This is a list of submitted surnames in which the usage is Jewish; and the description contains the keywords bringer or of or light.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
KilJewish Jewish (Ashkenazic) of uncertain origin; perhaps a nickname from Yiddish kil ‘cool’.
KimmelGerman, Jewish Derived from Middle High German kumin and German kümmel meaning "caraway" (related to Latin cuminum, a word of Oriental origin, like the plant itself), hence a metonymic occupational name for a spicer, literally a supplier of caraway seeds... [more]
KindGerman, Jewish, Dutch From Middle High German kint, German Kind "child", hence a nickname for someone with a childish or naive disposition, or an epithet used to distinguish between a father and his son. In some cases it may be a short form of any of various names ending in -kind, a patronymic ending of Jewish surnames.
KnafoכנפוJudeo-Spanish Likely derived from Tamazight akhnif referring to a type of woolen hooded cloak (a type of burnous). It has also been connected to the Hebrew word כָּנָף (kanaf) meaning "wing".
KnollEnglish, German, Jewish English and German topographic name for someone living near a hilltop or mountain peak, from Middle English knolle ‘hilltop’, ‘hillock’ (Old English cnoll), Middle High German knol ‘peak’... [more]
KochJewish Koch - which also has the meaning of Cook in German's origin was however not from that meaning. It origins are to be traced in the Jewish ancestory. The original meaning came from the word Star. Amongst the related surnames (with or without bar in front or a ba or similar appended) are: Koch, Kochba, Kok, Kock, Kuk, Coq, Coqui, Cook (as a translation from the perceived meaning of cook) and a host of others... [more]
KönigsbergJewish Associated with the Polish/Prussian/German/Russian town Königsberg, now called Kaliningrad. This surname was borne by the parents of American actor, writer, teacher, and director Walter Koenig (1936-) before they emigrated to the United States.
KorenSlovene, Hebrew Koren is a surname which has multiple origins. Koren may be a variant of the German occupational surname Korn, meaning a dealer in grain. Alternatively, it may be a variant of the Greek female name Kora... [more]
KrasowskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from the villages of Krasowa, Krasów, or Krasowa.
KreiselקרייסלGerman, Jewish Jewish family name and originally a nickname for an active or disorganized person, derived from German kreisel meaning "spinning top, top", ultimately from kreis "circle". Alternatively, it could've be used as a nickname for a person with curly hair in the context of "spiral" or "curl".
KritzmanGerman, Jewish German (Kritzmann): topographic name for someone living near a cross.... [more]
KrochmalPolish, Yiddish, Hebrew Krochmal (Yiddish: קראָכמאַל, Hebrew, קרוכמל/קרוכמאל) is a rare Ashkenazi-Jewish-Polish surname meaning "laundry starch" (a starch solution in water used to whiten and stiffen fabric)... [more]
KroneckerJewish, German (Austrian) Derived from the place name Kroneck in Austria. A famous bearer of this surname was Leopold Kronecker(1823~1891),the German mathematician who worked on number theory.
KrupskayafRussian, Yiddish (Russified) Derived from Russian крупа (krupa), meaning "grains". This was the last name of Nadezhda Krupskaya, Lenin's wife.
KubrickJewish, Polish Derived from Polish kubryk "ship's forecastle". Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and photographer, widely considered as the greatest filmmaker of all time.
KupkaCzech, Polish, Ukrainian, Slovak, Sorbian, Jewish Nickname or topographic name from the Polish, Ukrainian, Czech and Sorbian word kupka, a diminutive of kupa meaning "heap, pile", in Upper Sorbian also "lump".... [more]
KushnerJewish This surname is a German Jewish given name. A notable bearer is Jared Kushner the son in law of President Donald J. Trump who became president in the year 2016.
KutscherGerman, Jewish occupational name for a coachman or coach builder from a derivative of the 16th-century Hungarian loanword kocsi "coach" German kutsche. The German -u- vowel comes from Slavic (Polish kucer).
LandeFrench, Norwegian, Jewish French: topographic name for someone living on a heath, lande (from Gaulish landa ‘space’, ‘land’), or a habitational name from any of numerous minor places named La Lande from this word.... [more]
LaskiPolish, Hungarian, Jewish Polish (Laski) and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name from Lasko (now Lask) in Sieradz voivodeship, named with laz, lazy ‘clearing in a forest’. ... [more]
LäuferGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from a place called Lauf, also an occupational name for a messenger or a nickname for a fast runner, from an agent derivative of Middle High German loufen, German laufen ‘to run’.
