The Origin of Jewish

Family Names:
Morphology and History

Nelly Weiss

PETER LANG
 The Origin
of Jewish
Family Names
This page intentionally left blank
 Nelly Weiss

The Origin
of Jewish
Family Names
Morphology and History

PETER LANG
Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Oxford • Wien
Die Deutsche Bibliothek – CIP-Einheitsaufnahme

Weiss, Nelly:
The origin of Jewish family names : morphology and history /Nelly Weiss. –
Bern ; Berlin ; Bruxelles ; Frankfurt am Main ; New York ; Wien : Lang, 2002
ISBN 3-906768-19-8

Cover design: Thomas Jaberg, Peter Lang AG

Typesetting: Renate Rolfs, Dreis-Brück, Germany

ISBN 3-906768-19-8
US-ISBN 0-8204-5644-6

English Edition
Revised and translated by the Author

© Peter Lang AG, European Academic Publishers, Bern 2002

Jupiterstr. 15, Postfach, 3000 Bern 15, Switzerland
info@peterlang.com, www.peterlang.com, www.peterlang.net

All rights reserved.

All parts of this publication are protected by copyright.
Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without
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Printed in Germany
 In greatful memory of my honourable cousin
Dr. Notker Füglister, OSB, Professor of Old Testament
in the University of Salzburg, Austria,
and his constant support of my work
for good relations between Christians and Jews.

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6
Contents

Introduction The early history of Jews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

The origin of Jewish Family Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The following countries are listed according to

the first Jewish settlement ever occurred:

Chapter 1 ITALY from the 1st Century A.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Chapter 2 GERMANY (and Rhine) from the 1st and
the 4th Centuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
List of place names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
List of occupational names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Other origins of German names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Chapter 3 SPAIN from the 1st and the 7th Centuries . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Chapter 4 AUSTRIA-HUNGARY from the 1st and
the 10th Centuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
List by Hugo Gold of 600 names – Vienna . . . . . . . . . 61
List of over 300 names – Eisenstadt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Chapter 5 FRANCE from the 7th Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Chapter 6 POLAND from the 10th and the 11th Centuries . . . . . . 77
Chapter 7 RUSSIA from the 10th and the 11th Centuries . . . . . . . 83
Chapter 8 PORTUGAL from the 13th Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Chapter 9 The U.K. and the U.S.A. from the 15th and
the 18th Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Chapter 10 ISRAEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Morphology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
General List of over 1100 names – Germany . . . . . . . 115
List of over 430 names by L. Glesinger –
Austrian Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Communities and archives from Baden and Württemberg . . . . . . . . . . 215

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8
Foreword

The great Jewish thinker and philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (Kaunas,

1906–Paris, 1995) is the author of a superb volume published in French
under the significant title Noms propres (Fata Morgana, Montpellier, 1976;
also Le Livre de poche, biblio-essais). This book is a collection of essays
devoted to thirteen outstanding authors (from Agnon to Jean Wahl) which
he has personally known and admired. Beyond their diversity, what seems
to unite them under the glance of the philosopher is the fact that each of
them illustrates a nom propre, i. e., by a play on words, a name which is
both personal and neat. In other words, these names point to the identity
and quality of the characters concerned.

In a way, Levinas thus underscores the intrinsic importance that can be

attached to names in the Jewish tradition; ever since the origins of Creation
names carry a particular significance. This, of course, applies in the first
instance to forenames or given names.

Jewish surnames as such appear much later in history as is clearly shown

here by the author N.W. in her most enlightening and thoroughly docu-
mented first chapters on The Origin of Jewish Family Names. In fact they
are closely linked to the early stages of emancipation.

The impressive and painstaking research undertaken by the author all

over the Jewish world provides the reader not only with a careful study of
semantics but, even more of so, of the history as well as of the “geography”
of the Jewish people.

Indeed, this book is also bound to be a precious tool for all those, young
and old, Jewish or not, who at present are legitimately interested in know-
ing more about their identity and genealogy. It will help them to go back to
their roots.

By searching the past, Nelly Weiss makes it possible for many indi-
viduals and families to discover their place in their own lives and in that of

9
their ancestors. The awareness of the origin of family names can also cre-
ate a feeling of solidarity between generations.

Jean Halpérin
Chairman of the Centre of Jewish Studies at the University of Geneva.
Professor emeritus at the Universities of Zürich and Fribourg.
Chairman of the Colloques des intellectuels juifs de la langue française.

10
Quelques réflexions sur l’éducation à la paix
par Jean Halpérin

En réfléchissant à la paix, je pense d’abord au shalom. J’emploie ce terme

en hébreu, car je ne crois pas qu’il soit vraiment traduisible de façon fidèle
et précise dans une des langues europeéennes.

Au-delà du sens habituel de paix que donnent les dictionnaires, shalom

n’est ni simplement l’absence de guerre, ni un concept statique. Il signifie
plénitude, harmonie, épanouissement, intégrité, bien-être, santé morale et
physique, justice, acceuil. Ma tradition m’enseigne aussi qu’il n’y a pas de
shalom sans effort. Ce n’est pas seulement un idéal, c’est un objectif concret
qui ne peut être atteint que par une volonté et un effort incessants. Il s’entend
sous le signe de la durée et de la responsabilité, individuelle et collective,
de chaqune et de chacun de nous, de tous les Etats et de la communauté
internationale.

C’est dire aussi qu’il ne faut pas parler de la paix á la légère et qu’il ne
suffit pas non plus de parler de paix: il faut vouloir et agir à chaque instant
pour la construire.

“Le dernier mot du Talmud, c’est le mot paix. Le premier mot de la rencontre est aussi
paix, shalom. La bénédiction la plus haute est celle qui appelle le shalom sur Israël et
sur le monde. La paix, c’est la socialité. C’est s’occuper de l’autre. C’est ne pas fermer
les volets, ne pas fermer la porte.” Emmanuel Lévinas.

La langue hébraïque, où le mot shalom dérive de la racine shalem, nous

enseigne aussi que pour atteindre la paix, il y a un prix à payer, c’est-à-dire
des sacrifices à faire.

Pas de shalom authentique sans progrès économique et justice sociale

pour tous, sans respect vigilant des droits et des devoirs de l’homme.

Bien évidemment, le shalom pris au sérieux exclut catégoriquement

tout ce qui resemble au fanatisme, au rassisme, à la xénophobie, à
l’intolérance et au refus de l’autre.

11
 Le chemin de paix et de l’accueil désintéressé et généreux de l’autre est
voie difficile, exaltante et exigeante, qui interdit tout confort, surtout
intellectuel ou politique, de même que tout discours creux, forcément
lénifiant et mensonger.

D’où l’importance de l’éducation à la paix qui doit commencer dès

l’âge le plus tendre. Il faut enseigner le respect de l’autre et, pour cela, faire
disparaître les stéréotypes, les idées toutes faites et les préjugés de toute
nature. L’éducation à la paix consiste à apprendre comment se mettre à la
place de l’autre et comment faire bien vivre ensemble des groupes porteurs
de mémoires collectives différentes.

A partir d’un passé souvent douloureux, il faut prendre conscience aux

groupes en présence des perspectives d’un avenir commun pour faire reculer
les peurs réciproques et éliminer le sentiment d’irrémédiabilité.

L’éducation à la paix ne peut ni ne doit se limiter aux situations ou

aux régions en conflit, même si elle y est requise de la façon la plus urgente.
Il s’agit d’un devoir permanent, continu, de longue haleine qui exige un
effort infini, guidé par la volonté, la sagesse et l’imagination. On ne
s’installe pas dans la paix. Comme la justice, il faut toujours et partout la
poursuivre. (J.A.)

12
The early History of Jews

Since very ancient times, Jews had to resist foreign oppression. They more
or less succeeded until the Romans took over their territory and thus the
right of self-determination of the Jews came to an end.

In pre-Christian times, because of the shrinking of the great empires

(Assyrian, Persian, Alexandrian, Ptolomeian, etc.) the Jews spread out first
northwards, in the Dagestan (Caucasus) they mixed with the local popula-
tion and several groups of Jews were found settled beside Greek settle-
ments along the coast of the Black Sea.

The Roman Consul Pompey Magnus conquered Jerusalem in the year

63 B. C. After a desperate resistance in the so-called Jewish war, Titus de-
 

stroyed the city and the Temple of Jerusalem in the year 70 A.D. and the
Jews spread out again in Asia and in the Roman Empire.

A sample of Jewish families were taken to Rome, like the noble youth
referred to on page 14, where a Jewish diaspora has settled there ever since
the 1st century B. C.
 

Some groups fled to other Mediterranean countries, and to Mesopota-

mia, because the Talmud, the sacred book of the Hebrews, was compiled
there, at the time of their enslavement in Babylon.

From there the Jews emigrated eastwards to Afghanistan and Persia

where they developed a rich culture in the towns of Isfahan and Hamadan,
and northwards across the Oxus River in Bukhara. More eastwards again,
groups of Jews can be tracked back as far as India and China (5th century),
and under the “Sung” dynasty (961–1127) more Jews emigrated there; their
religious centre was Honan.

In the Caucasus in fact a number of Tatars embraced the Hebraic faith

and formed the governing class of the Chasars Empire (700–1000),
between the rivers Volga and Don, and later were overwhelmed by
the Byzantines and Russian forces. Jewish emigrants from the Volga area,
from the north and west, are the eastern ancestors of Russian and Polish
Jews.

13
 In present Europe, between the 2nd and the 3rd centuries, the Jews mi-
grated to nearly all regions of the (extended) Roman Empire, they are found
in Cologne in the 4th century, In Provence and in several ex-Gallia towns.

With the advent of the Muslim conquests, the Jews were settled in most
towns and villages of North Africa and Andalous (South and Center of
Spain) up to the Reconquista.
Further developments are described in detail in our country sections
and chapters.

Against this background, and for the reasons exposed, at an early time
three major Jewish diaspora groups developed, sensibly different in ethnic
descent and religious traditions:

The Sephardim (singular Sephard in Hebrew: ‘Spain’). They origi-

nally lived in Spain and Portugal.

The Aschkenasim (singular Aschkenas in Hebrew: ‘Germany’). They

are Germans, the Jews of Germany, mostly settled in Poland and Russia.
Their language is Yiddish, a language based on German dialects including
many original Hebraic elements, see ref. Salcia Landmann: Jiddisch – Das
Abenteuer einer Sprache, 1962.

The Misrachim (singular Misrach, in Hebrew ‘East’ written also

Mizrach). These are eastern Jews, who lived with Semites and Persians.
They spoke Jewish-Persian or Jewish-Arabic.

14
The origin of Jewish Family Names

A Jew had only one name in the biblical era, which was joined to the name
of his father, as “Mose ben Maimon (Maimonides) (1135–1204)”. This name
was an expression of belonging to the father. Frequently Jews had Greek
names – instead of the Hebrew names – during the period going from the
4th century BC until the end of the Roman Empire.

Jews living in the eastern part of the Roman Empire spoke mostly Greek,
while Latin was the language in the western part of the Empire. Jews living
in Palestine, Syria, as well in Mesopotamia, had Aramaic names.

The first Jewish family names appeared in the 10th and 11th centuries as
surnames for Jews of North Africa, Spain, France and Italy.

At the beginning, surnames were not relevant. They were only used for
outstanding individuals, not for families. Such family names were set up
for educated people, scholars, poets and other notable citizens. Only in
special cases they became true family names. In fact the existence of a
family name gives a family group its credits, therefore outstanding families
tried to demonstrate their prominence, because of a long-established family
name.

However, Jews in Central and Eastern Europe survived until the 13th
century with no significant family names, except again for outstanding in-
dividuals. At the turn of the 19th century (Joseph II) Jews had to have fam-
ily names in the following countries: Austria, Prussia, Russia and France.
In Russia this development was slow and took effect from 1804 to 1845
(with the integrated part of Poland). At the end of the 19th century all Jews
had their surnames.

It is impossible to know where the first family names (whether Jewish

or not) came from. They did not develop at the same time, because of the
differences in rules and traditions within each territory:

The Chinese had the inheritable institution of family names since 400
B. C. Hindus had developed it in earlier times.

15
 The Romans in the Western areas had the most developed nomencla-
ture. A person there had three names: the first name, the clan name and the
family name. This name system was used during the whole republican era
and later in the Roman Empire. At the end of the Roman era the names
started to change, and after 476 A.D. the system was completely lost. Every
person who received Roman citizenship got a name from the town Council,
which granted him such citizenship.

Greeks, Syrians and Africans received for a time the ruling Emperors’
names. Thus individual names lost their meaning.

The fall of the Roman Empire brought down the end of several institu-
tions: the traditional Roman name system was lost forever.

Ireland was the first European country to adopt the inheritable family
name system – in the early 10th century family names were found there –
thus consolidated by the 11th century. The knowledge of reading and writ-
ing as well as general education developed with the rise of Christianity, and
major families very soon learned reading and writing. Irish people held on
to their original names until a decree of Queen Elizabeth Ist of England
obliged them to adopt English family names.

England, until the conquest by the Normans (1066), had no inheritable

family names. Just one hundred years later some family names were
found. By the end of the 14th century family names were generally inherit-
able.

In Spain the development of family names started by the end of the 12th
century, inheritable only by the end of the 13th century on.

In contrast to the above countries, Sweden prescribed inheritable fam-

ily names by the end of the 19th century.

The law of May 1828 in Denmark prescribed that children must get
family names as soon as they are born. In 1960 inheritance of family names
was established by law.

In Turkey family names became obligatory only in 1935.

In Italy, Jews were the first people to get family names. Jewish family
names were usual in the 10th and 11th centuries. The reason for this was the

16
expansion of cities; it was not possible to know each other in large cities as
it was in villages.

In addition to that, the expanding trade relations necessitated an exact

naming system. This explains the Surnames which came from Southern
Europe, especially from Venice, the epicentre of South European trade re-
lationship in the Middle Ages.

Spanish and Portuguese Jews had the old typical names in the Arabic
style, as ibn Esra instead of ben Esra.

All the above family names are also valid for Jewish family names. In
addition, in some countries Jews had one name while Christians had two
inheritable names.

