AaronsonJewish Aaronson is a patronymic surname from the personal name Aaron.
AbadJudeo-Spanish Nickname from abad ‘priest’ (from Late Latin abbas ‘priest’, genitive abbatis, from the Aramaic word meaning ‘father’). The application is uncertain: it could be a nickname, an occupational name for the servant of a priest, or denote an (illegitimate) son of a priest.
AbecassisאבקסיסJudeo-Spanish From Hebrew אָב (áv) meaning "father" and Arabic قَصَّاص (qaṣṣāṣ) meaning "storyteller, narrator" (used as a title for community leaders and rabbis among North African Jews).
AbergelאברגילJudeo-Spanish Means "one-legged" or "one-footed" in Moroccan Arabic, from Arabic رِجْل (rijl) meaning "leg, foot".
AbitbolאביטבולJudeo-Spanish Means "father of drums" (figuratively referring to a drum maker) from Arabic أَبُو (abū) meaning "father" and طَبْل (ṭabl) meaning "drum".
AbulafiaאבולעפיהJudeo-Spanish From Arabic أبو العافية (abū l-ʿāfiya) meaning "father of health" from أبو (abū) meaning "father" and عافية (ʿāfiya) meaning "health, well-being".
Alfesאלפס, אלפסיJewish Official website of the the City of Alfés (in the Province Lleida, Catalonia, Spain) says:... [more]
AlhadeffJudeo-Spanish Possibly an occupational name for a weaver from Arabic الهداف (al-̣haddāf) meaning "the weaver's shuttle". Alternately, it may be from Arabic الهدى (al-hadā) meaning "the guided one".
AmbergGerman, Jewish German and possibly Jewish (Ashkenazic) habitational name from any of several settlements called Amberg (literally ‘by the mountain’), including a city in Bavaria. It could also be a topographic name of identical etymology... [more]
AmsalemאמסלםJudeo-Spanish From an uncertain first element, perhaps the Tamazight prefix 'am denoting an agent, combined with Hebrew שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace".
AndradePortuguese, Galician, Jewish (?) Denoted a person hailing from one of the many areas that bear this name in Portugal and Galicia, Spain, derived from Latin andreas meaning "manly, masculine".
ArousiערוסיJewish, Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic, Arabic Yemenite Jewish and Arabic name possibly deriving from Arabic words aroosi, "bridal, relating to a wedding", rousi, "groom". El Aroussi, a variant, is found densely in Morocco and Francophone populations (France, Canada).
AshkenaziאשכנזיJewish From a nickname given by Jews in Slavic countries to Jews from Germany. It was also used to denote a Yiddish-speaking Jew who had settled in an area where non-Ashkenazic Jews were the majority. The name ultimately comes from Hebrew אַשְׁכְּנַז (ashk'náz), a location mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, which is likely from Assyrian Aškūza.
AtlanאטלןJudeo-Spanish From an Arabic word originally meaning "noble" but later taking on the pejorative meaning of "spoiled, worthless" or "crippled, infirm".
AusterlitzGerman (Austrian), Jewish Derived from Slavkov u Brna (historically known as Austerlitz in German), a town located in Vyškov District, in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. This was real surname of the American actor and dancer Fred Astaire (1899-1987), as well as his sister Adele Astaire (1896-1981), an actress, singer and dancer.
AzoulayאזולאיJudeo-Spanish Meaning uncertain. It may be derived from French azur or Spanish azul both meaning "blue" (of Persian origin), from Tamazight izîl meaning "good, pure, sublime", or from an acronym of the Biblical passage אִשָּׁ֨ה זֹנָ֤ה וַחֲלָלָה֙ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֔חוּ (’iš-šāh zō-nāh wa-ḥă-lā-lāh lō yiq-qā-ḥū) meaning "They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane".
BacalRomanian, Jewish Derived from Romanian bacal, an alternative form of băcan meaning "grocer".
BacallRomanian, Jewish Variant spelling of Bacal. A famous bearer was the American actress Lauren Bacall (1924-2014).
BacharachGerman, Jewish Derived from Bacharach, a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. This surname was borne by the American composer and pianist Burt Bacharach (1928-2023).
BacharachasJewish Bacharachas is a derivate of the Bacharach that is a town in Germany.
BacriבכריJudeo-Spanish Possibly derived from Arabic بكر (bikr) meaning "firstborn, eldest". Alternately it may be an occupational name for a cowherd or cattle merchant from بقر (baqar) meaning "cattle".
Bar Naimבר נעים / ברנעיםHebrew Combination of Bar and Naim with the meaning of "son of pleasantness".
BaronJewish From German or Polish baron or Russian барон (baron) meaning "baron". In Israel the name is often interpreted to mean "son of strength" from Hebrew בר און (bar on).
BarzilaijDutch, Jewish Dutch form (or "dutchization", if you will) of Barzilai via Barzilay. This name is found exclusively in the Dutch-Jewish community, and is considered quite rare: there were only 112 bearers in 1947 and only 51 bearers in 2007.
BaskinJewish Means "son of Baske", a Yiddish female personal name (a pet-form of the Biblical name Bath Seba). Baskin-Robbins is a US chain of ice-cream parlours founded in Glendale, California in 1945 by Burt Baskin (1913-1969) and Irv Robbins (1917-2008).
Benguiguiבן גיגיJudeo-Spanish Means "son of Guigui", from a given name or tribal name possibly derived from Tamazight igig meaning "stake".
Ben-Gurionבֶּן־גּוּרִיּוֹןHebrew Means "son of the lion cub", from Hebrew גוּר (gur) meaning "lion cub, young lion". A notable bearer was the Polish-born David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973; real name David Grün), the founding father of Israel who also served as the country's first prime minister.
