Jewish Surnames

These names are used by Jews. For more specific lists, see Hebrew names and Yiddish names. See also about Jewish names.
usage
Aaron Jewish, English
From the given name Aaron.
Abraham אַבְרָהָם Jewish, English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch
Derived from the given name Abraham.
Abrams Jewish, English
Means "son of Abraham".
Adam English, French, German, Polish, Romanian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Adam.
Adams English, Jewish
Derived from the given name Adam.
Adler German, Jewish
Means "eagle" in German.
Amos עָמוֹס Jewish
From the given name Amos.
Amsel 1 Jewish
Derived from the given name Anshel.
Avraham Jewish
From the given name Abraham.
Baum German, Jewish
Means "tree" in German.
Baumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German bumann meaning "farmer, builder".
Berkovich Jewish
Means "son of Berko" in Yiddish, Berko being a derivative of Ber.
Bieber German, Jewish
From Middle High German biber meaning "beaver", possibly a nickname for a hard worker.
Blum German, Jewish
Means "flower" in German and Yiddish.
Blumenthal German, Jewish
Derived from German Blumen "flowers" and Thal "valley".
Blumstein Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "flower stone" in German.
Bramson Jewish
Means "son of Bram".
Chaikin חייקין Yiddish
From a diminutive of the given name Chaya.
Cline German, Jewish
Anglicized spelling of Klein.
Cohen כֹּהֵן Jewish
Means "priest" from Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohen). It originally denoted one of the priestly tribe of Levi.
Ezra עֶזְרָא Jewish
From the given name Ezra.
Feigenbaum German, Jewish
Means "fig tree" in German.
Feld German, Jewish
Means "field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.
Freud German, Jewish
Means "joy" in German, a nickname for a cheerful person. A famous bearer was the psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).
Freudenberger German, Jewish
Ornamental name from old German freud meaning "joy" and berg meaning "mountain".
Gold English, German, Jewish
From Old English and Old High German gold meaning "gold", an occupational name for someone who worked with gold or a nickname for someone with yellow hair. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Goldhirsch Jewish
Means "golden stag" in Yiddish.
Greenberg German, Jewish
Anglicized form of Grünberg.
Greenspan Jewish
Anglicized form of German Grünspan meaning "verdigris". Verdigris is the green-blue substance that forms on copper.
Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.
Grünspan Jewish
Original form of Greenspan.
Haber German, Jewish
Occupational name for one who grew or sold oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Harel הַרְאֵל Jewish
Ornamental name adopted from a biblical place name meaning "altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew.
Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.
Heiman היימאַן Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.
Hersch הירש German, Jewish
Variant of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.
Herschel הירשל German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.
Heyman היימאַן Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.
Hirsch 2 הירש Jewish
Derived from the given name Hirsh.
Hirschel הירשל German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.
Hochberg German, Jewish
From place names meaning "high hill" in German.
Horowitz Jewish
From the German name of Hořovice, a town in the Czech Republic. Its name is derived from Czech hora "mountain".
Jordan 2 Jewish
Derived from the name of the Jordan river, which is from Hebrew יָרַד (yarad) meaning "descend" or "flow down".
Katz כּץ, כּייץ Jewish
Derived from Hebrew כֹּהֵן צֶדֶק (kohen tzedek) meaning "priest of justice", indicating a descendant of Aaron.
Kaufmann German, Jewish
Means "trader, merchant" in German.
Kleid Jewish
Occupational name for a tailor, from Old High German kleid meaning "garment, clothing".
Klein German, Dutch, Jewish
Means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).
Krakowski Polish, Jewish
Habitational name for a person from the city of Kraków in southern Poland.
Kramer Low German, Jewish
Low German and Jewish form of Krämer.
Kranz German, Jewish
Derived from Old High German kranz meaning "wreath", an occupational name for a maker of wreaths or an ornamental Jewish name.