The 1781/82 Tolerance Edict of Emperor Joseph the IInd – by which all
Jews settled in both the Austrian and German Empires had to assume an
official family name – came into force progressively throughout the Em-
pires, namely:

1782 Austria
1787 Galicia and Bukowina (Austria)
1797 West Galicia (Austria)
1805 Bohemia (Austria)
1807 Frankfort (Germany)
1808 Mannheim (Germany)
1809 Baden, Hesse and Lippe (Germany)
1804–45 Russia (Zar Nikolas I)
1812 Mecklenburg (Prussia)
1813 Bavaria (Germany)
1816 Kur-Hesse (Germany)
1821 Poland (part of Poland)
1822 Anhalt-Dessau (Germany)
1823 Saxon Duchies-Weimar (Germany)
1833 Posen (East-Prussia)
1828 Württemberg (Germany)
1828 Denmark (Denmark)
1833 Hesse (Germany)
1834 Saxony (Germany)
1845 Prussia (Prussia)

17
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18
1. Italy

The first Jewish settlement in Italy (around 140 B. C.) is considered the
 

oldest in the Western world. In some regions the presence of Jews has been
continuous from the 1st century, at the time of the Roman Emperors and of
Titus (70 A. D.).
 

Today the Italian Diaspora is one of the smaller in Europe, with 30,000
people gathered in about 20 communities. This spreading out of the Jew-
ish population is the outcome of the strong concentration and urbanisa-
tion during the 1800s, and today we have roughly two-thirds of the entire
population living in the two main Italian cities, Rome and Milan. Around
1850 there were still 60 communities living in the north and in the centre
of Italy.

The Ambassadors of Judah Maccabee set foot on Italian soil in

140 B. C., and met with a whole Jewish community living in Rome. We
 

have traced the first banishment of Roman Jews under Emperor Tiberius
(19 A. D.).
 

And still more interesting, we have found in Rome (70 A. D.) the first
 

names of families coming as free individuals – following Titus after the

destruction of Jerusalem – from the Holy Land: the princely families (Min
ha) = Néamin = Anawin = Tappuchim = Adumin (see list at page 25).The
first anti-Semite riot took place in the 1st century. But only a few years later
a new Roman community was flourishing.

Other communities were discovered in the ancient inscriptions through-

out the Roman surroundings in Ariccia, Castel Porziano and Ostia, arriving
from Palestine through the harbour of Napoli, the exclusive door of the
trade exchange with the Middle East.

The legend that the population of Italian communities grew mainly with
Jewish prisoners and possibly slaves in chains arriving here in Rome after
the destruction of Jerusalem (70 A. D.), is historically wrong. Only when
 

the Edict of 313 A. D. made Christianity the official religion of the Ro-
 

man Empire, began a period of persecutions, with the loss of Jewish civil
rights.

19
 In the Middle Ages Italian Jewish history can be divided into the three
following phases:

Until 1300 the life of the Italian community went on smoothly, moreo-
ver even proselytism and conversions took place here and there. In the south
of Italy the Jews were living together with Christians, Orthodox and Mus-
lims.

In 1400 the persecutions against Jews in Germany and in France caused

the migration of several waves of refugees into the peninsula. While French
immigration was quickly assimilated, the German one brought about the
Aschkenazi rituals.

Both would join into the new local dialect. At that time the first family
surnames were taken by the new refugees.

In 1492 a huge change will occur with the general expulsion from Spain
and this tragedy will upset the destiny of the Italian Jews too. At the same
time Sicily and Sardinia will expel their entire Jewish populations (about
40,000 people) and from 1492 to 1514 the Kingdom of Naples will follow
the same path (about 100,000 people will leave with a high rate of Span-
iards and Portuguese).

For more than fifteen centuries the Jewish presence in south Italy had
been continuous and prosperous. After 1492 /1514 and today the south will
turn into a desert for Jewish life and history. All these huge waves of refu-
gees, Italians and Sephardim, will turn to the Ottoman Empire from 1500 to
1550.

During the time of the Renaissance for a short period of time the Italian
Jews played an important part. Famous Jewish printers in Venice, Mantova,
Soncino di Cremona, Riva di Trento and Livorno were publishing the books
of the Bible and of the Talmud for all the communities around Europe.

But the first signs of – unfortunate – change will soon arrive for the
Jews in the north and middle Italy too. In 1516 Venice will enclose part of
its Jews in the first Ghetto “Nuovo” or Giudecca. Rome will follow in 1555,
with the whole community in the Ghetto or Serraglio, through a special
Bull of Pope Paul V.

20
 As far as the study of Jewish names and surnames in Italy is concerned,
we have to consider three different aspects:

1. A consistent group originated its family name from its own original
name plus prefix or suffix, as Adamson, Ben-Josef, Cormos,
Giovannini, etc. They used sometimes a simple nickname as Alt-
mann, de Rossi and Vecchiotti, which are hints of physical characters;

2. In the little towns we can find names coming from jobs or specia-
lizations, as Santo, Cantore, Astrologo, Fornari or Pasta. The trade
name generally did not determine precisely the specific job of a
person or of a family. Sometimes the name is chosen for other prac-
tical reasons.

3. In the main cities, in the border regions, and in the areas where
immigrants were living, the origin of surnames came from topo-
graphical or ethnic reasons. In this aspect the Italian Jews gave us a
perfect example of a good assimilation.

But the Italian Middle Ages saw – above all – the flourishing of Jewish
culture, in all respects, from the Haggada collection, to the Midrash about
the psalms, and the poetry of the Synagogue with Solomon ben Yehuda of
Rome.

A strong intellectual life developed among the Jews living in south Italy
and in Sicily, because under the Normans they obtained full civil rights.

The most important outcome was the philosophical work of the physi-
cian and astrologer Sabbatai Donnolo (950) and the chronicle in rhyme of
Achimaaz ben Paltiel (1054). Places such as Bari or Otranto in Puglia were
distinguished all around Europe.

This intellectual leading starts in the South with the philologist Salomo
ibn Parchon of Salerno (1160), with the Talmudist Isaac ben Malchizedeq
of Siponto (1170), and with the philosopher Jacob Anatoli in Napoli (1224)
educator of King Federic II of Hohenstaufen. In Narbonne and in Rome
Nathan ben Jechiel Anaw studied (1110), author of the most important Tal-
mudic dictionary.

21
 Pope Alexander III (1180) put his health in the care of a Jewish physi-
cian, the “archiatros”, opening a large tradition of Jewish doctors to the
Pontifical Court. Some cultural prejudice took place during the Council of
Lateran IV under Pope Innocent III (1198–1216), with some canonical limi-
tations to Jewish works.

The three centuries from 1250 to 1350 could be considered the Golden
Time of Jewish literature in Italy. Rome became the intellectual centre of
this cultural flourishing. Here we can meet well-known writers and poets,
as the satirist Immanuel ben Salomo (1300) friend of Dante, and Calonimos
ben Calonimos (1300).

In the opinion of Michel Roblin the names derived from places (from
the toponym) indicate exactly where the Jews were settled in Italy. At the
beginning of 1600 they became full family names. Only some people carry-
ing such names are Jews, a second group of name users could belong to
christened ex-Jews or some converted by force.

22
Jewish Italian surnames of toponym derivation
(listed by present day Regions and Cities, from north to south)

Piemonte: Besso, Cassin, Fubini, Marchetti, Massarani, Staffa, Usiglio,

Usigli, Valobra, Ottolenghi.

Lombardia: Castiglioni, Faldini, Melli, Mello, Milano, Mortara, Pavia,

Revere, Soncino, Vigevano, Voghera.

Veneto and Venezia: Bassano, Castelfranco, Castelfranchi, Cevidalli, Conegliani,

Conegliano, Conigliano, Garda, Mieli, Monselles, Monselice,
Padova, Padovan, Padovani, Parenzo, Pirani, Pirano, Rovighi,
Rovigo, Sanguinetti, Sanguinetto, Veneziani, Verona.

Emilia-Romagna: Carpi, Colorni, Colorno, Castelbolognesi, Castelnuovo, Bas-

sani, Formiggini, Formigine, Guastalla, Minerbi, Minerbio,
Modena, Modona, Ravenna, Reggio, Rimini, Scandiani,
Scandiano.

Toscana: Modigliani, Montalcini, Pisa, Pontremoli, Prato, Rignano,

Sorano, Volterra.

Lazio and Rome: Alatri, Alatrini, Di Nepi, Neppi, Di Cori, Piperno, Pontecorvo,
Rieti, Rietti, Di Segni, Disegni, Sonnino, Terracini/a, De Ti-
voli, Viterbo, Viterbi, Anticoli, Di Porto, Di Veroli, Perugia,
Piazza, Sermoneta.

Marche: Ancona, D’Ancona, Ascoli, Belforte, Cagli, Camerini, Came-

rino, Cingoli, Fano, Fanno, Da Fano, Fermi, Fermo, Iesi,
Mondolfo, Mondolfi, Morpurgo, Osimo, Della Pergola, La
Pergola, Pesaro, Senigaglia, Senigallia, Tolentino, Urbini.

Umbria: Foligno, Norsa, Norcia, Orvieto, Terni.

Campania and Dell’Aquila, L’Aquila, Di Capua, Di Nola, Fasano, Ortona,

Napoli: Rossano, Rosani, Tagliacozzo, Taranto.

23
Main Italian Family Names of other origins

Most frequent today: Levi, Coen, Calò, Sacerdote/i, Zarfati, Finzi, Moscati, Te-
deschi/o, Segre, Spizzichino, Foà, Pavoncello, Funaro, Astro-
logo, De Benedetti, Polacco, Colombo, Treves.

Others: Luzzatto, Lattes, Bemporad, Zevi, Cassutto, Nathan, Toaff,

Della Seta, della Volta, De Castro, Della Torre, etc.

24
Italian Jewish Families – and outstanding persons –
from ancient to modern history

Roman Empire:
(transcription of Surnames from Hebrew through Latin to Italian)

Princely families (70 A. D.):

 

min ha – Néarim = Family Degli Adolescenti

min ha – Anawin = F. Mansi or Piattelli
min ha – Tappuchim = F. De Pomis (then Alatini)
min ha – Adumin = F. De Rossi

Others:
min ha – Keneset = F. De Synagoga or Scola
min ha – Tzevu’im = F. Dei Tintori
min ha – Zekenim = F. De Vecchi or Del Vecchio

Middle Ages:

ANATOLI Jacob: (1200) Born in Marseilles, philosopher in Naples and

official translator from Arabic at the court of Federic II of Hohenstaufen
in 1224.

Family ACHIMAAZ ben PALTIEL of Oria: (70 A.D.) Paltiel (Oria in Puglia)
politician around 952; Achimaaz writer of a family chronicle in 1054; Paltiel
II business director in Capua. (Pg. 23A)

DONNOLO Sabbatai: (South Italy 913–985) physician and astrologer.

Immanuel ben SALOMON (Romano): (Rome 1270–1328) satirical poet,

friend of Dante, living in Rome, Umbria and Venezia;

Jehuda ben MOSE’or GIUDA ROMANO: (Rome 1292–1350) man of letters,

poet of synagogue, preacher of psalms, and a relative of the Roman poet
Immanuel ben Salomon;

25
Family (K) CALONIMOS/ CALO’: (70 A.D. from Oria South) – emigrated
to Lucca in 800; Calonimos ben C. (Provence 1286–Rome 1328) translator
from Arabic in Rome.

COLON or KOLON Josè: (Savoy 1420–Pavia 1480) director or headmaster

of the Yeshiva in Pavia and Talmudist;

MALCHIZEDEQ Isaac: (Siponto by Foggia 1110–1170) Talmudist in the

south of Italy;

Family MÜNZ: (Padova 1400–1500) the father Jehuda and the son Abra-
ham were both spiritual guides of the Rabbi Academy in Padova;

Nathan ben JECHIEL ANAW: (Rome 1035–1110) author of a huge Talmudic

dictionary;

Salomo ben PARCHON: (Salerno 1160) philologist and linguist;

Modern times:

Family ABRAVANEL: (1492) Founder Isaac , born in Spain, settles the family
in Naples, he is a politician and a philosopher; has 3 sons: Jehuda, Samuel,
Jacob.

Family ASCARELLI: Debora (Rome 1550) poet and translator;Tullio lawyer

in the last century;

Family DE ROSSI: (70 A.D.) Azaria (Mantova 1514 – Ferrara 1578)

philologist and physician; Salomone court musician (1600); Gianbernardo
(Parma 1742–1831) bibliophile, allowed to salvage some precious religious
codes in the City Library.

Family ARTOM: Isaac politician in 1860; Alexander scientist (Asti 1927).

BENAMOZEGH Elia: great Rabbi in Livorno (1870–1890);

CASTIGLIONI Vittorio: great Rabbi in Rome (1900);

CASTELLAZZO Mosè: painter and engraver in Venezia and Ferrara (1500);

26
Family DEL MEDIGO: (Originally from Candia/Creta) Elia writer and
philosopher (Padova 1460–1492); Josef Salomon physician, astrologer and
philosopher (Padova 1591–1655);

Family DE POMIS: (Jerusalem 70 A. D.) With the three brothers, Vitale

 

Alatino (1532–1587) physician to the Pope and University professor in

Ferrara, Todi and Spoleto; Mosè Amram (1529–1605) physician in Perugia
and Spoleto; Abraham Baruch Rabbi and writer in Spoleto and Ferrara
(1600); David (their nephew) physician and author of the dictionary “Zemah
David” in Venezia (1570–1580).

EHRENREICH Mosè Levi: Rabbi in Rome (1900).

