ChaitJewish Jewish occupational name derived from the Hebrew word חייט meaning "tailor".
EllenbergGerman, Jewish, German (Swiss) Derived from two municipalities and a village called Ellenberg in Germany. As an ornamental name, it is derived from German ölenberg, literally meaning "olive mountain".
CookinhamJewish (Americanized) This has the form of an English habitational name; however, there is no record of any such place name in the British Isles, and the surname does not appear in present-day records. It is probably an Americanized form of Jewish Guggenheim .
Herzlהֶרְצְל, הערצלGerman, Jewish Variant of Hertz. It was notably borne by the Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist, writer and political activist Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), who is considered the founder of the modern Zionist movement.
SchildJewish From German Schild "shield" or "(house) sign", applied either as an ornamental name or as a habitational name for someone who lived in a house distinguished by a sign.
MitnickUkrainian, Jewish Occupational name from Ukrainian mytnyk, Polish mytnik, which means ‘toll collector’.
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.
GruberJewish A nickname from an inflected form of Yiddish dialect grub meaning ‘rude' or 'impolite’.
NichterנײַטערGerman, Yiddish Possibly means "negator, negate" from Middle High German nicht meaning "not", or "sober", from Middle High German nüchter. Perhaps it originally denoted a person who was a philosopher, judge, or bartender.
GarfunkelגאָרפֿינקלJewish, Yiddish From גאָרפֿינקל (gorfinkl), "carbuncle" in Yiddish, which in turns derives from German Karfunkel. A notable bearer of this surname is Art Garfunkel.... [more]
LöwenthalGerman, Jewish Habitational name from any of the various places called Löwenthal in Germany, derived from German Löwe "lion" and Thal "valley". As a Jewish name, it is ornamental, sometimes associated with given names that mean "lion" (i.e., Levi, Leib or Lew 2).
KarlinJewish Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) habitational name for someone from Karlin, a suburb of Pinsk in Belarus, in which the Jews formed the majority of the population until the Holocaust. A well-known Hasidic sect originated in Karlin and at one time it attracted so many followers that a (now obsolete) Russian word for ‘Hasid’ was Karliner (of Yiddish origin)... [more]
ZaslavskyזסלבסקיRussian, Jewish Name for someone from the city of Iziaslav (or Zaslav) in Ukraine, derived from the given name Iziaslav.
RavivרביבHebrew From Hebrew רָבִיב (raviv) meaning "droplet, rain, drizzle".
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]
KrumholzJewish, German German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) from Krumbholz ‘bent timber’, ‘mountain pine’, hence probably a metonymic occupational name for a cartwright or wheelwright. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
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]
StrassmannGerman, Jewish Topographic name for someone living on a main street, from Middle High German strasse, German Strasse "street, road" and man "man".
GartenGerman, Jewish metonymic occupational name for a gardener or overseer of a garden or enclosure. Originally the term denoted the keeper of an enclosure for deer later of a vineyard or smallholding from Middle High German garte "garden enclosure"... [more]
WittgensteinGerman, Jewish Denoted one who came from the Wittgenstein castle in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, derived from Old High German witt meaning "white" and stein meaning "stone"... [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.
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".
FrankenbergGerman, Jewish habitational name from a place in northern Hesse named as "fort (Old High German burg) of the Franks". From German franken and berg "mountain hill mountain"... [more]
MargolisמרגוליסJewish Derived from Hebrew מרגלית (margalit) meaning "pearl".
HassonחסוןHebrew (Modern) Means "sturdy" or "strong" in Hebrew, it is not related to the Arabic name Hasan.
GutnikגוטניקUkrainian, Russian, Yiddish Yiddish surname meaning "glassworker" from Yiddish hute meaning "glassworks".
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.
TabakJewish Metonymic occupational name for a seller of tobacco, from German Tabak, Yiddish and Ukrainian tabik (all ultimately from Spanish tabaco, a word of Caribbean origin). Tobacco was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.
TouitouJudeo-Spanish Likely a variant of Touati, though it has also been connected to the Arabic word نونو (nunu) meaning "thrush, blackbird" (a dialectal term).
SpielerGerman, Jewish Occupational Name For A Tumbler Or Jester German Spieler ‘Player’ Middle High German Spilære An Agent Derivative Of Spiln ‘To Play To Jest To Sport’.
IsabellafItalian, Spanish, Hebrew originating from the Hebrew name Elisheba, meaning “Devoted to God” and "God is my oath”... [more]
AflaloאפללוJudeo-Spanish Possibly from the name of the village of Afelilou in the Tafilalt region of Morocco.
AboulafiaJewish Variant spelling of Abulafia, which was originally a Sephardi Jewish surname of Arabic etymological origin.
SeinfeldGerman, Jewish From the German word sein "to be" and the word of German Jewish origin feld which means "field". It was a name given to areas of land that had been cleared of forest.
ScheidGerman, Jewish Either a topographic name for someone who lived near a boundary (between two valleys etc.) or crossroads Middle High German scheide, a habitational name from any of various places called ScheidtScheiden... [more]
RenleyJewish (Rare), English (Rare) Possibly derived from the Old English rinc "man, warrior" or rim 'edge, circular edge' or possibly wraenna 'wren', and leah "field, clearing".
