen tzedek, “priest of righteousness”), Bash (Ben Shimon, “son of Shimon”), Marshak (morenu rabenu Shlomo Kluger, “our teacher, our master, Solomon the Wise” ).

Jewish surnames in Russian grammar

The meaning of Jewish surnames amazes with its diversity, and their writing can be both simple and complex. No wonder that Declension of Jewish surnames in Russian sometimes raises questions. Surnames ending in a consonant are changed only in the masculine version. Surnames with a vowel at the end of the word (except for “a”) are not declined.

Popular Jewish surnames and their meanings

List of Jewish surnames shows which of them are most common and popular among Jews.

Augenblick- a moment
Alwais– omniscient
Anders- another
Biiglaizen- iron
Blasbelg– blower
Bir- beer
Geduld- patience
Gesundgate– health or health
Gleichgewicht– balance
Gaarpuder– hair powder
Geld- hero
Goffung– hope
Immerwahr– always faithful
Knospe– bud
Kummer- grief
Kurzweil- fun
Mundschein- Moonlight
Noymints– new coin
Olivenbaum– olive
Parasol– umbrella
Ruge– peace
Seelenfreund- soul friend
Selten- rare
Sternkucker- looking at the stars
Sues- sweet
Tanenbaum- Christmas tree
Viertel- quarter
Vagshal- scales
Vacerval– waterfall
Weinkeller– weinkeller
Ville– will
Wundermacher– miracle worker
Zauderer– indecisive
Tol- mad
Ebert- boar
Feig- cowardly
Hasenfuss- hare's foot, coward
Kropf– goiter
Langnaz- a long nose
Listig– insidious
Mauskopf- mouse head
Mashinendraat– wire, strings
Oberschmukler- chief smuggler
Rindfuss- bull leg
Raubvogel- predatory bird
Rindskopf- bull's head
Schleicher- creeping, sneaky
Shleim- slime
Schnape– robber
Schmutzig- filthy
Spazenkopf- sparrow head
Totenkopf- scull
Tuhverderber- spoils fabric
Unglik- trouble, misfortune
Ungold- monster, monstrosity
Urin– urine
Windgun– weather vane, opportunist
Wilder- Savage
Zwergbaum– dwarf tree

The ancient Jews did not have surnames; they made do with first names, patronymics and nicknames. We found out where Jews got their surnames, what the Coens and Levins, the Schusters and the Sandlers have in common.

No surnames

Jews, like other peoples of the Middle East, never had surnames. The nomination was made by name and patronymic. The name was appended with the word “ben” (son) or “bat” (daughter). Every self-respecting Jew had to remember the names of his ancestors at least up to the seventh generation.

Since the names could be repeated often, for a more accurate representation, geographical landmarks were used (ha Romi - from Rome, Iuerushalmi - from Jerusalem), the name of the profession (Sandalar, Sandler - shoemaker, Sofer - scribe). In addition, Jews often had nicknames (Shapiro - handsome, Ioffe - handsome), which also added specifics to recognition.

Jews began to receive surnames only at the end of the 18th century. In 1787, Emperor Joseph II of the Austrian Empire passed a law requiring all Jews to have hereditary surnames. Their receipt immediately began to become overgrown with a web of corruption: for good, euphonious surnames, Jews were demanded money; in case of refusal, they could assign surnames that were far from euphonious and honorable. Such as Krautkopf (cabbage head) or Ochsenschwanz (ox tail).

In Russia, Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin proposed assigning surnames to Jews. At the same time, he insisted that they should sound “in the Little Russian way” and reflect not only the character of the person, but also the attitude of the authorities towards him. The secretive ones received the surnames Zamyslovaty or Zamyslyuk, the controversial ones in the case - Shvydky. The “Regulations on the Jews,” which stipulated the mandatory assignment of surnames to Jews, was approved on December 9, 1804. In 1850, Jews were also prohibited from changing their surnames, even if they converted to another faith.

Cohens and Levy

The first and to this day the most common Jewish surnames are Cohen and Levi. Cohens are the Jewish class of clergy, Levis are assistant clergy. These statuses among Jews were passed down through the paternal line, so they began to be perceived by other peoples as a family nickname.

