KesslerGerman, Jewish Means "kettle-maker, tinker", denoting a maker of copper or tin cooking vessels, derived from Middle High German kezzel meaning "kettle, cauldron". In some instances, it could have referred to the shape of a landform.
SalkindYiddish a last name originally derived from a medieval Yiddish given name
EulerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a potter, most common in the Rhineland and Hesse, from Middle High German ul(n)ære (an agent derivative of the dialect word ul, aul "pot", from Latin olla).
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.
AssoulineאסוליןJudeo-Spanish From a place or tribal name derived from Tamazight aẓru meaning "stone, rock".
MitnickUkrainian, Jewish Occupational name from Ukrainian mytnyk, Polish mytnik, which means ‘toll collector’.
SeligmanGerman, Jewish Derived from the given name Selig with the German suffix -man meaning "man" and it's originally a patronymic. The surname Seligman is originated in the Rhineland.
FeinפייןJewish German-style spelling of Yiddish fayn as in "fine"; "excellent"
Beginבעגין, בֵּגִיןBelarusian, Jewish Nickname for a runner, derived from Belarusian бегун (begun) meaning "one who walks quickly". A noteworthy bearer was Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin (1913-1992), who is best remembered for signing a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, for which he and Anwar Sadat were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
ZahaviזהביHebrew, Jewish From Hebrew זהב (zahav) meaning "gold", commonly used as a replacement for Ashkenazi surnames containing the element gold, such as Goldman, Goldstein or Goldberg.
SlotnickJewish (Anglicized, Modern) A Polish, Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian surname, meaning 'goldsmith'. Also a Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) occupational name for a goldsmith. Variant/anglicization of Polish Zlotnik, Ukrainian Zlotnyk.
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]
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]
HarareetהֲרָרִיתHebrew Topographic name derived from Hebrew הֲרָרִית (hararit) meaning "mountainous". A famous bearer was Israeli actress Haya Harareet (1931-2021; birth name Haya Neuberg), who had a prominent role in the movie Ben-Hur (1959).
ZelnickovaJewish Zelnickova is a Jewish (Eastern Ashkenazic) surname that can be found in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Slovenia. This surname is derived from the Yiddish word tselnick which in English means haberdashery... [more]
FellousJudeo-Spanish Derived from Maghrebi Arabic فلوس (fallus) meaning "chick, young chicken".
LaemmleGerman, Jewish Variant spelling of Lämmle. A famous bearer was the German-American film producer Carl Laemmle (1867-1939).
RybakPolish, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Jewish Means "fisherman" in some Slavic languages. Derived from the word ryba "fish". A famous bearer is Byelarusian-Norwegian artist Alexander Rybak (b. 1986) who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009.
PolskiPolish, Jewish Nickname for a Polish person, originating in areas of mixed populations.
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]
EplboymעפּלבויםYiddish It means "apple tree", denoting either someone who planted them or lived near them.
PniewskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from Pniewy in the district of Poznań, or from any of the many places in Poland named Pniewo.
WlodawskiJewish Habitual surname from Włodawa, Poland. First seen in a 1806 revision list of the city Kobryn (Grodno Guberniya), now Kobryn Belarus. ... [more]
CatsDutch, Jewish Habitational name for a person from the village of Kats in Zeeland, Holland, or a nickname for someone who in some way resembled a cat, derived from Middle Dutch catte literally meaning "cat"... [more]
HeldGerman, Jewish, Dutch Means "hero" in German, ultimately derived from Middle High German helt. This name was bestowed upon a person either in its literal meaning or else in an ironic sense.
LernerGerman, Jewish Its literal meaning can be either "student" or "scholar".
NatesEnglish, Jewish It's probably from the given name Nate, the origin is said to be Jewish*, but the ancestors immigrated to English speaking countries.
SilbersteinGerman, Jewish From Middle High German silber "silver" and stein "stone"; a habitational name from a place so named in Bavaria, or a topographic name.... [more]
BustanבוסתןArabic, Persian, Turkish, Jewish From Aramaic bustān meaning "garden". Perhaps someone who works or lives near a garden or an orchard.
SheinJewish Ornamental name derived from German schön meaning "beautiful, good, nice"
EichhornGerman, Jewish, Belgian German topographic name for someone who lived on or near an oak-covered promontory, from Middle High German eich(e) ‘oak’ + horn ‘horn’, ‘promontory’. German from Middle High German eichhorn ‘squirrel’ (from Old High German eihhurno, a compound of eih ‘oak’ + urno, from the ancient Germanic and Indo-European name of the animal, which was later wrongly associated with hurno ‘horn’); probably a nickname for someone thought to resemble the animal, or alternatively a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a squirrel... [more]
Urbanskyאורבאַנסקי, אורבנסקיCzech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Jewish In Czech and Slovak usage, it is a habitational name for someone from a place called Urbanice. In Polish usage, it is a habitational name for someone from a place named with the personal name Urban.