Family FINZI: (from Trieste, Mantova and Ferrara) Salomon Talmudist in

1700; Marco Mayor of the city of Bozzolo in 1800; Ciro patriot with Gari-
baldi in 1848;
Ghedalia ben JACCHIA: (Imola 1515–1587) chronicler;

Family KATZENELLENBOGEN; Meir (Padova 1565) and his son Samuel

Jehuda (Padova 1600) for about a century were directors of the famous
theological school/Yeshiva of Padova;

LAMPRONTI Isaac: (Ferrara 1679–1756) physician, Rabbi and author of

a Talmudic encyclopaedia of 13 volumes;

Family LUZZATTO of San Daniele in Friuli: Samuel David (Trieste 1800–

Padova 1865) the most important Italian philologist of Hebrew and founder
of the modern Jewish sciences in the Padova Yeshiva or Academy; Mosé
Chaim (Padova 1707–Palestine 1750) writer, moralist, and cabbala adept,
joined with fanaticism about the coming Messiah; the two brothers Efraim
and Isaac of San Daniele (1780–1820) poets of minor works; Simone or
Simcha (1582–1661) historian about Venice and economist; Gino historian
on the economy of the 20th century;

MARGULIES Samuel Zevì: (from Galicia 1800) Rabbi died in 1922, director
of the Rabbinical Academy of Firenze, founder of the Jewish Revue in
Firenze 1904/1915;

MODENA Leon: (Venezia 1571–1648) Rabbi and brilliant speaker, but

victim of his strong passion for gambling;

27
Family OTTOLENGHI of ASTI: (German origin and ennobled as count in
1800); Josef (Cremona 1550–1570) Rabbi in the Talmudic school of
Cremona; Giuseppe general and Minister of Defence died in 1904; Leo-
netto patron of the arts in the city of Asti in 1900; Adolfo Rabbi in Venice in
1900;

REGGIO Isaac Samuel: (Gorizia 1784–1855) educator, philosopher, and

writer;

Family SONCINO: the most important printers in Italy, involved in half the
printing production before the 1500; (German origin and in Soncino by
Cremona from 1450 to 1520); Israel Nathan physician, banker, and first
printer in Soncino 1480 –1490; his two sons Mosè and Jeshua Salomon
(Napoli 1490) printers; Ghershom ben Mosé (1450 –Salonicco 1534) “the
Prince of Jewish printer”, working in Brescia, Fano, Pesaro and Rimini, he
emigrated to the Ottoman Empire with his job until his death in 1534; Mosè
ben Ghershom the last printer of the family in Salonika and later in
Constantinople;

WOLLEMBORG Leone: Minister of the Treasury in Italy in 1901.

28
2. Germany

Earliest settlements of Jews in Germany

The history of Jews in Germany may go back to pre-Roman times, we

suppose, even if we know very little about the first settlements.

It is said that Jews might have moved before the Christian Era in Worms
and elsewhere in Germany, some traced their first appearance as far back as
biblical times or in the aftermath of the fall of Jerusalem – 70 A. D. – at the
 

hands of the future Emperor Titus.

In fact the existence of Jewish communities in Germany is proven only

since the 4th century A. D. In Cologne and along the Rhine, Jews had settled
 

before Christianity became the official religion under the Roman Emperor
Constantinus – 312 A. D.–, in the city the community had its synagogue and
 

rabbis.

In Bavaria we do not find Jews before the 1st century, whereas in the 9th
century they spread out to Magdeburg, Regensburg, Mersburg and Treves
and along the Rhine to Mayence, Worms and Speyer.

In the 10th century they also settled in Austria and in Bohemia Moravia.

Till modern times a Jew was singled out only by his patronymic: his
first name plus BEN (SON of) followed by the father’s name, Isaak Ben
Jacob. It became a habit to give to a male descent the grandfather’s or – if
deceased – the father’s name.

In the 4th. century during the time that the Talmud was being compiled
the name of living members or forebears were also used.

All through the 13th century Jewish names were changed from the old-
Hebrew’s form into the Latin or the Greek-related meaning: from Schim’on
into Simon or from Jehuda into Juda. However, German names were used
as well, such as: Breuning, Dietrich, Ekbert, Fordolf, Heinrich, Livermann
and Süsskind.

29
 We can find the Greek name of Kalonimos used today in the adapted
form of Kalman. Ladies’ first names used were: Adelheid, Agnes, Bela,
Bruna or Heilswinda, or old Jewish first names such as Jachut, Mingut or
Minna.

As far as Bibliography is concerned, the best history of Jewish names –

related to Baden (south of Germany and along the Rhine) – was compiled
by Erwin Manuel Dreifuss in 1927. But the first sources go back to the
“Nürenberger Memory Book” commented in 1298. In 1326 we have traced
the first use of VON – as related to the place of origin – with Johannes von
Breisach, later on we find Samuel von Mengen in 1375 and Jecklin von
Ulm in 1377. Original names as Cohen and Levi are still used all over
Germany.

In Baden-Durlach again, we have traced the first surnames related to

geographical groups such as: Frank, Schwab, Ulmer, etc.

In the 18th century we find in the area of Baden-Baden surnames as

Koppel, Hertz, von Kippenheim or Friesenheim, and later on names as
Fauber-Faber in Grötzingen, or as Bacharach, Bernheim, Ducas, Ellenbogen,
Guggenheim, Königsbacher, Pfeiffer, Ruf, Ullmann and Wormser, which
have become familiar in Germany.

30
Main German Communities

BERLIN

Berlin was for a long time the centre of German Jewry. From this point of
view the City is mentioned for the first time in 1295.

The first persecutions against Jews took place in 1349, in 1446 and in
1571: at the time when they happen to be expelled for 100 years, because in
1671 the Elector of Brandeburg and future King Frederick Ist of Prussia
admitted into Brandeburg and Berlin 50 wealthy Jewish families expelled
from Vienna.

This date (1671) is considered to mark the foundation of the new Berlin
community. But under the rule of the same King a systematic exploitation
of the Jews began by means of various taxes.

Under the second Hohenzoller, King Frederick William the Ist limited
the number of Jews – and their trade – to be tolerated in the city limited in
the years 1713–1740.

In the 18th century Berliner Jews were primarily engaged as commer-

cial bankers and traders in precious metals and stones, whereas those who
became suppliers of the Prussian army are the most important dynasties of
court Jews or Hofjuden.

Under Frederick IInd the Great in 1756 a General Privilege was con-
ceded granting Jews’ residence rights.

In 1714 the first Synagogue of the Berlin community was built. Under
the influence of Moses Mendelssohn, and as a concomitant of economic
prosperity, several reforms were introduced in the community, especially in
the sphere of education.

Berlin has been the centre of the national German Jewish Organisation
since 1869.

The most common family names are here: Berlin, Berliner, Berkowitz,
Sackheim, Zackheim, Scheinberg, Schönberg, Schönberger Scheinmann,

31
Schenmann, Scheinberger, Rosenberg (Prussia), Roman (Prussia), Strelitz
(Oberlausitz), Fürstenberger (from six different places) and Dessoir (Anhalt).

FRANKFORT on MAIN

The Jews of Cologne were apparently the first ones to live in Frankfort, and
Mr. Gottschalk from Frankfort sold his house around the year 1180 in
Cologne to a citizen of the town.

At the beginning of the 14th century many Jews who settled in Frankfort
had immigrated from south Germany and from cities such as Nuremberg,
Ulm, Augsburg, Nördlingen and Mayence. The close relationship with a
city as Mayence is shown by a testimony as Eliezer ben Nathan in 1160, as
the fact that Jews from Mayence freed their imprisoned co-religionist in
Frankfurt and paid ransom for them.

The first persecutions started here in 1241 and 1349. From 1412 to
1414, fleeing went on because of a great tax load paid by Jewish citizens to
the Imperial free city.

They were engaged primarily as gold traders, as jewellers and as horse-

merchants.

Emperor Frederick the IIIrd helped to establish in 1462 the foundation

of the first Ghetto, the “Judengasse”, destroyed by fire in 1711, and aban-
doned in 1811.

By 1866 banker Leopold Sonnemann founded the world-famous News-

paper “Frankfurter Zeitung”. Outstanding Frankforter Jewish families still
lived there at the turn of the century and the most powerful – according to
their trade – are: Bonn, Goldschmidt, Haas, Ochs, Oppenheimer, Rindskopf,
Rothschild, Schiff, Schnapper, Speyer and Stern.

Oddly enough many among the most successful families bore names
related to the shield’s description such as: Zum schwarzen Adler, Zum
goldenen Adler, Birnbaum, Buxbaum, Buchsbaum, Zur Taube (Jonah).
Samson, Wertheimer, Oppenheimer (Court Agent Samuel O.) belonged to
the circle of the city’s decision-makers. According to the Names Edict of
1807, every Jewish family was to adopt a family name.

32
 In the year 1920, Franz Rosenzweig founded a Jewish school where
Martin Buber used to teach for very many years.

After Berlin, that of Frankfort is the second largest community in Ger-

many.

The German Diaspora has quadrupled after 1990 due to the immigra-
tion of Russian Jews, reaching 100,000.

MAYENCE

Mayence is one of the oldest Jewish communities in Germany.

At the beginning of the 10th century, we find a small community here,

but at the end of the century appeared a highly organised one. Cemetery
stones are traced back to the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages there were many persecutions. In the 12th cen-
tury , Mayence, Worms and Speyer were united. They were in fact leading
Jewish communities in Germany.

Under the Third Reich the main Synagogue was destroyed and the Jew-
ish community was deported to Poland.

Some family names from Mayence are: Adler, Grünebaum, Stern, Kanne
and Schwarzschild (see the German Names List).

TREVES

In the year 15 A. D. the town was called by Augustinus: “Augusta

 

Trevirorum” because of its geographical territory at the Trevere (meaning:

at the conjunction of the three main roads).

By the 6th century, Treves became one of the three Dioceses of Metz,
Toul and Verdun.

From 1784 to 1814 Treves became the French Metropolis of the

Saarland. As a French territory, Treves became part of Prussia in 1815.

33
 The Jewish family names from Treves have already been in use since
1400; the most common are: Trevis, Dreifuss, Trefus, Trivash and Tribas.

Karl Marx was born in Treves in 1818, and his home is today a mu-
seum.

SPEYER

Speyer is today the main-city of the Rheinland-Pfalz district and we have

evidence of city life since the year 614 A. D..
 

The foundation stone of the Christian basilica was placed in the year
1030.
The Jewish settlement here was known since the 11th century. And free-
dom for Jewish self-administration and trade was confirmed and went on
under Emperor Henry IV in 1090.

A flourishing time started at the time of the Palatinate in the 12th cen-
tury, and Speyer, together with Worms and Mayence (the initials of the
three cities in Hebrew forming the abbreviation SHUM) , became a leading
Jewish community in Germany.

The many persecutions that took place there in the year 1096, and in the
years 1281, 1349, 1405, 1490 and 1435 forced the Speyer’s Jewry to mi-
grate eastwards, to Poland, Bohemia, Hungry and Russia.

At the beginning of the 20th century the Jewry enjoyed a short, peaceful
and flourishing period, ending with the gloomy Nazi period: in 1939, the
whole Jewish population of the city dropped to 77 souls.

The Speyer Jews adapted their city name to the languages of the new
country of asylum, and ‘Speyer’ split into Shapiro, Saphir, Spira, Spire,
Spier, Spiro, Spero, Spear, Chapiro, Sprai and many other forms.

HEILBRONN

This well-known town along the Nekar stream was mentioned first in the
year 747 A. D., the early name of the city was “Heilprunn”.
 

34
 In the year 1225 the city fortifications are attested by documentation.

The first historical trace of Jewish existence dates back to 1298: in the
Judengasse, today Lohtot street.

During the “Black Death” in 1348 the first serious persecutions oc-
curred against Jews and the Synagogue was burnt down; and rebuilt in the
year 1357.

Emperor Carl IV ordered in 1361 that all Jews should be accepted and
protected inside the city-walls. And a special site was granted to house the
Jewish cemetery.

In 1437 the situation worsened, the expulsions of 1469 and 1476 were
meant to be forever.

In the 16th century the only Jews to be admitted were physicians.

In 1737 many Jews became Christian in order to be allowed to reside in

the city.

By 1831 a Jewish community with a Synagogue started up again, at the

turn of the century it numbered 1000 souls.

For most of them their names went from Heilbronn to Halpérin, Heilpern,
Halper, Helpern, Halprin, Felperin, Alpron, Alperen and Galpern (Russian
form: H into G).

35
GERMANY
List of geographical Names or place Names

Alper From the town of Heilbronn in Württemberg.

Alpert See Halpérin, too.
Alpron
Alpern

Anspach From Ansbach in Bavaria.

Auerbach From Auerbach in Hesse-Darmstadt.

Bacharach From Bacharach on the Rhine in Palatinate.

Bach(e)rach
Bacher
Bachrich

Bamberg From the town of Bamberg in Bavaria.

Bamberger

Bechtheim From Bechtheim in Hesse.

Bensheim From Bensheim in Hesse.

Bensinger From Benzingen in Baden-Wurttemberg.

Bentwich From Bentwich in Hesse.

Berkal From Perkallen in Prussia.

Berliner From the German capital Berlin.

Bing From Bingen on Rhine in Palatinate.

Bloch From “Vlach” in Slavic meaning “the stranger”. When the

Blocher Jews immigrated from Central-Europe to Poland they
got that name.

Ploch But when they went back to Germany the name was Ger-
manised to Bloch.

Vla(o)ch Cf. Bloch.

36
Wallach/Welsch The “Welsche” means the “stranger”.

Von Breisach First name joined with “of” and with place names, since 1326
in Breisach in Baden.

Brüel/Brühl From Bühl in Mannheim and Baden, old and new name Ba-
den 1809

Bühl In Baden 1809 too.

Dessauer From Dessau in Anhalt.

Dessoir .......

Dickenstein From Duckstein, called “Dickstein”, where there is a stone-

Dickstein mine.

Emden From Emden in East Friesland.

Epstein From Eppstein in Hesse, (exists also in the area of Emmen-

dingen Ebstein district of Upper Rhine 1809), but also Ebstein
expelled from Spain in 1492, and old family name in Epstein
in Bohemia.

Erlanger From Erlanger in Bavaria.

Ettlinger From Ettlingen in Baden.

Feinberg From Feinberg in Silesia.

Feuchtwanger From Feuchtwangen in Franconia, today Bavaria.

Floss From Floss, named “Judenburg” too, in north Bavaria, place

of the old-cloth traders.

Forchheim From Forchheim near Bamberg in Bavaria.