Ben Nunבן נוןHebrew Joshua or Yehoshua Ben Nun functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Exodus and Numbers, and later succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelite tribes in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua
Ben Orבן אורHebrew Means "son of the light" in Hebrew. (see Or)
BergenGerman, Dutch, Flemish, Jewish Originally denoted a person from any of the various places named Bergen in Germany and the Netherlands. It is also a variant of Berg. Famous bearers include the Americans Candice Bergen (1946-), an actress, and Polly Bergen (1930-2014), an actress, singer and television host.
BerlinerblauבערלינערבלאוGerman, Jewish Means “Prussian blue” in German. A notable bearer of this surname is Jacques Berlinerblau, a professor of Jewish civilization, and Stefania Berlinerblau, an American anatomist and physician.
BerlińskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from the city of Berlin in Germany.
Bernthalברנטל, בערנטאַלJewish Ornamental name derived from the Yiddish given name Ber meaning "bear" and German thal meaning "valley". A famous bearer is American actor Jon Bernthal (1976-).
BialikPolish, Czech, Jewish Derived from Polish biały meaning "white", originally a nickname for a person with blond hair or a pale complexion. A famous bearer of this name is American actress Mayim Bialik (1975-).
BickelGerman, German (Swiss), Jewish German: from bickel ‘pickaxe’ or ‘chisel’, hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made pickaxes or worked with a pickaxe or for a stonemason. South German: from a pet form of Burkhart... [more]
BiedermannGerman, Jewish nickname for an honest man from a compound of Middle High German biderbe "honorable" and man "man". Jewish surname adopted because of its honorific meaning from German bieder "honest, upright" and mann "man".
BielerGerman, Jewish Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of the many places in eastern Europe whose name incorporates the Slavic element byel- ‘white’.... [more]
BierGerman, Jewish from Middle High German bier "beer" German bier Yiddish bir a metonymic occupational name for a brewer of beer or a tavern owner or in some cases perhaps a nickname for a beer drinker.
BirneEnglish, German, Jewish Means "pear" in German, making it the German equivalent of Perry 1, perhaps originally referring to a person who harvested or sold pears... [more]
BlattGerman, Jewish Ornamental name derived from German blatt and Yiddish blat meaning "leaf", or a topographic name for someone who lived at a farm on a ledge on a mountainside, derived from Middle High German blate meaning "flat surface, ledge, plateau".
BlausteinGerman, Jewish Ornamental name from German blau "blue" and Stein "stone", i.e. lapis lazuli.
BlitzsteinGerman, Jewish Blitz is the German word for lightening and stein is the German word for stone.
BlochJewish, German, French Regional name for someone in Central Europe originating from Italy or France, from Polish "Włoch" meaning "Italian" (originally "stranger / of foreign stock"), ultimately derived – like many names and words in various European languages – from the Germanic Walhaz.
BluthGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name from Middle High German bluot, German Blüte ‘bloom’, ‘flower head’. ... [more]
BobeckSwedish, German, Jewish, Slavic A respelling of the Swedish Bobäck, an ornamental name composed of the elements bo meaning "farm" and bäck meaning "stream".... [more]
BobrowskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from a place called Bobrowa, Bobrowo, Bobrowce, or Bobrowiec.
BrachaברכהHebrew From the given name Bracha, means "blessing" in Hebrew.
BraininJewish Means "son of Brayne", Brayne being a short form of the Yiddish feminine name Brayndl, literally "little brown one" (cf. Breindel).
BrandeisJewish Derived from Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav (known as Brandeis-Altbunzlau or Brandeis an der Elbe in German), a town located in the Prague-East District, in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic... [more]
BrandisGerman, Jewish, Swiss German & Swiss: Habitational name from a former Brandis castle in Emmental near Bern, Switzerland, or from any of the places so named in Saxony, Germany. A famous bearer of the name is Jonathan Brandis (1976-2003).... [more]
BraunschweigGerman, Jewish Denoted a person from the city of Braunschweig in Lower Saxony, Germany, which is of Old Saxon origin meaning "Bruno's settlement".
BrenariJewish, Italian Jewish family and possible place-name in N.E.Italy in 1500's.
BrennerGerman, German (Austrian), Jewish Derived from Middle High German brennen "to burn". Both as a German and a Jewish name, this was an occupational name for a distiller of spirits. As a German surname, however, it also occasionally referred to a charcoal or lime burner or to someone who cleared forests by burning.
BreuerGerman, Jewish occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale from Middle High German briuwer "brewer". Cognitive of Brewer.
BrizendineFrench, English, Jewish Derived from a personal name, probably of Celtic origin (Latinized as Britus), which was borne by a 5th century saint, who succeeded St. Martin as bishop of Tours.
BrodJewish Either derived from German Brot "bread" or taken from one of the various towns named Brod in Bosnia, Croatia and Macedonia or from one of the towns named Brody in Ukraine and Poland.
BruckJewish From Polish, Belorussian, or Yiddish bruk "pavement", possibly an occupational name for a paver.
BruckerJewish From Polish brukarz or Yiddish bruk "pavement", possibly an occupational name for a paver.
BrühlGerman, Jewish Topographic name for someone who lived by a swampy area, derived from Middle High German brüel and Middle Low German brul meaning "swampy land with brushwood". It may also be a habitational name from various places named Brühl in Germany.
CaanScottish, German, Jewish Altered spelling of Jewish Cohen, or probably denoted a person from the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Famous bearers of this surname include American actor James Caan (1940-2022), as well as his son Scott Caan (1976-), also a noted actor.