HolderGerman, Jewish, English 1. German: topographic name for someone who lived by an elder tree. Middle High German holder, or from a house named for its sign of an elder tree. In same areas, for example Alsace, the elder tree was believed to be the protector of a house... [more]
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]
WeintraubGerman, Jewish from Middle High German wintrub "grape" derived from wein "wine" and traub "grape" hence either a metonymic occupational name for a vintner or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by a sign depicting a bunch of grapes.
GursulturגרסלתרJewish (Latinized), Kurdish, Hebrew This name is a composition of the following words: GUR; Hebrew for "lion cub", SUL; which is an abbreviation of Suleman (Kurdish for king Solomon), TUR; this word is derived from the Arba'ah Turim. The Arbaáh Turim are often called simply the Tur, which is an important Halakhic code.... [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".
OhanaאוחנהJudeo-Spanish From a name meaning "son of Hanna" in Tamazight, either from the given name Hanna 1 or perhaps Tamazight ḥenna meaning "grandmother".
KühnGerman, Jewish Variant of Kuhn or from German kühn meaning "daring, audacious". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
FishMedieval English, Jewish From Middle English fische, fish ‘fish’, a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller, or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a fish.... [more]
JaouiזיאוויJudeo-Spanish Derived from Arabic لبان جاوي (luban jawiyy) referring to a type of balsamic resin used in perfumes and incense (literally meaning "Javanese frankincense").
SchatzGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) metonymic occupational name for a treasurer, from German Schatz ‘treasure’, Middle High German scha(t)z. It may also have been a nickname for a rich man (or ironically for a miser), or else for a well-liked person or a ladies’ favorite, from the use of the vocabulary word as a term of endearment... [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.
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.
GreenburghGerman, Jewish The surname Greenburgh is anglicized for the German Jewish surname Greenberg which translates into English as green mountain.
ZuckermanGerman, Yiddish As a German surname, it is an occupational name for a merchant who sold sugar or nickname for a sweet tooth.... [more]
ShipperGerman, Jewish, English German and Jewish Cognate and English variant of Schipper. occupational name from Middle English shippere "shipman sailor seaman" (Old English scipere) perhaps also with the sense "skipper" (Middle Low German schipper).
KaplanקפלןGerman, Czech, Jewish Means "chaplain, curate" in German and Czech, ultimately from Latin cappellanus. It is also sometimes used as a Jewish name, from a translation of Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohen) meaning "priest" (see Cohen).
StrandheimGerman, Jewish From a location name meaning "beach home" in German, from Middle High German strand meaning "beach" and heim meaning "home". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Voglarפֿאָגלאַר, פֿאָגלערGerman, Jewish (Ashkenazi), Slovene Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Otto, Gunther, Alfons, Erwin, Frieda, Gerhard, Volker, Wilfried, Wolf.... [more]
StarGerman, Jewish Means "starling (bird)" in German, probably denoting a talkative or perhaps a voracious person. Alternatively, an Anglicized form of Stern 2.
PremingerפרמינגרJewish Meaning unknown, possibly a nickname for a person deported to Spain, derived from the name of a location in Portugal.
HambergGerman, Danish, Jewish German, Danish, and Jewish (Ashkenazic) habitational name from any of several places named Hamberg. Jewish (Ashkenazic) variant of Hamburg.
CherkasskyצʹרקסקיRussian, Jewish Name for someone from the city of Cherkasy (or Cherkassy) in Ukraine, which is of uncertain meaning.
EisenGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for an ironworker or smith, or an ironmonger, from Middle High German isen ‘iron’, German Eisen. It may also have been used as a nickname, with reference to the strength and hardness of iron or to its color, while as a Jewish name it was also adopted as an ornamental name from modern German Eisen ‘iron’ or the Yiddish cognate ayzn.
ZechmanJewish Occupational name from Yiddish tsekh meaning "guild" or "craft corporation" and man "man".
KhrzhanovskiyRussian, Jewish Russian form of Chrzanowski. Khrzhanovskiy was the last name of Andrey and Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, both Soviet film directors. Ilya has made most of his career in the Russian Federation.
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).
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.
FeingoldJewish A Jewish name, from German, literally "fine gold".
Ben-hurבן־חורJewish, Literature Means "son of Hur" in Hebrew. This was also the name of the protagonist of both the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and the 1959 film adaptation Ben-Hur, named Judah Ben-Hur.
DvirדְּבִירHebrew Surname that also used as a first name, probably means "inner room" and related to The Holy of Holies. It is a term in the Hebrew Bible which refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle where God dwelt and later the Temple in Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept during the First Temple, which could be entered only by the High Priest on Yom Kippur after sanctifying himself.