Kravitz Jewish
Occupational name derived from Polish krawiec meaning "tailor".
Landau German, Jewish
Derived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".
Langer German, Jewish
German cognate of Long.
Lehrer Jewish
Means "teacher" in German (Yiddish לערער (lerer)).
Levi לֵוִי Jewish
From the given name Levi.
Levine לֵוִין Jewish
Patronymic from the given name Levi.
Lichtenberg Jewish
Means "light hill" in German.
Löwe German, Jewish
Means "lion" in German.
Lowe 1 Jewish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Löwe.
Maier 2 מֵאִיר, מאייר Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.
Mandel מאַנדל German, Yiddish
Means "almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Mandelbaum Jewish
Means "almond tree" in German.
Mayer 2 מֵאִיר, מאייר Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.
Meier 2 מֵאִיר, מאייר Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.
Meir מֵאִיר, מאייר Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.
Mendel 1 מענדל, מֶנְדְל Jewish
Derived from the given name Mendel.
Mendelsohn מענדעלסאָן, מנְדְלסון Jewish
Means "son of Mendel".
Mendelssohn מענדעלסאָן, מנְדְלסון Jewish
Means "son of Mendel".
Meyer 2 מֵאִיר, מאייר Jewish
From Hebrew מֵאִיר (meir) meaning "enlightened".
Mittelman Jewish
Nickname for a man of moderate means, from Yiddish, ultimately from Old High German mittil "means, resources".
Morgenstern German, Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "morning star" in German.
Moses Jewish, English
Derived from the given name Moses.
Nathans Jewish
Derived from the given name Nathan.
Nathanson Jewish
Means "son of Nathan".
Neumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German niuwe and man meaning "new man, newcomer".
Nussbaum German, Jewish
Means "nut tree", derived from the German Nuss "nut" and Baum "tree".
Orenstein Jewish
Means "horn stone" in German.
Pasternack פּאַסטערנאַק, פּסטרנק Polish (Anglicized), Yiddish
Americanized form of Pasternak.
Pasternak פּאַסטערנאַק, פּסטרנק Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Yiddish
Means "parsnip" in various Slavic languages, ultimately from Latin pastinaca. A famous bearer was Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), author of Doctor Zhivago.
Pensak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.
Penzak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.
Penzig Yiddish
Denoted a person who came from Penzig, the German name for Pieńsk, a town in southwest Poland. It is derived from Polish pień meaning "stump, tree trunk".
Penzik Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.
Pontecorvo Italian, Jewish
From the name of a town in central Italy, home to an old Jewish community. The town's name is derived from Italian ponte "bridge" and curvo "curved".
Prinz German, Jewish
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.
Regenbogen German, Jewish
From a German nickname meaning "rainbow".
Reich German, Jewish
Nickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German rihhi "rich, powerful".
Reis German, Jewish
From Middle High German ris meaning "twig, branch, bush", denoting a person who lived in an overgrown area. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Riese German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German, from Old High German risi.
Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).
Rosenberg German, Swedish, Jewish
Means "rose mountain" in German and Swedish. As a Swedish and Jewish name it is ornamental.
Rosenfeld German, Jewish
Means "field of roses" in German. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Rot German, Jewish
Variant of Roth.
Roth German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
Rothenberg German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Jewish name it may be ornamental.
Rothschild Jewish
From Middle High German rot "red" and schilt "shield", or Yiddish רויט (roit) and שילד (shild). The famous Rothschild family of bankers took their name from a house with a red shield on it.
Salomon French, German, Jewish
Derived from the given name Salomon or Salomo.
Samuel English, Welsh, French, Jewish
Derived from the given name Samuel.
Sandberg Swedish, Norwegian, Jewish
From Swedish and Norwegian sand (Old Norse sandr) meaning "sand" and berg meaning "mountain" (or in the case of the Jewish surname, from the Yiddish or German cognates).
Scheinberg Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "beautiful mountain" from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and berg "mountain".