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".
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).
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 the State of Israel who also served as the country's first prime minister.
CitrineJewish An invented Jewish name based on Yiddish tsitrin "lemon 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]
HadadחדדArabic, Jewish Alternate transcription of Arabic حداد (see Haddad), also used by Jews.
ThalGerman, Jewish Topographic name for someone who lived in or near a valley, derived from Middle High German tal "valley". As a Jewish name, it is ornamental.
HamburgGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) habitational name from the great city and port at the mouth of the river Elbe, named with the Germanic elements ham ‘water meadow’ + burg ‘fortress’, ‘fortified town’.
EnglanderGerman, Jewish Ethnic name derived from German Engländer, meaning 'Englishman', thus denoting an incomer from England. In some cases, the Jewish name may be an ornamental adoption.
AviviאֲבִיבִיHebrew Means "springlike" or "of the spring" in Hebrew. (see Aviv)
ZafriצפריHebrew From the name Ẓafār (Arabic: ظفار), also Romanized Dhafar or Dhofar, is an ancient Himyarite site situated in Yemen, some 130 km south-south-east of today's capital, Sana'a (Arabic: صَنْعَاء)... [more]
HeifetzJewish An invented Jewish name based on Hebrew chefets "pleasure". Lithuanian-born US violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) was a known bearer.
FingerEnglish, German, Jewish Probably applied as a nickname for a man who had some peculiarity of the fingers, such as possessing a supernumerary one or having lost one or more of them through injury, or for someone who was small in stature or considered insignificant... [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".
LinnGerman (Silesian), Jewish (Ashkenazi) Derived from the Slavic word lin "tench (fish)", a nickname for a fisherman, or for a person who somehow resembled a tench.
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.
ShazarשָׁזַרHebrew Referred to someone living near acacia trees that tend to be twisted, derived from Hebrew שָׁזַר (shazar) literally meaning "to twist, to be twisted, to intertwine". A famous bearer was the Israeli president, author and poet Zalman Shazar (1889-1974), who was born Shneur Zalman Rubashov.
HalpernJewish Habitational name for someone originally from the city of Heilbronn in Germany, derived from Old High German heil meaning "whole" or "holy" combined with brunno meaning "well".
PolańskimPolish, Rusyn, Jewish Topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing or a habitational name for someone from any of various places called Polana or Polany, all derived from Polish polana meaning "glade, clearing".
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.
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.
EisenbergerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from any of the several places called Eisenberg. As a Jewish name it is also an ornamental name.
LevensteinJewish, Yiddish Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name, or perhaps an ornamental elaboration associated with the name Leyb; from Middle High German lewe ‘lion’, translating the Yiddish male personal name Leyb (see Low) + German stein ‘stone’, ‘rock’... [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]
SpiegelGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of mirrors, from Middle High German spiegel, German Spiegel "mirror" (via Old High German from Latin speculum, a derivative of specere "to look").
RichlingJewish (Rare) Russian Jewish surname from the Vilna Governorate of the Russian Empire.
FellerEnglish, German, Jewish Occupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle English fell, Middle Low German, Middle High German vel, or German Fell or Yiddish fel "hide, pelt". See also Fell.
KowalewskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from places called Kowalew or Kowalewo, named with kowal "smith" or an occupational name for a blacksmith.
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.
BrachaברכהHebrew From the given name Bracha, means "blessing" in Hebrew.
DworkinJewish From a pet-form of the Yiddish female personal name Dvoyre, from Hebrew Devorah (source of English Deborah), literally "bee"... [more]
GrünGerman, Jewish from Middle High German gruoni "green fresh raw" hence a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in green a topographic name for someone who lived in a green and leafy place or a habitational name for someone from a place called with this word such as GrunaGrunau in Silesia... [more]
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.
SchumannGerman, Jewish An occupational name for a shoemaker, cobbler. From Middle High German scuoh "shoe" and man "man".
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.
MecklenburgGerman, Jewish Regional name for someone from this province in northern Germany. Derived from Old Saxon mikil "big, great" and burg "castle".
FischmannGerman, Jewish Cognate of Fishman. occupational name for a fish seller from Middle High German fisc Yiddish fish (German fisch) "fish" and Middle High German and Yiddish man (German mann) "man".
LysakJewish Nickname for a bald man, Ukrainian lysak.
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]
GassmannGerman, Jewish From German Gasse or Yiddish גאַס (gas), both from Middle High German gazze, meaning "street", denoting someone who lived in a street of a city, town or village.... [more]
FeldsteinGerman, Jewish Ornamental name meaning "field stone" in German. A famous bearer is American actor and filmmaker Jonah Hill (1983-), born Jonah Hill Feldstein. Another famous bearer is Hill's sister, actress Beanie Feldstein (1993-).
DemboJewish Habitational name for someone from any of various places in Lithuania or Poland called Dęby.
ZacharJewish, Hungarian, Russian, Slovak, Belarusian Derived from the Hebrew word זָכַר (zakhar) meaning "to remember". As a surname it can also derive from the given name Zakhar (Zechariah) that shares this etymology.