ScheinGerman, Jewish from Middle High German schīn German schein "shining brightness" hence a nickname for someone with either a radiant personality or possibly for someone living in a sunny location or a Jewish artificial name.
SorokaUkrainian, Jewish From the nickname Soroka meaning "magpie", which indicates a thievish person or a person with a white streak of hair among black hair.
FanielHebrew It's believe to be an Hebrew origin that was carved from ochaniel, it consist of Fam meaning face and el God... [more]
LysakJewish Nickname for a bald man, Ukrainian lysak.
CacoubJudeo-Spanish Derived from Arabic كوكب (kawkab) meaning "star" (with the votive meaning of "lucky star").
GarfinkelYiddish Jewish (Ashkenazic) ornamental name or nickname from Yiddish gorfinkl ‘carbuncle’, German Karfunkel. This term denoted both a red precious or semi-precious stone, especially a garnet or ruby cut into a rounded shape (in which case it is an ornamental name), and a large inflamed growth on the skin like a large boil (in which case it is a descriptive nickname).
AaronsonJewish Aaronson is a patronymic surname from the personal name Aaron.
KowalewskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from places called Kowalew or Kowalewo, named with kowal "smith" or an occupational name for a blacksmith.
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.
LittmanGerman (East Prussian), German (West Prussian), German, Jewish Derived from Germanized Czech personal names like Litomir (Czech: Ljutomir) and Litobor (Czech: Ljutobor) which ultimately go back to Old Slavic ljutu "grim; fierce; ferocious; wild". One theory suggests, however, that these given names might have been influenced by ljub- "love; dear".... [more]
YetiHebrew (Rare), English (American) Most common during the 1800s to 1900s. It has seen a large drop off since, but is not extinct as a last name.... [more]
EinhornאײנהאָרןGerman, Jewish Derived from German Einhorn (Middle High German einhorn) "unicorn", denoting someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a unicorn.
ZilbermanזילבערמאןJewish From nickname meaning "silver man", from Yiddish זילבער (zilber) and מאן (man), possibly a nickname for a person with grey hair.
EhrlichYiddish From the German meaning "honest" or "honorable"
JüngerGerman, Jewish German (Jünger) distinguishing name, from Middle High German jünger ‘younger’, for the younger of two bearers of the same personal name, usually a son who bore the same name as his father... [more]
KatzenJewish (Ashkenazi) Katzen is a variant of Kotzen, or a shortened version of Katzenellenbogen. Its origins can also be traced back to a habitational form of Katzenelnbogen. There is no clear answer of where this surname exactly came from... [more]
UngarGerman, Jewish ethnic name for a Hungarian or a nickname for someone who had trade relations with Hungary. Cognate of Ungaro and variant of Unger.
GolanJewish Israeli ornamental name from the Golan Heights in Israel.
FriedbergGerman, Jewish Combination of either German vride "security, protection" or Friede "peace", with berg "hill, mountain". The name is most often locational, but may in some cases be ornamental.
WaxmanEnglish, German (Americanized), Jewish (Americanized) Occupational name for a seller or gatherer of beeswax from wax "wax" plus Middle English man "man". According to the Oxford English Dictionary wax-man is an obsolete term for an officer of a trade guild who collected contributions from members for wax candles to be used in processions... [more]
GrinerגרינערGerman (Anglicized), Jewish Americanised form of German Greiner. It could also denote a person who came from various German places called Grüna or Grünau. In Jewish, it is a topographic name for someone who lived in a green of leafy area, derived from Yiddish grin meaning "green" or Middle High German gruene meaning "greenery".
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.
BruckJewish From Polish, Belorussian, or Yiddish bruk "pavement", possibly an occupational name for a paver.
HaccounJudeo-Spanish Derived from Arabic حق (haqq) meaning "truth", used as a nickname for an honest person.
BacharachasJewish Bacharachas is a derivate of the Bacharach that is a town in Germany.
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’.
HammerGerman, English, Jewish From Middle High German hamer, Yiddish hamer, a metonymic occupational name for a maker or user of hammers, for example in a forge, or nickname for a forceful person.
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]
LilienthalJewish Means "valley of lilies" in German, being this word derived from Lilie "lily" and Thal "valley".
SeidenbergGerman, Jewish Derived from several places with the same name. As an ornamental name, it is derived from German seide meaning "silk" and berg meaning "mountain".
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
GütlinGerman, Yiddish Diminutive of GUTE and GUTA, recorded in Frankfurt, Germany throughout the 14th century.
DycianדיציאןGerman (East Prussian), Hebrew The surname "Dycian" is quite rare, with limited information available regarding its origin or meaning. One suggestion proposes that it may derive from the German word "dicyan," meaning "cyanogen," a chemical compound... [more]