LevaiלֵוִיJewish Comes from the Levitic surnames of 'Levi' and 'Levy', signifying the descendants from the Tribe of Levi. All bearers today are of Hungarian–Jewish descent.
LichtJewish From the German word meaning "light", possibly derived from a given name meaning "light" such as Uri or Meir.
LichtGerman, Dutch, Yiddish Means "light" or "candle". Could be an occupational name for a chandler, a topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing (see Lichte), or a nickname for someone who had light hair, or who was agile and slender.
LichtblauYiddish Means "light blue" in German. Leon Lichtblau was a pro-revolution communist who was imprisoned in Romania in 1921.
LichtenGerman, Jewish From German licht meaning "light". Nickname for someone with a light complexion.
LichterGerman, Jewish Occupational name for someone who made candles or possibly for someone who tended a light, from an agent derivative of from Middle High German lieht, Yiddish likht "candle, light".
LiebmanJewish Variant of German Liebmann, itself a variant of Libman and derived from the Yiddish personal name Lipman, from Middle High German liep "dear, beloved" and man "man"... [more]
LindeGerman, Dutch, Jewish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish Derived from Middle Hugh German, Dutch linde or Scandinavian lind "lime tree". Almost exclusively ornamental in Swedish, otherwise probably habitational. There are also a number of feminine names containing the element lind, for example Linda, Dietlinde and Gerlinde, and it's possible that the surname is derived from any of those names.
LindenbaumGerman, Jewish topographic name for someone who lived by a lime tree Lindenbaum or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a lime tree. Derived from the elements linta "linden" and boum "tree".
LindenbergGerman, Jewish, Dutch As a German and Jewish name, it is derived from any of numerous places called Lindenberg in Germany, composed of Middle High German linde meaning "lime tree" and berg meaning "mountain, hill"... [more]
LipowskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from any of various places called Lipowo, Lipowa, or Lipowe, named with an adjectival derivative of Polish lipa meaning "lime tree".
LipschitzGerman, Jewish The name is derived from the Slavic "lipa," meaning "linden tree" or "lime tree." The name may relate to a number of different place names: "Liebeschitz," the name of a town in Bohemia, "Leipzig," the name of a famous German city, or "Leobschutz," the name of a town in Upper Silesia.
LipskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from any of various places called Lipie, Lipsk, Lipsko, Lipy, etc., all named with Polish lipa meaning "lime tree".
LivingstoneScottish, Irish, Jewish Scottish: Habitational name from a place in Lothian, originally named in Middle English as Levingston, from an owner called Levin (Lewin), who appears in charters of David I in the early 12th century.... [more]
LovitzJewish From the Polish name of Łowicz, a town in central Poland. Its name is derived from Polish lowisko meaning "fishing, hunting". A well-known bearer is American comedian and actor Jon Lovitz (1957-).
LowensteinJewish Combination of German Löwe "lion" and stein "stone". In some cases an ornamental name associated with the name Levi (see also Levy and Lew 2).
LöwenthalJewish, Swedish Ornamental name composed of German Löwe "lion" and T(h)al "valley". In some cases the Jewish name would have been an ornamental elaboration associated with the personal name Levi (or other names meaning "lion").
LubarskyUkrainian, Lithuanian, Jewish Habitational name for someone from Liubar, an urban-type settlement in the Zhytomyr Oblast of Ukraine, or Lubarka, an unknown place in Lithuania.
LurieJewish It is one of the oldest family trees in the world, tracing back at least to King David born c. 1037 BCE, as documented by Neil Rosenstein in his book The Lurie Legacy... [more]
LustgartenJewish An invented Jewish name based on German Lustgarten "pleasure garden" (perhaps alluding to the Garden of Eden). It was borne by British barrister, writer and broadcaster Edgar Lustgarten (1907-1978), presenter of television crime reconstructions.