Friedland From Friedland in Silesia.

Fuld From Fulda in Hesse.

Gamoran From Gamoran in Westphalia and Magdeburg.

37
Ginsburg From the town of Günsburg in Bavaria. The name was borne
since the 1500 from exiled Jews. By 1804 Jews had chosen
that name in different forms, often they did not belong to the
same family Ginsburg. The name got popular in Russia,
because of the banker and philanthropist of St. Petersburg
named “Gunzburg”.

Gordon From the Biblical river. The name Jordan appears in the 15th
century in Middle Europe.

Jastrow From Jastrow in Pomerania, today Poland.

Kissinger From Kissinger in Bavaria.

Königsberg From the city of Königsberg, former West Prussia, today

Russia.

Kuppenheim From Kuppenheim, d. Middle Rhine, Baden.

Kippenheim

Lindau From Lindau on Constance lake in Bavaria, and in Hol-

stein.

London Since 1545 certified in Prague, where these Jews went into
exile.

Landenberg From Landenberg in West Prussia, today Poland.

Lifshitz From Löbschutz, Upper Silesia, today Poland.

Lipsky From “lipa” in Slavic = lime-tree. There are many such place
names. The city of Leipzig was originally “Lipsk”, a centre
for Jewish tradesmen. A Lipsky was a person travelling to
Leipzig in Saxony or to Lipsk.

Lorsch From Lorsch in Hesse.

Mannheim From the city of Mannheim in Baden.

Mengen From Mengen in Württemberg. Like Samuel of Mengen in

1375.

Metz From the city of Metz in Lorraine, France.

38
Mintz From the city of Mayence in Palatinate.
Mayence
Minc
Menz
Munz

Mirmann From Mergentheim in Baden-Württemberg.

Mermann

Olhansky From Olsham in Lithuania and Poland.

Oberländer From Oberland in South Germany, and the Hungarian people

coming from the Carpathians also bore that name.

Offen Offen or Ofen is the German name of Buda-(pest), the western

part of the Hungarian capital.

Oppenheim From Oppenheim in Palatinate.

Ohringer From Ohringen in Württemberg.

Pasch From Pasch near Freistadt in Prussia.

Pikelny From Pikeln, Province of Kowno, today Lithuania.

Popper Is the town of Frankfort that was shortened in FF, and as in

Hebrew the F and the P other way round can be used, it became
vocalised to “Popper”.

Pappenheim From Pappenheim in Middle Franconia, Bavaria.

Pfalzer From the Land of Palatinate (Pfalz).

Portugal Someone coming from Portugal, born in Prussia.

Pforzheim From the town of Pforzheim in Baden.

Prenzlau From Prenzlau near Stettin, today Poland.

Regensberg From Regensberg-burg, in Bavaria.

Rattenau From Rathenow on Havel near Potsdam in Brandeburg.

Roman(n) From Romany in Prussia.

Rosemberg From Rosenberg in East Prussia, today Poland.

39
Sa(o)linger From the name Solomon, or from Solingen in Westphalia.

Sanditen From Sanditen in East Prussia.

Scheineberg From the town of Schöneberg near Danzig in West Prussia, or

Schenmann from Scheinmann the mother name “Sheyna”.
Schenberg(er)
Sche(i)nfeld

Schertzer From Siercza in Galicia, Poland.

Schönberger From Schöneberg, Lausitz area in Mecklenburg.

Steinberg There are many Steinbergs in Germany, and a town in Hungary

too and an other near Brody in Galicia.

Stendal From Stendal a town on the Uchte river, in Magdeburg.

Sulzberg(er) From Sulzberg in Allgau, in South Baden.

Trilling(er) From Wassertruedingen, in Franconia-Alb, Bavaria.

Tringler

Ulmann/Ulman From the city of Ulm between Baden and Bavaria.

Warburg From Warburg in Westphalia.

Weil(l) From Weil near Basel on the Rhine, since 1300 in south
Weile(r) Baden.

Weinberg Ist from Wyntbark a small place of Danzig, former West Prus-
sia, and IInd from Weinberg by Nikolsburg in south Moravia.

Weisel From Wesel on Rhine, in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Wertheim(er) From Wertheim on Main, border between Baden and Hesse.

Wetzlar From the town of Wetzlar on Lahn in Hesse.

Windner From two places “Winden” in Palatinate.

Wittenberg From Wittenberg on Elbe in Saxony-Anhalt.

Zeckendorf Place close to Bamberg in Bavaria.

Zunz From Zons on Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia.

40
List of trade and occupational names

Abzug A print(er), or a drawing.

Ackermann A plough man or peasant.
Adelstein A jewel dealer or precious stone trader.
Alembik From the alembic.
Anzieher Is a shoe horn for a shoemaker.
Antmann A magistrate or judge.
Aspis A Hostel, from the Yiddish “uspiz”.

Balsam Balsam used by chemists.

Baum As tree, or exciseman.
Beckmann As baker.
Breyler As brewer.
Brillant As jeweller or gem trader.
Broitman A man who bakes bread.
Bronfmann A distiller of (brandy).

Cassirer A treasurer.
Citron A lemon seller.

Daskal From “Daskelowitz”, Romanian term for assistant precentor.

Dauber A dove or pigeon seller.

Drechsler A turner.
Drucker Is a printer.
Durchschlag Is a type-writer copy or a paper-carbon copy.

Einstein A mason builder.

Feiner Is a wine grower, who presses the grapes.

Feinstein Is a jeweller, a gem trader.
Feller A skinner or a furrier.
Fenster A window dealer.
Faerber A dyer.
Fetterer A dealer or merchant of feathers.
Fein/Fine A fine person.
Finkelstein A jeweller or precious stone trader.
Fischbein Available for many different occupations.
Flaxman A flax merchant.
Flax(ks)
Flexner
Flachsmann

41
Fleischhacker Butcher.
Fleischhauer
Fleischmann
Fleischer Butcher and merchant.
Fudym Thread of a tailor (Yiddish).
Futorian Frock-lining trader.
Futtermann In Yiddish it means “furrier”.

Garfunkel A carbuncle or almandite stone.

Geiger Is a violinist.
Gi(e)sser A zinc-smelter.
Glas(er) A glazier, or glass worker or a tumbler maker.
Glasmann
Goldscheider A gold or silver refiner.
Goldschmidt A goldsmith.
Goldstein Is a gold-stone.
Graber Someone who makes a grave, tomb or sepulchre.
Greenspan Green pigment of Spain to dye or produce medicine, “the green
Grünspan of Spain” = in German “das Grün von Spanien”.

Haber Is oats in the south of Germany, or peasant.

Haspel Is hasp.
Hefter It means gold covered, or goldsmith.
Heuer As a butcher.
Hirzhmann A millet dealer.
Hoffmann A man with a farm.
Holzmann A wood cutter or forest ranger.
Holz(er)
Holtzer
Hubermann A dealer with oats.

Kadar A copper.
Kartagener Beans from Carthage.
Kaufmann As a shopkeeper, or from Jakob, Yakovmann and Kofmann.
Kemmelmann A comb-seller.
Kimmelmann A cumin-seller or (caraway).
Kirmeyer A church officer as “Curchmeyer”.
Kirzner Is a Yiddish term meaning “furrier”.
Kleider Is a tailor.
Klaidermann
Korf Is a basket maker.
Korn Means corn, grain or cereal.
Kren(m)sky From the town of Krems in Austria or a bleaching ground.
Krochmal Is a starch-flour, in Yiddish a dealer of starch.
Krochnik

42
La(u)ffer In Yiddish means “runner or messenger”.
Leiffer
Lapidus From Latin: stone.
Lawntmann In Yiddish means “trader of linen”.
Laventmann
Lederer A worker of leather.
Ledermann
Lehmann A banker, or loan-office for leasing or lending.
Lekach In Yiddish, a trader of cake or honey.
Lekaachmann
Lerner A student, in Yiddish and in German too.
Levandula A Lavender trader.
Lichtermann In the 18th century special taxes existed in Russia and Austria
(Lichtzieher) for Sabbat lights or candles, and the collector of it was called
“the man of light”
Lotstein “soldering”.

Mahler Means: miller.

Marans Or Marantz or Pomerantz, as merchant of oranges.
Marmelstein Someone working in marble, or stone-breaker.

Mashbir Joseph is called “hamashbir” in the Bible, a name of a corn

mer chant.
Mashbitz As a brocade weaver, or a goldsmith.
Mautner A toll-tax collector, in Bavaria Maut = Zoll.
Meckler In Yiddish means: maker.
Mehler As a charcoal-kiln or pile and flour too.
Mehlmann A merchant of flour.
Melber As the previous, an old form of “flour trader”.
Meltz(er) In Polish Mielcarz means: a malt owner or a brewer.
Melzner/Meltsner A malt trader.
Messinger A brass trader.
Miller In Yiddish = Miller.
Milstein As a millstone.
Mlotok In Russian: hammer.
Molotok
Morenu Is a teacher, in Hebrew is the title of Rabbi.
Muchnik Russian term for “Trader of flour”.

Nagar/Nuger Carpenter from the Hebrew = “naggar”.

Neiger
Napartek In Polish it means: thimble.
Nerenberg By the Austrian Jews, articles as “bottom or needle” = Neren-
berg.

43
Packer As a porter.
Pauker As a musician.
Pergament For a writer.
Perlmutter Sons of a mother called “Perle”.
Plotkin Plotka means = whitefish, a trader of “Plotka”.
Plotka(e)
Polier A master of constructing house.
Polster Someone who makes cushions, pillows or bolsters.
Presser Man who irons dresses.
Pressmann

Rauchwerker Is a furrier.
Ringle(el) A Goldsmith.
Goldring
Rostholder A horse dealer.
Roos

Salpeter A trader of fertilizer.

Saperstein A jeweller, trader in sapphires.
Schaffner An administrator of a property.
Scharfstein Is a knife sharpener.
Schindler Man who uses shingles for roof cover.
Schinkel A barman or publican.
Schleifer A diamond cutter.
Schloss(mann) A man who bolts a lock in a door.
Schmuckler An ornament’s merchant or producer.
Schnittmann A dealer of cutting wares or dried things.
Schreter A tailor.
Schulsinger A cantor at the School-Synagogue.
Seiler A string-maker.
Strickmann
Seltzer Dealer with the salt monopoly.
Senelnick A dyer with natural colours.
Sherer/ Sher A barber in Yiddish.
Scher
Schermann A dealer in woollen dresses.
Schulruf Yiddish for “Schul” = Synagogue, and “Ruf” dialect form for
Shulruf “Rebbe” = rabbi or notary.
Siegel As seal or notary.
S(z)iegler
Ziegel(mann)
Siegelmann
Silbermann Goldsmith in silver or trade in silver.
Silvermann
Silberstein Is a jeweller.

44
Spett Dealer of ragged clothes, or rubbish.
Spiegler A mirror polisher or maker.
Spilky From the Yiddish “Schpilke” = pin or needle.
Steiner A jeweller (in Yiddish = “schtein”).
Stellmacher A coach-builder.
Steuer Man who is a tax collector.
Sticker Man who embroiders.
Stoller From the Russian term “Stolyar”= carpenter.

Tambor Is a drummer from the Yiddish term “Tambur”.

Taxin/Taksen A tax collector.
Teig/T.mann A baker a dough-maker.
Teller Is a plate, sign of a barber shop.
Tendler/Tandler As a nuisance.
Tischler/Tisshler A cabinet maker or a carpenter.
Trudnik A chimney-sweep, from Russian and Yiddish “trud” = work.
Tuchmann Is Yiddish for frock dealer.
Tulmann As tulle, lace or cloth maker.

Wagner A carrier or a track/coach builder.

Walker Is a producer of woollen cloths.
Wapner A quick seller.
Waxmann/Waxstein Dealer with wax.
Wachsmann
Wachsstein
Wecker Merchant with breakfast rolls, baker too.
Wein/Weiner Is a wine dealer. Or a wine producer.
Weinglas In Yiddish “Weinlese” = “crop”.
Weinlaub A garland as decoration.
Weinstein Name for a wine merchant.
Wollmann Is a wool dealer.

Zegmann Is a carpenter, saw-like man.

45
List Other Names – House and store signboards Names –
Personal characteristics Names

Other Names

Adelstein “Precious stone”, name of a merchant, or from a lady

“Adele”.

Eckstein From the Psalms: “The stone being abandoned from the buil-
ders has become the corner-stone.” Traditionally united with
the faith of Israel and the expectation of a better time.

Edelstein Is an “expensive” name, or it originates from the girl’s name.

Edelsberg “Edel” = precious, but also a dealer’s name.

Ehrlich As honest, or sincere, for phonetic reasons the name Ehrlich

Ehrenfreund was used as Ehrmann too, because it sounded like Aaron.
Ehrenpreis
Ehrenhaft
Ehrenfrucht
Ehrenstein
Ehrenberg
Ehrenhaus
Ehrenfeld
Ehrenfest
Ehrenfried
Ehrenkranz
Ehrenreich
Ehrenteil/-thal All these names refer to Aaron or his ancestor or the Ehren-
stamm /-zweig biblical Aaron, brother of Moise.

Enker As “anchor” symbol of safety and hope, a sign of luck for the
houses.

Ephros/ Ephrat Place near Bethlehem where Rachel is buried. It is also the
name of Kaleb’s wife. In present-day Israel the name Ephrat
is popular for girls.

Finkelstein Farfunkelstein = a Carbuncle or almandite, should bring luck.

But from the girl’s name “Finkel” too, a Jewish name since
the Middle Ages.

46
Gordon Gordon = Jordan river in Israel, or from the district of Grodno
Gordin in Russia and Poland. “Gorod” means town in German and in
Gordan Russian.

Lempert Is from “Leopard”; “be strong as a leopard and do the will of

Lemport God Lemport in sky”. In Talmud Pirkei Avoth 5: 23.
Lampert

Morgenstern The first star in the morning. This should have been the naming
at the name registration.

Oder Is the month of “Adar” in Hebrew, a very happy month in

early Adar/Ader spring, because it is the month of the birth of
Moise. The Purim too belongs to this month.