From the Cohens and Levis, as the Jews settled, many variations of Jewish surnames were formed (Kogan, Kon, Kan, Koganovich, Kaganov, Levin, Levitan, Leviev, etc.). Additionally, even if a Jewish surname is not similar to the original "kohen", it may be related to it. Like, for example, the surname Katz (an abbreviation for “kohen-tzedek”, that is, “righteous Kohen”).

Surnames derived from “Cohen” and “Levi” are still the most common Jewish surnames today. Among the Jews of the former USSR, the most common surname is Levin, followed by Kogan. In Israel, 2.52% of the population bear the surname Cohen, 1.48% - Levi.

Where are you from?

A large number of Jewish surnames have a toponymic etymology, which is not surprising, given the fact that Jews often ended up as immigrants in other places. So, a person who arrived from Austria could receive the surname Oistrakh (in Yiddish “Austria”), who arrived from Lithuania - Litvin, Litvak, Litvinov, and so on. There are also surnames formed simply from the names of cities: Livshits, Landau, Berlin.

Toponymic Jewish surnames were often formed using the suffix “-sk” (Gomelsky, Shklovsky), the suffix “-ov”. For example, the Jewish surnames Sverdlov and Lioznov are formed, respectively, from the name of the towns of Sverdly and Liozno in the Vitebsk region, Sarnov - from the name of the town of Sarny in the current Rivne region).

Close in toponymy are ethnonymic Jewish surnames, such as Deitch (German), Nemets (as options - Nemtsov, Nemtsovich, Nimtsevich), Polyak and others.

What is your profession?

Many Jewish surnames come from names of professional activities. So, for example, the surnames Portnov, Khayat, Schneider and Schneiderman are related, since they came from the same word “tailor”; surnames such as Shuster, Sandler, Shvets came from “shoemaker”. The Jewish surname Melamed translates as “religious teacher”, Mogel - “master of circumcision”, Shadkhan - matchmaker.

Men, women

Patronymic and matronymic surnames, that is, formed respectively from personal male and female names, are common among Jews, but not as widespread as, for example, surnames formed from the names of professions. The simplest form of forming a patronymic surname is to use one’s own personal name. Hence such surnames as David, Israel, Adam, etc.

A large group of Jewish surnames consists of surnames formed from “kinnuy” - everyday names (Jews also have a “holy name”, which is called “shem kadosh”). So, for example, the surname Marx is a German form of the name Marcus, used as a kinnuy for the name Mordechai, the surname Lobroso is a kinnuy for the name Uriah, Benveniste is a kinnuy for the name Shalom.

In addition, surnames could be formed from the names of close relatives on the paternal and maternal lines, as well as from the name of the wife. Patronymic surnames could be formed using the formants “-shtam” (trunk) or “-bein” (bone). For example, such surnames as Mandelstam or Fishbein. Also, surnames could be formed using the suffixes “-chik” (Rubinchik), “-ovich/-evich” (Abramovich), prefixes (Ben-David) and various formants.

Surnames-abbreviations

If we talk about the purely Jewish tradition of forming surnames, then we need to highlight abbreviated surnames. They contain information about their carriers in a special way.

For example, the surname Zak stands for “zera kadoshim,” that is, “seed of the saints,” the surname Marshak is an abbreviation for “Morenu Rabenu Shlomo Kluger,” which translates as “our teacher, our lord, Solomon the Wise,” the surname Roshal is an abbreviation for “ Rabbi Shlomo Luria."

Decorative surnames

Not all Jewish surnames are related to a person’s place of residence, profession, or kinship. So-called decorative or ornamental surnames are also often found. Usually they were formed from the roots of the German language or roots from Yiddish. Jews were very fond of forming surnames from the word “gold” (Goldbaum (golden tree), Goldstein (golden stone), etc.), from the word “rose” (rose) - Rosenbaum (rose tree), Rosenblum (pink flower).

Many surnames were derived from the names of precious stones and materials for jewelry work. Finkelstein is a sparkling stone, Bernstein is amber, Perelstein is pearl, Sapir is sapphire, Edelstein is a precious stone.

Not everyone could afford to get an ornamental surname; often they were simply bought for substantial money.