Ma'ayanמעין, מעייןHebrew (Rare) Means "spring of water" or "fountain" in Hebrew, this is more common as a given name than a surname
MaddowJewish A famous bearer of this surname is Rachel Anne Maddow (Born on April 1, 1973) whose Jewish ancestors came from Russia and Poland but according to today’s borders would be Ukraine and Lithuania. ... [more]
MaiselYiddish, German, French Predominantly seems to be a matronymic surname from the Yiddish feminine name Mayzl. Although it is believed that it derived from the Hebrew name Meïser, which means “representative of God”... [more]
MaitlisJewish Means "son of Meytl", a Yiddish female personal name, literally "little Meyte", a Yiddish female personal name derived from Middle High German maget "maid".
MajPolish, Jewish Surname adopted with reference to the month of May, Polish maj. Surnames referring to months were sometimes adopted by Jewish converts to Christianity, with reference to the month in which they were baptized or in which the surname was registered.
ManheimGerman, Jewish Habitational name from the city of Mannheim in southwestern Germany (formerly the residence of the electors Palatine) so named from the ancient Germanic personal name Manno (see Mann ) annd Old High German heim "homestead"... [more]
MargulisמרגליתHebrew Margulis is a surname that is derived from the Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation of the Hebrew word מרגלית (Israeli Hebrew /maʁɡaˈlit/), meaning 'pearl,'
MayowskiמאיובסקיmPolish, Jewish (Ashkenazi), German, Ukrainian Habitational name for someone from any of various places called Maków, Makowa, or Makowo, all named with Slavic mak ‘poppy’. This surname is also found in Germany. Compare Makosky and Makowsky.... [more]
MilibandJewish This is the surname of British Labour Party politicians Ed and David Miliband, who are ethnically Jewish.
MiodownikPolish, Jewish The literal translation is "honey cake", from the Polish word/root surname miod, meaning "honey." An occupational surname to those in the honey business, mainly beekeepers and bakers.... [more]
MirkinJewish Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): metronymic from the Yiddish female personal name Mirke, a pet form of the Biblical Hebrew name Miryam.
ModenaItalian, Judeo-Italian Italian and Jewish (from Italy) habitational name from the city of Modena in Emilia-Romagna.
MontefioreItalian, Jewish Derived from Montefiore, which is the name of several places in Italy. For example, there is Castle Montefiore in the town of Recanati (province of Macerata), the municipality of Montefiore Conca (province of Rimini) and the municipality of Montefiore dell'Aso (province of Ascoli Piceno)... [more]
MorpurgoמורפורגוJudeo-Italian Italian surname of Jewish origin, originally Marpurg, from the Austrian city Marburg an der Drau (today Maribor in Slovenia). The progenitor was Moises Jacob, father of Petachia, in Bad-Rackersburg, Austria... [more]
MoskowitzJewish Germanized form of a patronymic surname formed by adding the Slavic suffix "-ovic" meaning "son of" to a Yiddish transformation (Moshke) of the biblical Hebrew personal Moses ("Mosko" was a Polish pet form of the personal name Moses).
NadelGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a maker of needles, or in some cases for a tailor, from Middle High German nadel(e), German Nadel "needle".
NaimanUkrainian, Jewish Before Genghis Khan conquered the world, he conquered his neighbors, and his last great victory, in 1204, was over a tribe of Turkic Christians called the Naiman. (Some Naimans today are Christian but most are Jewish.)... [more]
NassauGerman, Dutch, Jewish From the name of the town of Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (formerly the seat of an independent duchy in the 19th century), derived from Old High German naz meaning "damp, wet" and ouwa meaning "water meadow"... [more]
NatafנטףJudeo-Spanish Derived from Hebrew נטף (nataf) meaning "gum, resin" or "stacte", referring to a type of spice used in preparing incense.
NavonנָבוֹןHebrew Means "wise, intelligent" in Hebrew. A notable bearer of this surname was Israeli president Yitzhak Navon (1921-2015).
NeedleEnglish, Jewish (Americanized) English: from Middle English nedle nadle ‘needle’ (Old English nǣdle) hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of needles or in some cases perhaps for a tailor. See also Nadler.... [more]
NegroItalian, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (continuation of Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair, dark eyes, a dark complexion, someone who wore dark clothes, someone who worked a job in the night, or was otherwise associated with the night.
NerenbergJewish Variant of the Ashkenazic Jewish surname Nierenberg, which is derived from Nirnberg, the Yiddish form of Nuremberg (German Nürnberg), hence becoming an Ashkenazic Jewish habitational surname for someone living in that city.