Rosmarin Is a kitchen seasoning (spice) but medicine too. In early times,

it was a flower for brides.

Schoenteil To honour Napoleon Bonaparte, is the German translation of

the French Emperor.

Shtull In Yiddish = as “steel”, stands for inner strength too and faith
for the Jews.

Taradash From Slavic = “taradaj”, meaning an old gossiping woman.

Teitelbaum From the Psalm 92: “The truth should flourish like the palm
(date-Zederbaum-palm), he should grow like a Zeder of
Lebanon.

Wassermann From the sign Aquarius, high road to fortune, or the name of a
water carrier too.

Wieder From “Widder”, the name was accepted from a person born
under the sign Aries, meaning “luck”.

47
House or store sign and signboards:

(In 1700 most people were still illiterate, they could not read names, but
they could recognize signboards which identified houses and stores, and
sometimes these signs replaced the names of the owners. Within the ghettos
(example: Frankfort), people were better known by the signs which they
displayed on their homes and stores, so that they acquired surnames from
those signs/signboards.)

Adler As “Eagle”, in Frankfort on Main there were two houses with

the sign “eagle”, N° 27 was the black eagle, and N°86 the
golden eagle.

Apfel As “Apple”, since 1776 name of the Judengasse in Frankfort

on Main retained name in the area Bretten, in Baden, in Palati-
nate, in the Middle Rhine, and since 1827 in Munz and Pfinz-
kreis.

Amsel Amsler = black bird, in N° 21 of the Judengasse in Frankfort

on Main. Eastern Jews derived the name from Namslau in
Silesia. They were called Namslau or Amsler, and later Am-
sel.

Birnbaum The common derivation is from house N° 167 in the Juden-

gasse of Frankfort;

Berenbaum appeared as the sign of a pear tree. There existed Ber too in
Poland in the province of Posen a town called Birnbaum, and
ca. 10 % of Jewish family names of Baden came from there.
Jews with the name Ber often accepted the surname Birnbaum.

Blum(en) Some family Blum come from the sign of “flower” in the
-berg/-feld Judengasse of Frankfort. Most of them originated from “Blu-
ma”-garten/-kin a maiden name. Sometime it is a version of
the Spanish “Paloma” = -heim/-kranz = dove. At least 12
places in Germany use the name “Blumberg.
-krohn/reich Sometimes it was more important for Jews to have a longer
stern/stock name and a suffix as THAL or BERG was added
with BLUM. Blumenthal

48
Buchsbaum As “box-tree” is a house sign in the Judengasse of Frankfort
on Main since 1776, and in 1806 Buxbaum, even before
the Names Edict was in use in the district of Upper Rhine in
Baden.

Daube There are a few names with “Daube”, but most of them are
variants of ‘Taube’ = dove or pigeon. In Frankfort there was
Taube a house Teibel sign with “Taube”. By the Middle Ages the
first name for a woman was called “Taube” and in Yiddish
“Teibel”.

Falk/Valk In House N°62 of the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main the

Wallik(ch) sign Walk was the “falcon or hawk”. From the “Falk” many
Falkheim families derive their names. There exist following different
Falkberg forms.
Falkfeld
Falkstern
Falkthal

Fuchs House N°78 in the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main had the

sign “Fuchs” = fox. There is also another origin: ‘men with
red hair’.In Poland the Rabbis used in the 18th century a special
uniform bordered around the robe with fox. The word “fox”
in Polish is “lis”, and the Jewish families Liss or Lis lead their
name that way.

Hahn There was in the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main a sign-

(board) with a “red cock” and another with the “golden cock”.
Cock was also a first name instead of the Hebrew first name:
Hanoch, Elhana, Manoah.

Kafka In the Czech language Kafka means “crow”, and was used for
somebody living near the house sign of “crow” , “Krähe”. In
Poland a coffee dealer was called “Kawka”. There is a version
of Kafka as diminutive for Yaakov-Jacob. Yaakov can become
Koppel, to Kopke and again Kafka.

Korczak Originates from the old Ukrainian word for “eagle”, or from
Polish “Korczak” = goblet (Weinglas). The inn owner adopted
that name sometimes.

Schachtel From House N° 99 of the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main. It

is another version of “shochet” (Schachter) = “ritual butcher”.

49
Personal characteristics or peculiarities

Album From Latin = white.

Auslaender As “stranger or foreigner”.

Bettelheim As “beggar”, Hungarian name for the Yiddish “Bethlen Jude”.

Bleich A“pale person”.
Bogatch From Russian = rich (German “reicher”).

Chodosh From Hebrew = new.

Dick In German = fat.

Dunkelmann A man dressed in dark, in Russia as “priest or mystiker”.

Ehmann A husband.

Fekete Translation in Hungarian of “black”.

Fine A “fine man”.

Goldbart A man with a “gold beard”.

Grobtuch Somebody who wore a thick cloth during the Namegiving.

Kraus A curly haired person.

Krummbein A bow legged person.

Landmann As a country man.

Langsam “Slowly”.
Linker A left-handed man.

Pugatsch A fat man or a baker.

Rothmann A man with red hair.

Sperling Is the “sparrow”.

Springer A person who is moving or dancing.
Spritzer A person with a wet pronunciation.

Tanzer A dancer.

Zaitz From the Russian for “rabbit” or a “witty man”.

50
3. Spain

After the conquest of Judaea under the Emperor Titus Flavius in the years
79–81 A. D., some prisoners of war were brought to Spain and increased by
 

a number of Jews from North Africa, they formed the basis of the Iberian
Jews.

They were welcome pioneers for economic life and were granted free-
dom till Christianity.

Many of them refused to accept Christianity in 612 A. D. and a great

 

persecution began against them. Jews were often expelled within the Mid-
dle Ages Iberian world.

The Islamic Arab conquered a great part of the south and middle of the
Iberian Peninsula, beginning in 771 and until 1492, but at that time the
Jews were welcome as middle men, knowing the country well between the
Arab and European civilisations.

The Spanish and Portuguese Jews belonged to another religious group

different from the communities from Germany, Eastern Europe and part of
Italy. The latter were called Aschkenazi or Aschkenasim. In the Iberian
Peninsula the Jews were called Sephardim, where the word Sefarad ap-
peared first in the 10th century, and the most common supposition is that its
origin came from an adaptation of the Greek and Latin term of “Hesperides”.

After the reconquista of all Spain by the Catholic Kings in 1492, the
whole Jewish population suffered the most tremendous and total per-
secutions in the history of the Middle Ages. Jews had to choose between
being baptized or to leaving Spain definitively.

And 200,000 Jews emigrated from here to all the Mediterranean shores.
During the 16th century a long succession of deaths and mournings fol-
lowed this new Odyssey of the Chosen People.

At the same time the Catholic absolutism ended and freed Spain of the
Arab presence with the fall of Granada. The fanaticism of the Iberian Kings
destroyed totally the middle class of traders and businessmen, and opened

51
the door to the war engagement between religions in all Europe for more
than two centuries. Those two events were the reasons for the continuous
weakness of the Spanish Kingdom on the European chess-board.

Today for Sephardim Israel, USA and Canada are the preferred places
to live.

Sephardim are known as being very cultured. Many VIP men are
Sephardim, as Baruch SPINOZA, the philosopher 1632–1677, and the Eng-
lish Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli 1804–1881.

One of the first Jewish Ghettos was founded in Rome, in the 16th cen-
tury when 400 Sephardim Jewish names could be found in Italy.

Through the place-name Aschkenazim cognizance the following names

are known from Middle Europe: Cologna, Luzzato und (Lausitz) Luzzatti,
Moravia, Morpurgo (Marburg), Praga, Treves, Trevis or Trier.

The Italian, but also French and German, family names are found on all
the shores of the Mediterranean especially in Greek and Turkey, aside from
the Spanish and Arabic surnames.

With the Spanish Jews we can number 60 Italian names (name-places)

found in the Near East, as Bari, Forlì, Messina, Napoli, Perugia, Rome,
Salerno, Sicilia, etc. The emigrated Spanish Jews migrated after 1492 in
masses to the Ottoman regions. They also emigrated to the coasts of the
Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean, and one-third of them landed in Italy.

At one time we can find Spanish Sephardim in Morocco, Salonika and

Turkey, where they were welcomed by the Muslims and found national jobs.

Other persecuted Jews from Spain went during the 16th century to Hol-
land, Yugoslavia, the area of Hamburg and England. In Alsace Separdim
communities were founded, and most recently in 1800 and 1900 many Jews
emigrated here from Eastern Europe.

52
The following Sephardim family names were most widely known:
Abravanel, Acosta, Aguilar, Albo, Alcalay, Alvalensi, Barzilai (Barcelo-
na), Calahorra, Calafora, Kalifora, Calahorre (Kalwari), Cardozo, Castro,
Carmona, Cordovero (Cordoba), Cuenca, de Rossi (Azaria), Espinoza, Ghi-
rondi (Gerona), Medina, Miranda, Montalbano, Najara (from Najera),
Paloma, Pardo, Prado, Soriano (from Soria), Saragossi, Toledano (Toledo),
Taragono (Tarragona).

In the following three centers of the Ottoman Empire, Istambbul, Saloniki

and Smyrna the Sephardim names derived from:
Biblical and Talmudic Names.
Translation in Spanish of Hebraic names.
Translation from Arabic and Turkish.
Names coming from jobs.
Names in Hebraic.
Names of civil servants.
Names of speciality or peculiarity.
Names of the father.
Spanish or Portugueses names.
Names of place or toponym.

Some other specific names from Spain:

Abbas, Josef ibn Abitur, Abulafia, de Castro Cavalleria, Josef Kimchi (in
Narbonne), Halevi, Nachmanides, de Portella, Ravaya, ben Saruk, Schaprut.

These family names were famous astronomers, mathematicians, physi-

cians, philosophers and translators.

The Sephardim in Bosnia-Herzegowina, List by Prof. L. Glesinger.

Abravanel Adanja Albahari Albala
Alfandari Alkalay Almosnino Almozlino
Almuli Altarac Anaf Atijas
Baruh Baruhovic Benvenisti Celebonovic
Danon Davico Davidovic Edus
Elijau Fahri Finci Gaon
Hason Isakovic Kabiljo Kahamovic
Kalderon Kamhi Katalan Koen
Konfino Krispi Kunorti Levi
Mandolfode Mantova Mojsilovic Montilja
Ozmo Papo Pardo Perera

53
Peric Pesah Pinto Poljokan
Romano Ruben Ruso Salom
Semo Sonino Sumbul(ovic) Tajfacak
Trinki Tolentino.

Other family names in the former Yugoslavia:

Abinun Abramovich Amar Amodaj
Andelo Aser(ovic) Azrijel Bencion
Ben Susan Beraha Cassuto Deleon
Demajo Eskenazi Gabaj Hajon
Izrael Jozef Jesurun Kadmon
Kadmon Levi Kajon Kamhi Kampos
Katan Konforti(e) Luzzatti Maclijah
Maestro Masijah Medina Melemed
Mexovah Morpurgo Musafiaa Nahmijas
Obadija Ozerovic Pijade Rodriguez
Samojelovic Samokovlija Samuilovic Saraf
Splier Suri Tuvi.

From the city of Split (today Croatia): Gabaj, Lima, Lopez, Morpurgo,
Rodriguez and Ruso. From the city of Rijeka (Croatia): Angoleli.

From the city of Dubrovnik (Croatia): Coduto, Ergas, Gracian, Kohen-

Lunel, Oef, Samuel and Trinke.

54
4. Austria – Hungary

A large majority of Jewish names emerged long before 1918.

When we speak of Austria, we do not mean the present Austrian state

but we include the whole Habsburg Empire embracing Austria itself to-
gether with associated provinces such as Bohemia and Moravia; the king-
dom of Hungary was embodied in 1867. Only Poland has been treated sepa-
rately (see chapter six). –

The Court Jews

In earlier times, the so-called Court Jews (In Germany “Hof juden” and in
Austria “Hof befreite”) were of particular importance within the framework
of the state hierarchy. They had access to the imperial court. In the Middle
Ages, especially in Central Europe, they were engaged by the rulers to handle
finance and state keeping, especially military affairs. Some Court Jews have
used their influence at the Court in favour of the Jewish community, or
even to defend or protect individuals.

They were the first who sought emancipation. In the 18th century how-
ever, the majority of the Court Jews in Vienna lived in misery. Generally
speaking, at that time, these tradesmen had to cope with a strong foreign
competition limiting their trade chances.

Beginning from 10th and 11th centuries, the Jewish community of Vi-
enna was quite important until its expulsion in 1492. After some years of
tolerance around 1624, they were closed into a ghetto and expulsions started
again until 1670.

Only in the 19th century, a strong migration from Eastern Europe was
noticed. Consequently, one could speak of social tensions caused by com-
petition with the local petite bourgeoisie at the turn of the century.

The Jewish share in all cultural, commercial and industrial aspects of

life has been considerable. Before 1938 there were approximately 170.000
Jews living in Vienna whereas in 1980 only 9.000 resided there.

55
 The efforts of Charles VI around 1750 and of her daughter Maria Theresa
around 1760 to impose western standards on Central Europe provoked vivid
(positive as well as negative) developments. For a life span of 45 years a
Jewish town flourished in a Vienna’s end called Unteren Werd (afterwards
‘Leopoldstadt’). According to the imperial decree of 28 February 1670,
Jews from Vienna and Lower Austria were expelled. Viennese Jews had to
leave before 25 July 1670 and for those living on the city outskirts the term
was Easter Day 1671. These events caused the Jewish community in Vi-
enna to vanish out for a long time to come.

Such a decision might have materialised after the clear position of the
time of Church dogmatists, represented by the Bishop of Wiener Neustadt,
Leopold Kollonitsch arguing humanistic and economic self-protection, and
coupled with the autochtons’ “common sense” reactions, nourished mainly
by envy of the Jews’ accomplishments. The fact that a great number of
Viennese Jews chose to emigrate to Berlin had a dramatic impact on the
economic prosperity of Brandenburg, whereas the Viennese economy suf-
fered considerably from the expulsion of Jews from Vienna and Austria,
including the Habsburgs’ Court itself, particularly in the money-lending
business.

