Jewish surnames 1

Many Jewish surnames are related to occupation and native place of the individual. Some traditional surnames are related to religion, such as Shulman (synagogue-man), Cohen (priest), Kantor (Cantor), and Sofer (scribe). There are Jewish surnames of Russian, Polish, or German origin. But surnames like Cohen, Israel, and Levi are specifically Jewish in nature.

Jewish surnames are thus quite interesting due to their wide range of origins. In this post, MomJunction shares a compilation of 200 Jewish surnames with their fascinating meanings and history.

List Of Common Jewish Surnames With Meanings

1. Aaronson

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.’

2. Abelman

It is an Ashkenazi Jewish surname and a patronymic form of the personal name Abel. This is taken from the Hebrew name ‘hevel’ meaning ‘breath,’ ‘vanity’ or ‘vapor.’

3. Abram

This is a patronymic name derived from the reduced form of the name ‘Abraham’ that means ‘father of a multitude.’

4. Acker

This is an Ashkenazi Jewish last name of German or Old English origins with the meaning ‘plowed field.’

5. Adelman

This is an Ashkenazi Jewish name and is an ornamental name taken from the Yiddish word ‘eydl’ or German word ‘edel’ meaning ‘nobility.’

6. Appelbaum

This is a variant spelling of the German name ‘Apfelbaum’ that means ‘apple tree.’ It is also an occupational name from a grower of the fruit.

7. Bach

This is an Ashkenazi Jewish ornamental last name taken from the German word ‘Bach’ meaning a ‘creek’ or a ‘stream.’

8. Becker

It comes from the Middle High German word ‘becker’ meaning a ‘baker.’ It is an occupational surname for those baked bread or had made bricks or tiles in a kiln.

9. Benowitz

It is from the eastern Ashkenazic family line and patronymic name from the nickname of the personal name ‘Benjamin.’ It comes from Hebrew name ‘Binyamin’ meaning ‘son of the south’ or ‘son of the right hand.’

10. Berenson

This is an Ashkenazic patronymic surname. It is a combination of the Yiddish words ‘ber’ meaning ‘bear’ and German ‘sohn’ meaning ‘son.’

11. Berg

This is an ornamental name derived from the German word ‘berg’ meaning ‘hill’ or ‘mountain.’ It is also used as a short form for surnames with ‘berg’ as the final element. For instance, Goldberg and Schonberg.

12. Bing

It is an Ashkenazi Jewish name. This is a toponymic name and derived from the Old English word Byng meaning ‘a dweller of the hollow.’ The name could also refer to someone who originally belonged to the town of Bingen in Germany.

13. Blau

It means ‘blue’ in German. It is an Ashkenazi Jewish ornamental surname.

14. Blum

It is the Yiddish word for ‘flower’ and may have been a toponymic or occupational name.

15. Broder

It is a Yiddish variant of ‘Brodsky,’ which is a toponymic name for someone from Brody, a place in Ukraine.

16. Cohen

It comes from the Jewish word ‘kohen’ meaning ‘priest.’ This surname is derived from the priestly family line who served at Jewish temples in ancient times.

17. Cooperman

This is an occupational name for a ‘coppersmith’ derived from Yiddish word ‘kuper’ meaning ‘copper.’

18. David

This is a popular name among Jews and comes from the Hebrew word ‘Dawid’ meaning ‘beloved.’

19. Diamond

This is an anglicized form of the Jewish surname ‘Diament,’ which means diamond in Yiddish. The word ‘diamond’ comes from the Late Latin word ‘diamas’ that means ‘invincible.’

20. Dillon

This is an Ashkenazi Jewish last name of uncertain origin. It is believed to be an ornamental name from the Biblical place ‘Dilon’ that likely meant ‘loyal and true.’