NessimSpanish, Jewish, Hebrew Hebrew for 'miracles'. Name was originally Bar-Nisim; 'Children of the Miricle'
NeuhausGerman, Jewish Topographical name for someone who lived in a new house, Middle High German niuwe hus, modern German neu Haus, or a habitational name for someone from any of several places named Neuhaus ('new house') in various parts of Germany and Austria, also in Bohemia.
NürnbergerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from the city of Nürnberg in Bavaria.
OffenbachGerman, Jewish From the name of the city of Offenbach am Main in Hesse, Germany. A famous bearer was the German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880).
OhanaאוחנהJudeo-Spanish From a name meaning "son of Hanna" in Tamazight, either from the given name Hanna 1 or perhaps Tamazight ḥenna meaning "grandmother".
OhayonאוחיוןJudeo-Spanish, Jewish Means "son of Chayyim" from the Berber prefix ou- or au- meaning "son (of)" and the given name Chayyim.
Olmertאוֹלְמֶרְט, אָלמערטJewish Possibly from a Germanic given name of uncertain meaning. It could be derived from the Old High German elements ol meaning "ancestor" and mert, a diminutive of merida meaning "fame" or "bright"... [more]
OphirאוֹפִירHebrew From the given name Ophir. Ophir (or Ofir) is originally a biblical place name. In the days of King Solomon, Ophir was mentioned as the name of a land, full of abundant natural treasures such as gold, silver, etc.
OrאוֹרHebrew Means "light" in Hebrew and used as both first name and surname in Israel.
OrgeriiJewish, Judeo-Provençal Aaron Orgerii is listed in the index of names of Jews in France in the late middle ages in Heinrich Gross' book Judaia Gallica. There is also an extent copy of a deed between "the Jew Nathan Orgerii and Johannes Raynaud", written in Arles in Provence in 1366... [more]
OrnsteinJewish Ornamental name composed of a variant of Horn (in regions where Yiddish has no h) + stein ‘stone’.
OsgoodEnglish, Jewish English: Old Norse personal name Asgautr, composed of the elements as'god'+the tribal name Gaul. This was established in England before the Conquest, in the late old English forms Osgot or Osgod and was later reinforce by the Norman Ansgot.... [more]
PaleyJewish, Yiddish, Belarusian, Ukrainian Occupational name for a distiller, derived from an East Slavic word (Russian палить (palitʹ), Ukrainian палити (palyty)) meaning "to burn". A famous bearer was Princess Olga Valerianovna Paley (1865-1929), the morganatic second wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia.
PechtoldGerman, Dutch, Jewish From the Old German given name Pechtholt, which is composed of the elements pecht "rotation" and holdt "hero". As a Dutch-language surname, it is derived from the Middle Dutch given name Pechte combined with Old High German walt "power, authority"... [more]
PerlmutterJewish Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name from German Perlmutter ‘mother-of-pearl'.
PerlsteinJewish Ornamental name composed of German Perle ‘pearl’ + Stein ‘stone’.
PermanaHebrew Permana is another form of Hebrew, namely Paramana (פרמנה) which means eternal.
PerskeBelarusian, Lithuanian, Jewish Variant form of Persky. This was the real surname of American actress Lauren Bacall (1924-2014), who was born Betty Joan Perske.
PerskyBelarusian, Lithuanian, Jewish Derived from the village of Pershai in the Valozhyn District of Belarus, or the place named Perki in Lithuania.
PflaumGerman, Jewish metonymic occupational name or possibly a nickname from Middle High German pflūme, German pflaume "plum", as a Jewish name it is artificial... [more]
PolitzerHungarian, German, Jewish Habitational name derived from any one of several places called Police (known as Pölitz in German) in the Czech Republic. Hugh David Politzer (1949-) is an American theoretical physicist who, along with David Gross and Frank Wilczek, discovered asymptotic freedom.
PolskiPolish, Jewish Nickname for a Polish person, originating in areas of mixed populations.
PortnoyJewish, Belarusian, Ukrainian Occupational name for a tailor from Russian portnoj (an adjective derivative of port "uncut cloth").
PortreyJewish Origin uncertain. Perhaps an altered form of Jewish Portnoy of North German Portner.
PortugalSpanish, Portuguese, English, Catalan, French, Jewish Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, English, French, and Jewish surname meaning ethnic name or regional name for someone from Portugal or who had connections with Portugal. The name of the country derives from Late Latin Portucale, originally denoting the district around Oporto (Portus Cales, named with Latin portus ‘port’, ‘harbor’ + Cales, the ancient name of the city)... [more]
PoznanskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name from the city of Poznan in west-central Poland, or possibly from other places of this name, in Katowice and Siedlce voivodeships.