Schneider German, Jewish
From German schneider or Yiddish shnayder, making it a cognate of Snyder.
Schnur German, Jewish
From Old High German snuor meaning "rope, cord", an occupational name for a maker of rope.
Schreier German, Jewish
Occupational name for a town crier, from Old High German scrian meaning "to shout, to yell".
Schwarz German, Jewish
Means "black" in German, from Old High German swarz. It originally described a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
Seelenfreund Jewish
From German Seele meaning "soul" and Freund meaning "friend".
Segal 1 סגל Jewish
From the Hebrew phrase סגן לויה (segan Lewiyah) meaning "assistant Levite".
Shafir שאַפֿיר Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "sapphire" in Yiddish.
Shain שיין Jewish
Means "beautiful, handsome" in Yiddish, from German schön.
Shapiro שׁפּירא Jewish
Means "pretty, lovely" in Hebrew, from Aramaic.
Sheinfeld Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and feld meaning "field".
Sherman 2 שערמאַן Jewish
Means "tailor" in Yiddish, derived from שער (sher) meaning "scissors".
Silverstein זילבערשטיין Jewish
Variant of Zilberstein.
Simon שִׁמְעוֹן English, French, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Simon 1.
Siskin Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.
Sobel Jewish
Variant of Sobol.
Sobol Russian, Ukrainian, Jewish
Occupational name for a fur trader, from the Slavic word soboli meaning "sable, marten". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Sokol Czech, Slovak, Jewish
From Czech and Slovak sokol meaning "falcon", a nickname or an occupational name for a falconer. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Sokoll Jewish
Variant of Sokol.
Sokolof Jewish
Means "son of Sokol".
Sokoloff Jewish
Means "son of Sokol".
Sokolsky Jewish
Means "son of Sokol".
Solomon English, Romanian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Solomon.
Stein German, Jewish
From Old High German stein meaning "stone". It might indicate the original bearer lived near a prominent stone or worked as a stonecutter. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Stern 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.
Sternberg Jewish
Ornamental name derived from old German stern "star" and berg "mountain".
Stück German, Jewish
From Old High German stucki meaning "piece, part".
Tobias English, German, Jewish
From the given name Tobias.
Vang 2 Yiddish
Variant of Wang 4.
Waldvogel Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German Wald meaning "forest" and Vogel meaning "bird".
Wallach װאַלאַך, וולך Yiddish
From Middle High German walch meaning "foreigner (from a Romance country)".
Wang 4 Yiddish
Name for a Jew from Hungary, ultimately from Russian Венгрия (Vengriya) meaning "Hungary".
Warszawski Polish, Jewish
Place name for someone from the Polish city of Warsaw, itself derived from the given name Warsz, a short form of Warcisław.
Wechsler German, Jewish
Means "money changer, banker", from German wechseln "to exchange".
Weiss German, Yiddish
From Middle High German wiz or Yiddish װייַס (vais) meaning "white". This was originally a nickname for a person with white hair or skin.
Winograd וינוגרד Jewish
Jewish form of Vinogradov.
Wirth German, Jewish
Occupational name for an innkeeper, derived from German wirt meaning "host".
Zilberschlag Jewish
Occupational name for a silversmith from Yiddish zilber "silver" and schlag "strike".
Zilberstein זילבערשטיין Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "silver stone", from Yiddish זילבער (zilber) and שטיין (shtein), both of Old High German origin.
Zimman Jewish
Possibly a variant of Zimmermann.
Zimmermann German, Jewish
From the German word for "carpenter", derived from Middle High German zimber "timber, wood" and mann "man".
Zingel Jewish
From Middle High German zingel "defensive wall". This name was originally applied to a person who lived near the outermost wall of a castle.
Ziskind זיסקינד Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "sweet child", from Yiddish זיס (zis) meaning "sweet" and קינד (kind) meaning "child", both words of Old High German origin.