A definite judgement issued by the Court Chamber in 1673 confirmed

this decision. However, open-minded Christian scholars such as Johann-
Christoph Wagenseil (1633–1705) from Nuremberg, did their best to alle-
viate prejudice towards the Jews.

Letters of Protection

Even at early times efforts had been undertaken to protect the Jews. Prince
Paul Esterházy in Eisenstadt promulgated the first letter of protection in
favour of the Jews in 1690. Jews had to pay daily protection fees as a kind
of personal contribution for the right to live there.

The emperor Charles VI, ruler of the Roman German Empire (1711–
1740) had a positive attitude towards the Jews. He preserved Jewish pro-
tection rights. Some privileged families, like the Oppenheimers and the
Wertheimers were allowed to reside in town, for they had to pay for that
right on a yearly basis, which in fact meant residence.

56
 Without a residence right Jews were compelled to pay daily fees. In
Moravia, letters of protection were issued even before the Tolerance Edict
of 1782. Fees were considered to be a lucrative business for every State.
Empress Maria-Theresa issued a new law regarding Jews in 1765 provok-
ing a worsening of their living conditions and deepening social misery. In
the year 1778, she even limited the number of servants in Jewish house-
holds.

Reform Efforts

Maria-Theresa who ruled the country for forty years (1740–1780) was an
energetic monarch. Because of the first partition of Poland (1772) and the
annexation of Galicia by Austria, the majority of Jews at that time lived in
the Habsburg Empire. Nevertheless, it was her son Joseph II who took the
initiative of liberalizing the Jews’ conditions.

Joseph II, born in Vienna on 13 March 1741 (died on 20 February 1790)

was proclaimed ruler of the Roman-German Empire in 1764 succeeding his
father. His mother made him co-Regent in the Habsburg Crown Provinces
allowing him to start reforms only in military matters. In foreign policy,
Joseph II was involved in many conflicts with his mother.

It was he who took the initiative of driving away the Middle Ages from
his country. Against the will of his mother, he carried out the partition of
Poland in 1772 (gaining Galicia) and succeeded in persuading the Turks to
cede Bukowina in 1775. – He sought an understanding with Prussia, al-
though his plan to acquire Bavaria resulted in his defeat in the war against
Prussia in 1778/79.

After his mother’s death in 1780, Joseph II succeeded her as the only
ruler of the Habsburg crown provinces. As a result of the Peace Treaty of
Teschen in 1779 and of his being a historical adversary of Prussia, he re-
solved to approach Empress Catherine II of Russia.

His goal was a centrally administered state, German being its official
language. Supported by the army and civil servants, he opposed a special
status of crown provinces.

In 1781 the peasants’ feudal property rights were abolished and a real
estate tax introduced, extended to the aristocracy. – Joseph II promoted

57
industry and trade by levying high customs duties. New schools, hospitals,
and Institutes for the Blind were created, censorship alleviated and torture
abolished. The Emperor applied tough Church-policies (Josephinism) and
his reforms were so strongly opposed by the aristocracy and clergy that he
had to revoke them on several occasions.

The Emperor’s hand-written letter of 13 May 1781, followed by the

decree of the Court chancellery of 16 May 1781, reached the official courts
throughout Austria. In Lower Austria it was called the Joseph II Tolerance
Edict and has been known by that name ever since. The Edict came into
force on 2 January 1782 and states:

“Any person, regardless of his religious belief, providing he has his merits, may get
employment in agriculture or craftsmanship and I am prepared to grant him a citizen-
ship.”

Joseph II was convinced that Jews could be beneficial to the State and they
were thus given an opportunity to pursue various professions. Jews were
free to enter universities, become artists, craftsmen or soldiers. Education,
so far prohibited to Jews was made available to all. The teaching of the
German language became compulsory in Jewish schools. The issue of offi-
cial documents and trade transactions were opened up to the Jewish com-
munity. Henceforth, Hebrew and Yiddish were prohibited for official use:
“The so-called Jewish language and writing are abolished”.

On 17 May 1785 this rule was extended to Galicia and Bohemia within
the same year. The trade activity of Jews often brought them in contact with
authorities, who could not verify their book-keeping when it was written in
Hebrew. Joseph II wanted to overcome all these difficulties. Similar thoughts
were also found in the works of the Christian historian Christian Conrad
von Dohm (Berlin 1751–1820).

The first Law for European Family Names

As a result of the Tolerance Edict, and in order to allow tax-control and

registration, Joseph II during the session of 5 July 1787 of the State Council
issued the following deed “Every Jewish landlord has to make his own,
continual and permanent family name, in the German language, hereditary
down his male lineage.

58
 On 23 July 1787, the Emperor stated that: “to avoid too much disorder,
Jews should choose specific family names and German first names”. Those
who already had a family name were compelled to change only if their
name was Hebraic or related to a non-Austrian place name. After that the
“Emperor’s Edict” was established, and the entire names assignment started
throughout the Empire.

In fact, Jews could rarely choose their own names: the authorities did it
for them. Civil servants enjoyed giving them unlikely and disgusting names,
most of which were of clearly anti-semitic meaning, such as: “Kanalgeruch”
= sewer’s stink. Jews were forced moreover to bear Christian names, like
“Ostertag” = Easter, just to offend them. There was nothing they could do
against these inhuman, but legal decisions.

Apart from these straight-forward family names, different types of Jewish

names came forth:

The earliest ones were geographical names only if they were related to
the Empire, for example “Wiener”, in the Empire there were many rivers,
mountains, plants, the names became: “Baum” = tree, “Mandelbaum” =
almond tree, “Rosenzweig” = branch of roses.

Family names with stones are: Steinberg, Steinmann, Steinhardt, Stein-

hauser, Steinheim.

On the name origin, a replacement for Hebraic family name is “Mosche

ben Mehanem” that became “Dessauer” or “Dessoir”, but also “Dessau” or
“von Dessau”.

When the Jews were forced to accept family names in the 18th century,
the Name Commission took the easiest way of giving names from the out-
ward appearance of the single person, like: “Klein” for small and “Gross”
for big, “Lang” for tall and “Kurz” for short.

Colour names, another way of stemming personal characteristics, were

“Braun” = brown, “Grün” = green, “Blau” = blue, “Gelb” = yellow, “Weiss”
= white.

Some different types of names were trade and occupational names:

“Koch” as cook, “Schmied” as smith, “Forster” as forester, “Zimmermann”
as carpenter, “Lehrer” as teacher, “Weber” as weaver, “Schneider” as taylor,

59
“Zuckermann” as confectionary man, “Fleischmann” as butcher, and
“Salzer” as saltman.

As many Jews were known by their spiritual, intellectual or moral char-

acteristics, the Commission took from time to time those characteristics
and changed them into family proper names.

Place names in German-speaking Austria:

Wiener from Vienna
Eisenstadter from Eisenstadt in Burgenland
Morpurgo or Marburger, from Marburg in Styria
Steiner from Stein near Diersburg area Mahlberg, Baden 1809
Stein or Katzenstein
Steinmann from the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809

Place names in Hungary:

Graner from Gran, today Esztergom in the county of Komarom on the
Danube
Gyori from the town of Gyor, in the county of Gyor-Sopron
Kaposi from the town of Kaposvar, county of Somogy
Kohn from the Carpathian mountains

Place names in Bohemia (1809):

Brandeis or Brandes from the Town of Brandeis on the Elbe river
Prager, place name in Baden, in Altdorf area Mahlberg
Dukes or Duk from “Duk” or “Duchowny” meaning = priest in Russian
Asch from Asch, today Ascher in Baden 1809. Name of Hebraic origin
Wessely from Wesely, today Veseli at the Luznicì river, South of Bohemia

VIENNA

The most trustworthy List of Jews living in the Austrian capital is definitely
Hugo Gold’s work compiled in 1938. Jewish people was expelled twice
from the city, in 1421 and in 1670. By the 18th century only a few Jewish
families were tolerated in Vienna and in the province of Lower Austria.

By 1846 in those areas 3739 Jews were counted, and only after 1850
the Austrian Jewry’s rate of growth bounded upwards owing to the waking

60
of emancipation movements. Thus, at the disintegration of the Austrian
Monarchy in 1920, the Jewish population had increased to about 200,000 –
reaching 9 % of the overall Vienna’s population – making it the second
 

largest community in Europe after Warsaw.

In 1938 with the occurrence of the Austrian Anschluss perpetrated by

Hitler, this large community – that in less than a century headed to the top
of European culture, economy and science – was destroyed by German and
Austrian Nazis.

List of Vienna of over than 500 Jewish Family Names:

Aberfeld Achtentuch Adler Akzin
Albeck Almagor Alter Altmann
Amir Angel Anisfeld Apfel
Apfelberg Apotowitzer Arnold Arnon
Ascher Austerlitz

Baar Babad Backer Balaban

Bamberger Bar-Dayan Bar-Hillel Baron-Salo
Barth Bato Bauer Baumgarten
Baumgardt Beauchamp Beck Becker
Bellak Beller Ben.Amittay Ben David
Ben.Dor Ben Nathan Ascher Bentsur Bergler
Bergner Berlstein Better Bibring
Bickels Bienenfeld Birnbaum Birnholz
Bishop Blau Bloch Blum
Bondi Boyko Böhmer Brach
Brainin Brandmann Braun Braver
Brenner Brod Bronner Bronstein
Brosch Brott (Weiss-) Brown Bruckner
Buchband Bulz

Carlebach Carner Charles Charnry

Cohen Chorin Cogan Copeland

Dafni Dauber Davidovic Davidsohn

Derech Deutsch Diesendruck Dinolt
Dische Dissentschik Dorian Doron
Dostrowski Dostrov.-Kopernic Drach Dreher
Drill

Ehrenpreis Ehrenreich Ehrlich Einhorn

61
Eisenscher Eisenstein Eisinger Eisner
Eitinger Elan Elias Eliasberg
Eliav (Lubotzky) Ekstein Ellenberg Ellenbogen
Engad Engel Epstein Eren
Eitinger Eylon

Fahn Fast Feigenbaum Feiler

Fein Feinmesser Feitelson Feldsberg
Feldmann Ferster Fessler Feuer
Feuersten Figdor Fischer Fischler
Fleischmann Fleischner Flesch Fliegel
Floch Fodor Franzblau Frederick
Freivogel Frank Frankl Frankel
Frankenthal Frankfurt Frankfurter Frei
Freilich Freud Frenkel Frey
Fried Friedmann Frisch Froeschels
Fuchs Furth Fryer-Sommer

Gabe Gabrieli Gamzu Geiger

Gelb Gelber Gelles Gerstenfeld
Gerstmann Geschuri Meir Gettes Gettinger
Geva Gladwin Glanz Glass
Gleich Glesinger Glückselig Giniewski
Goldmann Goldner Goldschmidt Goldschmiedt
Goldstein Golthamer Goranin Gottesmann
Gottlieb Götzlinger Grau Graubart
Grosner Gross Grossberger Grossinger
Gruder Grunwald Gutmann Guttmann
Guvrin Guy

Haas Habermann Hacohen Hahn

Hal(-ward) Hamburger Hanani Harel
Harnik Hauser Hayek Hecker
Heller Helman Herbst Hermann
Herzenberg Hesky Hift Hirsch
Hirschberg Hitschmann Hochstadt Hofert-Horani
Hoff Hoffmann Hohenstein Holzapfel
Honig Horowitz

Idelson

Jahoda Jammer Janowitz Jerusalem

Jokl(Jung) Justitz

Kahany Kahler Kaldeck Kalderon

62
Kamhi Kaminka Kaminski Kanev
Kanner Kantor Kapralik Karbach
Karliner Karp Karpat Kasvan
Katz Katzenellenbogen Kauders Kaufmann
Kaunitz Kay Kelman Kellner
Khuner Kimmel Kirschner Kissman
Klaber Klein Klemoerer Klinger
Klinghofer Klinghoffer Knecht Kobler
Koch Koestler Kolb Kollek
Kon Kornblüt Kor(e)n Kornfeld
Kornthal Kosak Kramer Kranz
Kraus(s) Krasso Krasner Krasny
Kreisel Krell Kriss Kubin
Kupferschmied Kurtz Kurzman Künstlinger
Kürer

Lachnaer Lackenbacher Laden Lahat

Lamberger Lambert Lamm Landau
Lande Landstone Lauer Lauterbach
Lehmann Lehr Leichter Leiner
Leinsdorf Lenz Lesser Levarie
Levi Lewin Lichtenstein Lieberman
Liebman Lighton Lindenbaum Lion
Litvin Livneh Liwni Liwschitz
Lob(-stein) LowZeev(-beer) Lowy Löwenthal
Lusthaus

Machlup Mahler Mahrer Malamat

Mandel Mantel Marcus Margulies
Maybaum Medak Mehlmann Meisels
Menczer Menschel Menzer Meretz
Merker Messer Mildwurf Milo
Mintzer Mokady Moldauer Moreno
Morgenstern Morini Moser Müller

Nacht Nadav Naor Nardi

Naschitz Neaman Nebenzahl Nettl
Neufeld Neumann Neuron Nussenbaum

Oberlander Öhler Offer Ohrbach

Oppenheimer Ormian

Pachner Padan Padon Paggy

Papanek Papo Peczenik Peller
Perek Perlstein Perschak Pfeffermann

63
Pick Piers Pines Pokorny
Pollak Popper Pordes Porges
Preminger Price

Radan Raif Rappaport Rath

Redlich Reich Reifler Reik
Reiner Reiniger Reiss Reizes
Ressler Rezek Rimalt Roemer
Rogawsli Rosen(-berg) Rosenmann(-stock)
Rosenthal Rosner Ross Rostal
Rothblum(-stein) Rudel Runes

Saarony Sachs Salzer Sandberg

Saphir Sascha Schaffer Schapira
Scharf Schattner Schaechter Shelton
Scherf Schick Schiller Schimel
Schimmerling Shimron Schirn Schlesinger
Schlichter Schnepp Schon Schonfeld
Schraga Schrecker Schreiber Schreier
Schuller Schwarz Schwarzkopf Schwefel
Schweig Schwenk Seiden Sela
Sgalitzer Shalit Sicher Silberner
Silberschlag Singer Singerman Sklar
Smetana Sohar Sokal Sokel
Sonnenfeld Sperling Spickler Spiegel
Spiegler Spira Spitz Spitze
Spitzer Starer Stearns Steckerl
Stein Steiner Stenby Stengel
Sternberg Stier Stockhammer Strauss
Steifler Strickler Sussmann Susz

Tal Talphir Tartakower Tauber

Teplitz Taussig Teich Teitier
Teller Teltscher Toch Tolches
Torzinger Touviahu Trachtenberg Trau
Troedl Tur-Sinai

Ucko Ullmann Ungar(er) Ungerfeld

Unterberg

Vermers Vogel

Wachatein Wachtel Wachtell Waechter

Wagschal Wald Waldinger Walter

64
Wang Weidenfeld Weiner Weinstein
Weinfeld Weinstock Weis Weiser
Weishut Weisl Weiss Weisz
Weissbrot Weitz Weitzenworf Wells
Wenkert Werner Werthammer White
Wiener Wilder Willner Winter
Wittlin Wittmann Wiznitzer Wodak
Wohlmann Wolkenberg Wotiz Wulkan
Wyler

Yaari Yachil Yaron

Zauderer Ziffer Zimmels Ziegermann

Zohn Zucker Zweig Zwierzynski

BURGENLAND

One of the oldest regions (Land) under the Hungarian administration from
1647 to 1920, and fief of the powerful family of the Princes – and magnates
– was Esterhazy. The Burgenland was divided after the referendum of 1920
between Austria – the hills – and Hungary – flat lands – with the city of
Sopron.