PremingerפרמינגרJewish Meaning unknown, possibly a nickname for a person deported to Spain, derived from the name of a location in Portugal.
PreponJewish This is the surname of American actress Laura Prepon (born March 7, 1980).
PressEnglish, Jewish A nickname for a pious individual from the Middle English form of "priest" or possibly someone employed by a priest. In the Jewish sense, one whose occupation was to iron clothes.
PrinsDutch, Jewish Means "prince" in Dutch, a doublet of Prince. Often a habitational name for someone who lived or worked near a location named Prins, such as an inn or windmill, or sign depicting the Prince of Orange... [more]
PulitzerHungarian, German, Jewish Variant form of Politzer. A famous bearer was the Hungarian-American businessman, newspaper publisher and politician Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911). His family came from Hungary, but they were of Czech origin.
RachlynJewish (Rare), Polish (Rare), Brazilian (Rare) Rachlyn is a Jewish surname derived directly from polish "Rachman". This surname is very rare and apparently only few members in Brazil, descendants of Polish survivors of Holocaust.... [more]
RaskinJewish Derived from the given name Raske which is a pet form of Rachel.
RatherGerman, Jewish 1. Occupational name for a counsellor or nickname for a wise person, from Middle High German rater ‘adviser’. ... [more]
RechtGerman, Jewish Nickname for an upright person, from Middle High German reht, German recht "straight". As a Jewish name it is mainly of ornamental origin.
RefaelרְפָאֵלHebrew Original variant pronounciation of the name Raphael. Another variant for this surname is Refaeli.
RefaeliרפאליHebrew Variant of Rafaeli. The Israeli model and actress Bar Refaeli (1985-) is a famous bearer of this name.
ReichenbergGerman, Jewish Habitational name from various places named Reichenberg in several different areas of Germany. As an ornamental name, it is composed of German reich(en) meaning "rich" and berg meaning "mountain, hill".
ReisnerJewish Jewish (Ashkenazic) nickname for a traveler, from an agent derivative of German reisen ‘to travel’ (see Reise). Also a variant of Reis.
ReissGerman, Jewish, French (Huguenot) German: variant of Reis or from any of several Germanic personal names composed with ric ‘power(ful)’. Also from the French Huguenot forename Ris, rendered as Reis and Reiss.... [more]
ReiszHungarian, German (Archaic), Jewish Variant form of Reis, or else a patronymic from a pet form of one of the Germanic compound names formed with raginą "counsel, advice" as the first element.
RevereEnglish, French, Judeo-Italian French: variant of Rivière, Rivoire, or Rivier, topographic name for someone living on the banks of a river, French rivier ‘bank’, or habitational name from any of the many places in France named with this word.... [more]
RichlingJewish (Rare) Russian Jewish surname from the Vilna Governorate of the Russian Empire.
RifkinJewish Metronymic from the Yiddish female given name Rifke from the Hebrew given name Rivka (see Rebecca), with the addition of the Slavic suffix -in.
RifkindJewish Variant of Rifkin. The final element was changed due to the influence of the Yiddish noun kind "child" (German: "Kinder").
RivlinרִיבְלִיןBelarusian, Jewish Matronymic name derived from the given name Rivka. A famous bearer is Reuven Rivlin (1939-), the tenth President of Israel.
RoginJewish Habitational name from any of various villages named Rogi or from Rogin, all in Belarus.
RohrGerman, Jewish Topographic name for someone who lived in an area thickly grown with reeds, from Middle High German ror. Also a habitational name from one of the several places named with this word.
RozenbergYiddish (Russified) A form of Rosenberg used for Cyrillic script languages. Aleksandr Rozenberg is the (as of 2024) current prime minister of Transnistria.
RozmanJewish Variant of Rosman. Slovenian (also Rožman): occupational name for a carter or a horse breeder or dealer, from Middle High German ros 'horse' + man 'man'. Compare German Rossmann.
RózsavölgyiHungarian, Jewish Either a Magyarized form of Rosenthal, or a habitational name denoting a person from the village of Ružindol in the Trnava region of Slovakia (formerly a part of Hungary and called Rózsavölgy).