Jewish Last Names and Meanings

Jewish last names are a relatively new phenomenon, historically speaking. Sephardic Jews (from areas around the Mediterranean) did not start adopting family names until the 15th century, when expulsion from Spain meant finding a way to keep family ties became incredibly important. Ashkenazi Jews (from Eastern Europe and Germany) didn't take on last names until well into the 18th and 19th centuries, when governments in Europe began registering Jews as subjects. Later still, Jews from places like Yemen and India didn't adopt last names until they emigrated to Israel in the 20th century.

Typically, European Jews use four different types of surnames: 

• Place Names: For example, the surname Greenberg refers to the towns of Grunberg in Germany and Poland that both once had thriving Jewish communities.
• Occupational Names: Denoting a particular job or ancestral profession. For example, Hoffman is a Jewish name meaning "steward."
• Patronymic Names: These last names indicate familial relationships. For example, the surname Mendelsohn would be given to someone who is the son of a person named Mendel.
• Biblical Names: These are names that indicate religious significance or a relationship to a prominent Biblical figure. For example, many Jewish surnames are used to designate someone as a Levite (a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi). For example, the surname Segal means "assistant Levite," or refers to someone that serves as an assistant to a priest in a Jewish temple.

Many Jewish people also choose meaningful Hebrew names in order to honor their culture and heritage. Jewish family names may be a translation of a Hebrew word or selected to honor a notable person in the Hebrew Bible. Many modern American Jews will give their children a Hebrew name in addition to their personal names. Use our lists below to find your last name and learn about its meaning and origins!

Popular Jewish Surnames (With English Name Meanings) 

Some of the most popular and widespread Jewish last names not only tie directly back to Biblical roots, but also carry important meanings that resonate with Jewish cultural traditions and history.

1. Abrams - Descendant of Abraham, the first Biblical patriarch
2. Barenbaum - Pear tree
3. Blumenfeld - Flower field
4. Cohen - Priest, member of a hereditary caste
5. Eisenberg - Iron mountain
6. Friedman - Peace; derived from the Yiddish word frid
7. Goldberg - Mountain of gold
8. Goldman - Man of gold
9. Hirsch - Deer or stag
10. Isaacs - Son of Isaac
11. Jaffe - Beautiful
12. Kaplan - Chaplain or priest; from the German/Polish word for a chaplain, or, to curate
13. Katz - Priest of righteousness; from the Hebrew phrase kohen tsedek of the same meaning
14. Kaufman - Merchant or trader
15. Kohn - Priest; a variant of the name Cohen, commonly used as a surname of Jewish origin
16. Kraus - Curly-haired
17. Lang - Long or tall
18. Levin - Lion; a derivative of the German name Liebwin
19. Levi - United
20. Levy - United, son of Jacob and Leah in the Bible
21. Liebowitz - Son of Lieb, meaning beloved
22. Markowitz - Son of Mordecai
23. Nadel - Needle
24. Oppenheimer - From Oppenheim, a town in Germany
25. Perl - From the Old German word for pearl
26. Pomerantz - From Pomerania, a region in Europe
27. Rabinowitz - Son of a rabbi
28. Richter - Judge
29. Rosenthal - Rose valley
30. Schwartz - Black hair or dark complexion
31. Segal - Assistant or deputy (often in a priestly context)
32. Shulman - Synagogue man
33. Singer - Singer or cantor
34. Stern - Star
35. Tannenbaum - Fir tree
36. Teitelbaum - Date palm tree
37. Ullman - Man from Ulm, a city in Germany
38. Waldman - Forest man
39. Weinberg - Vineyard mountain
40. Wolf - Referring to the animal
41. Zelman - Peaceful man
42. Zuckerman - Sugar man

Common Jewish Last Names (and Meanings)

Last names of Jewish origins are often primarily associated with individuals of Hebrew or Jewish heritage. Some examples of common Jewish last names and meanings that you might hear around the world include the following.

1. Adler - Eagle
2. Alpern - Derived from the Yiddish word for alpine
3. Bergman - Mountain man
4. Blau - Blue; likely referring to the color
5. Blumenthal - Flower valley
6. Brand - Fire or torch
7. Brody - From Brody, a city in Ukraine
8. Dreyfus - From Trier, a city in Germany
9. Eisen - Iron; related to strength
10. Epstein - From Eppstein, a town in Germany
11. Fein - Fine or delicate
12. Feldman - Field man, works in the fields
13. Finkel - Spark or light
14. Fischer - Fisherman
15. Fuchs - Fox
16. Greenberg - Green mountain
17. Gottlieb - God’s love
18. Horowitz - Son of Horowit, from Horovice in Bohemia
19. Jacobs - Son of Jacob
20. Klein - Little or small
21. Mendelson - Son of Mendel, from Menachem
22. Mizrahi - From the east
23. Rosenberg - Rose mountain
24. Roth - Red
25. Schneider - Tailor
26. Shapiro - Tailor
27. Silberman - Silversmith or man of silver
28. Silverman - Works with silver
29. Steinberg - Stone mountain
30. Weinstein - Son of wine, wine producer or seller
31. Weiss - White, blanched
32. Weisz - White, pale
33. Zimmerman - Carpenter

How Can You Tell if a Last Name Is Jewish?

Jewish surnames, particularly those from Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, often have distinctive endings. Here are six of the most common suffixes in Jewish last names:

• -Baum: This ending comes from the German word for tree. Examples include Kirchbaum (church tree), Stalbaum (mature tree), and Apfelbaum (apple tree).
• -Berg: This ending is derived from the German word for mountain. Examples include Goldberg, Rosenberg, and Silverberg.
• -Man or -Mann: This is a common ending in both German and Yiddish names. It often denotes a profession or characteristic. Examples include Feldman (field man), Kaufmann (merchant), and Weisman (white man).
• -Sky or -Ski: This is another Slavic ending, common in Polish and Russian names, including among Eastern European Jewish surnames. Examples include Minsky, Abramovsky, and Lipski.
• -Stein: This ending is derived from the German word for stone. Examples include Bernstein (amber), Einstein (one stone), and Goldstein (gold stone).
• -Witz or -Vitz: This is a Slavic ending that was often adopted by Jews in Eastern Europe. Examples include Rabinowitz (son of the rabbi) and Horowitz (from Horovice, a town in the Czech Republic).

Summing Up Jewish Surnames and Meanings

Not only do Jewish last names offer an incredible connection to religion and history, they also reflect patters of settlements and displacement that span centuries and ancestries alike. Emerging from Old German, Yiddish, Slavic, and ancient Hebrew roots, Jewish surnames have special meanings that can elevate any name parings. We hope you found some inspiration from this list, and happy naming!