This area had an ancient and large Community of Jews – numbering

6000 in 1850 – grouped in seven country towns “Die Sieben Gemeinden”.
By the 16th century these seven communities were the last place of refuge
for the Jews fleeing Hungary after the Turks’ occupation from 1526 on.
The seven towns or Gemeinden are:

1. KISMARTON or EISENSTADT (Chief town)

2. NAGYMARTON or MATTERSDORF
3. NEMETKERESZTUR or DEUTSCHES KREUZ
4. LAKORNPAK or LACHENBACH
5. KABOLD or KOBERSDORF
6. BOLDOGASZONYFA or FRAUENKIRCHEN
7. KOPCSENY or KITTSEE

In the year 1984 the author N. Weiss consulted the Archives of Eisen-
stadt, – mainly the study of Josef Klampfer “The Eisenstadt Ghetto” pub-
lished in Eisenstadt in 1965 – and was able to put together the following
list of the 300 most common family names of Jews settled there from 1850

65
to 1938, date of the incorporation of Austria into the German Reich
by Hitler.

The most common family name there was WOLF (2%), family of well-
known wine traders and founders of the Jewish Museum (Landesmuseum)
of Eisenstadt.

List of Eisenstadt:
Aberbach Adler Arens(stein) Asch
Austerlitz

Bach Bader Ballich Barb

Barber Barg Barich Baru
Basch Basler Bauer Bayer
Bechinsky Beck Beermann Bencze
Benedikt Berger Bergermann Berényi
Berinske Berkovic Bernhard(t) Berstl
Bettelheim Biach Bienenfeld Biller
Binder Blau Blech Bloch
Blumenfeld Blumschein Bock Bodog
Bondi Bondy Boskowitz Böhm
Braun Braunsdorfer Breier Breuer
Breyer Brinstein Bruckner Brunner
Buchinger Buchwald Brüll Bunzlau
Bürgner Buxbaum

Chasan Cohen Csepregi

Daniel Danzig Deutsch Dietrichstein

Dragschitz Dunkl

Ebenspanger Eckstein Eder Edler

Egert Egyedi Ehrlich Eidlitz
Einhorn Eisenschitz Eisenstadt(er) Eisler
Elek Ellmann Engel Ernst

Fabian Farkas Fehér Feiertag

Feigelstock Feilbogen Feiner Felber
Feldbauer Feldmann Fellner Figdor
Fischer Flaschner Fleischmann Fleischner
Frank(l) Friedländer Friedmann Frischmann
Fuchs Fürst

66
Gabel Gabriel Geiger Gellis
Gerö Gerstl Glan(t)z Glas(n)er
Glauber Gold Goldberger Goldfinger
Goldschmied Goldstein Gomperz Graus
Greiner Grimm Gross Grossmann

Hack Hacker Hahn Halberstädter

Hammer Hecht Heimler Heiss
Heksch Hell(er) Herman(n) Herz(e)l
Hess Hirsch(el) Hirschenhauser Hirschl(er)
Hoffer Hoffmann Horvath Hübsch

Jano(v)witz Joachim Just

Kadburger Kalisch Kalmann Kardos

Karlburger Karman Karpel Karsenty
Katz Kaufmann Kerpel Kersenbaum
Kienzl Kittelmann Klaber Klapp
Klein Klopstock Kohlbach Kohlmann
Kohn Kolbach Kollmann Kopp(el)
Kopstein Kornfein Koth Kotsits
Kovàcs König Kramer Kraus
Kretsch Kugler Kutna

Lampel Lang Lauer Lazarus

Leeb Leitner Lev(w)i Liebermann
Löb(l) Löw(i) Löwinger Löwy
Luria Lustig

Machlup Mai(er) Mand(e)l Markus

Maut(h)ner May(e)r Mei(e)r Mi(t)zger
Modley Monath Moses Müller
Nagler Neufeld Neumann Nettl
Nussbaum

Österreicher

Perl Petö Pichler Pinter

Plaschkes Politzer Pollak Preiss

Reichnitzer Reich Reichsfeld Reiner

Reini(n)ger Reinprecht Reisner Riegler
Rosenbaum Rosenberg Rosenberger Rosenfeld

67
Salzer Schey Schiff(er) Schiller
Schleif(f)er Schlesinger Schnürmacher Scholtes
Schopper Schotten Schön Schönberger
Schwar(t)z Simon Sinai Singer
Spiegel Spitzer Stadler Steiner
Steinhar(d)t Steinhof Stern Schneider
Suschny(j) Szemere Stroh

Tachauer Taus(s)ig Tieger Tobias

Trebitsch Turner

Ullmann Ungar

Vàgò Varga Vogel

Walter Wärndorfer Wechsler Weiner

Weiss Wellisch Wentzel Werndorfer
Wilheim Windholz Wittmann Wolf

Zehngut Zerkoff Zimmermann

GALICIA

Here we will consider Galicia as a province of the Austrian Empire, in the

period from 1772 to 1920 (for the rest of Poland see Chapter VI).

Galicia, 80,000 km2 in the headland of the Carpathians, is divided into

two areas: West and East.

West Galicia is situated between the Polish plateau – in the North – and
the Carpathians – in the South – and presents a typical Mittel Europa land-
scape.

East Galicia belongs to the district of the river Dniester, which flows
through its fertile plateau.

Before the incoming massive migration of Jews, Galicia was inhabited

mainly by Germans, with a significant presence of Slaves ever since the
6th century.

The Carpathian heights, west of the San river, were annexed by Poland
in the year 1000.

68
 East, on the other side of the same San river, the region comprised
the Part-Principality of Halitsch (origin of the modern name of “Galicia”)
which expanded in the 12th century under the great Governor of Kiev
and the Wladimir (Lodomeria), parted after the fall of the Mongols in
1241.

The Roman Pope used to crown the sovereign of Halitsch or Galicia.

Since 1386 Halitsch has been annexed to the Crown of Poland.

At the time of the first partition of Poland, in 1772, East Galicia was
integrated into Austria. Later, with the third partition, in 1795, Austria an-
nexed the Western part as well.

After the Napoleonic turmoil, through the new order re-established by

the Vienna Congress in 1815, Austria got back the whole land of Galicia as
Crownland, only the townland of Cracow remained an independent Repub-
lic, from 1815 through 1846.

At the end of the Ist World War Galicia became part of the new Polish
state.

After the Soviet-German border agreement of 1941, East Galicia was

annexed by Ukraine. But as early as 1941/1944 the whole land of Galicia
was submitted to the General Governor of Poland, under German control.
In these times, the Germans were settled back into Germany, and the Jews
were deported and decimated by the Nazis.
List of some Galician Names

Geographical names or toponyms (common in Bohemia too).

Apter Yiddish form of the town of Opatow, North of Galicia.

Apte

Auspitz from Auspitz.

Berger Jews transformed the Hebraic Baruk in “Berger”.

Berg-mann

Blowitz from the town of Blowitz, in West Bohemia.

69
Brandeis from the German town Brandeis, existing also in Bohemia
Brande(s) since 1440 between German jews.
Brandys
Brandiss

Brod from the Polish Jewish centre and town of Brody, today in
Brode(t) Ukraine, with Austrian and Russian influences.
Brodsky

Brod Another town in Moravia, called in Russian and Polish “Ford”.

Dembitz from Debica, or (Dembitza).

Dolinsky from Dolinsky, in Galicia and Lithuania.

Eger(s) from Eger, a town and a river in West Bohemia, today Czekia.
Eiger

Eibenschütz from Eibenschütz, South Moravia (Czekia).

Hor(o)witz from the town of Horovice in Middle Bohemia, common since

Gurvich Gorwitz in the 15th century.
Urevich

Laskov from Laskowicze, in Galicia and White Russia.

Laskowitz

Oberländer Those who come from East Germany.

Potok from Potok Zloty, in Galicia.

Spitz from the Austrian town Spitz near Krems on the Danube.

Strizower from Strizov, (Galicia).

Trattner from Tratna, (Galicia).

Wank from Waukowa, (Galicia).

70
BUKOVINA

A region (10,000 km2) situated between the East Carpathians and the upper
river of Dniester, in 1775 it passed from the Ottoman Empire’s hegemony
to Austria.

An old Rumanian district, in the Middle Ages, land of the Moldavian

princes, by the end of 14th century Bukovina received its actual name, mean-
ing in German “Buchenland”, i. e., “Beech-country or Beechland”, confirmed
 

in 1774.

This centuries-old acknowledged cultural vocation is partly due to the

natural trend of its people in assimilating the Austro-German culture, and
blossomed in 1850 with the founding of the University of Czernowitz.

Since 1775 it has been a strategic region under Austrian rule, making
the junction between Austrian Galicia and Transylvania, then under Hun-
garian administration. The inhabitants – from Rumanian, Ruthenian, Ger-
man, German Jews, Hungarian and Polish origin – since then have inter-
married considerably.

By 1786 it was united with Galicia, whereas in 1849 it became an inde-

pendent Austrian Crownland.

The number of Jews increased in Bukovina after 1848, and by 1900

they numbered approximately 90,000.

In 1940 the northern part of the province was incorporated into the
USSR (today part of Ukraine), and the southern part was incorporated into
Rumania, resulting in the situation of the Jews declining: German and Ru-
manian soldiers proceeded to massacre the Jewish population, and from
1941 on the Jews were deported to the death camps.

In the Bukovina Jewish Names were of Austrian-Hungarian origin,

sometimes a translation from German into Hungarian, or deriving from a
Hungarian place name, or changed by assonance:

Wolf as Farkas, Schwarz as Fekete, Bader as Fürdö, Neuhaus as Ujhazi.

Kaposi (from Kaposvar), Körmendi (Körmend), Kanizsai (Nagy Kanizsa).
Bamberger as Vambéri, Kohn as Karpati/Kardos, Deutsch as Doményi.

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72
5. France

In the Roman Gaul, we hear of Jewish settlements for the first time around
the 4th century A. D., in Arles, Avignon, Bordeaux and Narbonne, where all
 

the ethnic groups were living peacefully together. This situation came to an
end with the advent of Christianity in the Roman Empire, reaching the entire
Gaul territory.

After the 5th century, the Barbarian invasion spread out all over the
Roman Empire. Under the new hegemony the Jewish situation developed
very favourably.

Under the Carolingians – 9th–10th century – Jews settled along the trade
routes of the South of France, and along the banks and the valleys of the
Rhone, Seine and Loire rivers.

In connection with the phenomenon of the Crusades, King (Saint)

Louis IX (1226–1270) was the first sovereign to persecute Jews. In 1242, a
Talmud was symbolically burnt in Paris.

In 1306 the whole Jewry was expelled from France and soon recalled
as early as 1315, to be definitely expelled from the country in 1394, except
for the groups living in Provence, Avignon and Dauphiny. As a result, Jew-
ish family names did not take root in France.

In the 14th century, Jews migrated to Alsace which was not in the French
territory at the time, and a large community established there.

In connection with the Reconquista and the expansion of the Spanish-

Habsburg Empire, many Jews fled from Spain, and from the heart of Eu-
rope, to France.

Against this background, a first trend towards hereditary family names

appeared as far back as 1539, whereas up to then Jews – as well as Chris-
tians – were satisfied with personal names taken from the Old Testament,
the Talmud or Rabbinical literature. The use of “surnames” happened to be
more common within the Jewish communities than elsewhere, especially
those which had a place name origin.

73
 We have examples of 18th century family names from Paris and
Languedoc which have their origins in southern France: Mousse de Dreues,
Salomon de Compiègne, Isaac de Sesanne, Salomon de Lunello, Jachob de
Aralate and David de Narbona.

With the beginning of the French Revolution (1789), the 50,000 Jews –
living in two different areas of France – expected freedom at last.

The 40,000 German (Yiddish) speaking Aschkenasim were living in

Alsace.

The 10,000 Judeo-Spanish-speaking Sephardim (half of them of Portu-

guese origin) moved to the South-West, settling down mainly in Bordeaux.

With the Act of 27 September 1791, citizenship and the right to reside
in France was given to all people already settled at that time on French
territory, including the Jews. For them this was the second emancipation in
Europe, the first having taken place under Emperor Joseph II of Austria in
1787, when the Jews were given the same rights as the Christians.

The first Austrian Act on surnames came into force in Alsace and Lor-
raine, as well as in Charleville and Besançon.

As a result, family names based on places from Languedoc in the South-

West of France flourished: Lunel (Jarchi), Melunel, Carcassonne, Bedarsi
(Beziers), Harai (Har-mountain), Montpellier, Narboni (Narbonne), Caspi
and Valabrègue.

In the Dauphiny – South-East of France – the name Ravel or Revel, is

found as well as Domène, Isère, Charleville, Besançon, Lattès, Cremieux
and Saint Paul Trois-Châteaux.

And, there were of course in the Comtat-Venaissin (Pope’s possessions)

and in its main city of Avignon, in Provence, some privileged Jewish fami-
lies who had been authorised by the Pope to find refuge between the Rhone
and the Durance, in the nowadays Department of “Bouches du Rhone”.
They had integrated into the local culture and traditions. The best known
names were: Arles, Bedaride, Cavaillon, Digne, Monteux, Roquemartin and
Tarascon. Exceptionally, some of these names were also to be found with
Christians.

74
 A few ghettos were established in Provence in the 16th century in the
area of the four communities of Venaissin: in Avignon, Carpentras, Cavaillon
and l’Isle-sur-Sorges.

By 1536, there was an influx of Marranos (christened Sephard Jews)

from Portugal to Southern France, who settled mainly in Bordeaux, Bayonne
and Toulouse. They had received letters of self-conduct from Emperor
Henry II (1547–1559). Some of the main family names at that time were:
Alvarez, Da Costa, Furtado, Lopez and Mendes.

The most significant Jewish community, relevant if compared to the

presence of non-Jews, was that of Avignon where the first attempt to estab-
lish a limited area for them, in France, goes back as far as Roman times,
around 90 A. D. Furthermore, we can point out that considering that the
 

Archbishop of Avignon had resided there until 1348, later, Pope Clemens
VI (1378–1394) bought in Avignon the Palace-Residence which became
the Popes’s residence for very many years and by 1797, after the Revolu-
tion, and during the peace of Tolentino, the Pope relinquished to Napoleon
his possessions, with the result that resident Jews were no longer under his
protection, and thus became French citizens under the Napoleonic Codes.

In the Library of the Museum of Carpentras, the site of the oldest syna-
gogue in France (the second oldest one in Europe), we find family names
under the heading “Les noms de famille”. The following names are the
most frequent there:

Abran Abram Alphandéry Astruc

Azariel Bafe Bazala Baze
de Basle Beaucaire Beziers Calman
Carcassonne Cavaillon-Cav. Cerf Clau
Cohen Cremieux Cremuy Digne
Ispir-Spire Espir-Spiza Largue Lattes
Lion Lyon Lisbonne Lunel
Maquet Meton Millaud Milhaud
Monteux Montel Montelis Montely
Montelix Mossé Mosi de Montfort

Judeo-French family names in Middle and Eastern Europe were: Dreifuss

(from Treves or Treviros), Trier (from Augusta Trevirorum) and Frank (mea-
ning “immigrant from France”, often known as Franzos). The “Walschen”
Jews (Welsch meaning “the stranger coming from the west”) came directly
from France and lived in the Vosges or in the Black Forest.

75
 From the region of Piemonte in Italy, we have Bedarida and from Savoie
come the names of Lattes, Latis, Cavaglione and Montel. Mantova in Italy
is the origin of the names Monton, Montoux or Mantoux. In Provence we
find rare names such as Cavaillon, Bédarride, Delpugel, Laroque and
Monteuy. Other names in Provence include Casph (from Caspi), Origan
from “Orange” or in Hebrew “Azoub” with d’Azoubi or de Zouvi.

The people from Provence liked to change their names. Cremieux turned
into Carmi; de Lunel into Yarki or Yark (from the Hebrew meaning); and
Carcassonne became Corcos, Karkos, Karcosse, Karcousse, Karkouz or
Karkoz. The “Carcassonne” had gone to Spain where they remained until
1492. And the Arabic name “Abdallah ben Ibrahim” always remained as it
was originally.

According to Mr. Roblin, the inhabitants of Béziers were called Bezis

or Bessis; those from Caylar were known as Castellaris in Latin, and Kaslar
in Hebrew, Kaslari in the Middle Ages.

In Narbonne we have the name Narboni. The Jewish presence here had
connections with Bagdad and Babylon and dates back to the year 473 A. D. 

In Perpignan we find the names Espir and Catalan.

Non-Jewish French names which go back to medieval times include: de

Langlois, de Lallemand, de Lombard, de Gallois, de Brabant and d’Aragon.

In the 10th century the following important names are noted: Jacob Tam,
Kahn, Lévy, Hadarschan and Raschi, Salomon ben Isaak (in Troyes since
1040).
When translating names into Hebrew, the suffix “i” is used to form the
adjective. This is also often done by translation from Latin or Romance.
Such names give an exotic impression:. Bedersi, Caslari, Carcassonni,
Narboni, Caspi, Ezobi, Yaari. The article “Ha” is used as a prefix as for
example Harari (of Montpellier).

In the 19th and 20th centuries, French names include Bergson, (Leon)
Blum, Bernhardt, Bokanowski, Bonanowski, Cerfberr, ben Chelbo,
Darmestetter, Derenbourg, ben David, Fould, Gondchaux, ben Gerson,
Halevi, Kaspi, Klotz, Lazare, Loeb, Machir, Juda ben Meir, Munk, Narboni,
Rachel, ben Samuel and Schwab.

76
6. Poland

The earliest historically confirmed news about the region, which today is
the State of Poland, dates back to the 10th century. At that time, and maybe
already two centuries earlier, Jews came to Poland from Ukraine, from the
Khazarian Empire – between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea – and from
the Byzantium Empire.

The emigration from Germany, especially from Franconia and the Rhine
area, and from Bohemia – which took place from the 11th century – influ-
enced the language and the people’s names.

The Jews brought along, to Poland, the German language of that time,
as well as the community organisation typical of the German ones. The
Yiddish language, still existing, was a combination of German dialect and
Hebrew words.

The Jews were engaged in this area in trade and in money business, the
trigger of the setting up of a local economy.

The oldest Jewish communities in Poland in the 13th and 14th centuries
were: Plozk, Kalisch, Krakau, Lemberg, Posnan and Sandomierz. Posnan
was an important place where Jewish names have their origin: Flatau (Flatow
in Polish), Kempner (Kempo in Polish, in some cases also from Kempen in
the Rhine area), Witkower or Witkowski (Witkow), Pinner (Pniewy), Graetz
(Grodinsk), Schoken (Shoki), Posner or Posener (Posnanski), Lissauer or
Lissa (Leszno), Gollantsch (Gollancz), Sammter and Birnbaum. The names
Konitz (Chosnice in Polish) and Tuchel or Tuchola (Tucholsky) came from
West Prussia.

For the many back and forth Jewish migrations occurring in Poland, the
Jewish names did not last long enough to take roots, except for the names
derived from places, and as a result there are no typical Polish names from
that time.

With the Reconquista in Spain, starting from 1492, a minority of

Sephardim – with a different approach to religion and Hebraic traditions –
migrate to Poland, where up to then the Jews were numbered only among

77
the Aschkenasim. Sephardim family names are for example: Esperanza,
Belmonte, Cordova and Abravanel.

Despite of continuous harassment of groups and individuals, what can

be called the Jewish Polish culture developed considerably from the 16th to
the 18th centuries.

A religious-mystic movement based on the cabbala and chassidism (from

Chassid = religious) developed beside a rich public literature.

The messianic movement of the pseudo-Messiah Sabbatai Zevi in Turk-

ish Smyrna, called the Sabbatian sect was founded in 1626 and was fol-
lowed by many eastern Jews, especially in Poland as far as the 18th century,
up to the French revolution.

At that time, the social order in Poland was very reactionary: great land-
owners reigned over millions of serfs. The Jews lived in between. The re-
stricted middle class hated the Jews. The Cossack and peasant revolt of
1648, led by Bogdan Chmielnicki, resulted in a succession of massacres of
Jewish communities in Ukraine and Eastern Poland. In 1658, having been
caught between warring Russians and Poles, 700 Jewish communities were
destroyed.

Because of the political partition of Poland in 1772–1795, many of the

Polish Jews, although living in the same area and because of previous par-
titions, were by that time under the protection of other nations. Those who
lived under the power of Prussia or Austria, remained in these main coun-
tries and partially moved to the border areas of the Empire: to Moldavia,
Hungary and Bulgaria.

Only in Russia they could not scatter around as elsewhere because the
Tsar permitted them to remain strictly in “the Jewish Pale of settlement”,
between Poland – White Russia – Ukraine, and this from 1772 to about
1900.

The splitting of Poland enabled Catherine II of Russia to incorporate

the largest part of the Eastern Slavic orthodox population in Podolia,
Volhynia, White Ruthenia as well as the Dukedom of Courland, where some
Jewish communities had settled.

78
 At the end of the 18th century Jews were again persecuted in Poland and
had to escape partly back to Germany or Austria.

As a result of those many partitions, for the Polish Jews, we can speak
of “motionless emigration” when, for example, Galicia went to Austria
and Posnan to Prussia.

The frequently German sounding names of Polish Jews is because of

the changing allocation of Polish provinces to Prussia and Austria. There
were often imposed German names to Jews (cfr. the Prussian naming Act
dated 11 March 1812 and Chapter 4 on Austria). The Aschkenasim were
most willing to accept these changing names. This explains the frequently
preferred German names in the Aschkenasism in Germany, Alsace, Po-
land, Austria and Russia. On the contrary, the Sephardim were more linked
to their original names.

The following names originating from the Polish part were taken over
in Russia: Russ/Russo/Rousseau (Russia), Ukrainczik (Ukraine), Litwak
(Lithuania), Pollask/ Pollatschek/ Pohl, Menuhim (Menachem), Heifetz,
Tobalsky (Tobolsk), Dubno(w) = oak, Sloninsky (Slon = elephant).

Prof. L. Glesinger mentions the following local names: Alkus, Dan ziger,
Dobrin, Dubowsky, Janower, Kalisch, Kolisch, Lasker, Lubliner, Mazur,
Pianko, Pinsker, Pinsky, Ribalow, Ridker, Schmukler, Szmurklerz, Tarno-
grod, Wallack, Wallach, Wloch, Warschauer, Warszawski, Wilner, Zamosc
and Zeleznikov.

79
Geographic names (place names)

Begar, sun of rabbi, when it is a Sephard name, then it originates from the word
“sea-behar” in Arabic.
Bernick from the town Berniki.
Blashki from Blaszki.
Bloch originates from Vlach or Veloch (the foreigner), was Germanised to “Bloch”.
Bromberg today Bydgoszcz.
Brostoff from Brzostowica.
Burstein from Bursztyn.
Calisch or Kalisck or Kalisz, from Chomsky/Chomsk near Pinsk.
Cornfeld or Kornfeld.
Dissen or Dzisna, from Dubow (Eichenwald).
Gravier from Grajewo.
Kaluzna from Kaluszyn, Kolodny from Kolodno, Kossowsky from Kossow.
Kovarsly from .Kowarsk, Kutner f. Kutno, Kutoff f. Kuty, Kwileski from Kwilez.
Lagover f. Lagov, Lenoff f. Leniew, Lowitz from Lowicz, and Lysagora (Berggipfel).
Malevo from Malevsky, Manishen from Maniusin, Mankovsky from Mankowsze.
Mazur from Mazowsze, Melnick from Mielnik, Mellitz from Mielec.
Metchik from Mieczyk, Mosak from Mozak.
Naymark from Naymark.
Ostrow in Poland and later in Russia, Ozarovsky from Ozarov.
Pelovsky from Pilawa, Pianko from Pianki, Pilch from Pilica, Pinchofsky from
Pinchovsky
Piser from Peisern, Pollok means native of Poland.
Radzik from Radziki, Ratner from Ratno, Ridker from Rutka.
Rothenberg from the town of, Rovner from Rowin.
Samter from Szamortuly, Sarna from Sarna, Savitzky from Sawicze.
Schwartzberg is in Poland, Silberberg in Silesia and Poland, Sladovsky is a town.
Sloninsky from Slonin (Slon also elephant), Steiner from Kamien.
Tartakover from Tartak, Tichtin from Tykocin.
Turbin from Turbin, Turowitz from Turowicze.
Warte from Wartele.
Zaretsky from Zaretky.

80
Trade and occupational names in Poland

Bedwinek as itinerant or agent.

Bukzpan Buxbaum, as wood worker or carver.
Bulka The baker who makes small rolls.

Cherniak “The black fish”.

Dekovnik A person who makes thatched roofs.

Dratwa Wire string for shoes and boots.

Emale From “Emalja”, a dealer of enamel ware.

Forman Furmann too, a carter.

Galinsky A dealer of the best quality of wheat.

Garber/Gerber Is a tanner in Yiddish, Garbonsky too.
Gutmacher Is a hatter.

Imber A ginger dealer.

Kotlar From “Kotlary”, the copper kitchen ware.

Kovarsky A smith or a metal worker.
Kra(e)tchmer An inn owner in Poland = “kretchme”. Krachmann too.
Kushner A furrier.

Ligorner From Lugarniarz, a bleacher of cotton.

Lopata/Lopatnik A shovel worker. Lopatov too.

Meltz (er) Form Mielcarc, and Malz is the owner and the name of a
brewer.

Naparstek Is a thimble.

Patinkin From “Patinka”, ladies slipper or shoemaker.

Prochownik Powder maker or pharmacist.

Reifmann From”Reifen”, as Raif or wine cellar man.

Robalow A fish dealer.
Rubenchick A cabinet maker or carpenter.

Schrift A type-setter.

81
Shandalov “Shandal” is the son of the shingler.
Sklar A glass maker.
Skora Someone working with “leather”.

Tabachnik A salesman of snuff.

Talesnich From “talisnich”, a manufacturer of prayer-book.
Targownik Is a dealer.
Taxin/Taksen Is a tax-collector.
Toporek Is a hatchet (for workers).
Tygel Is a melting pot.

Vigoda/Wigodar From “Wigoda”= tavern or inn-keeper. Wigodney too.

Winokur A distiller of brandy.

Zeleznikov An iron dealer.

Zupnick A government official responsible for salt-works.

82
7. Russia

In very early times Jews migrated to Russia, probably from Byzantium and
Crimea. There is evidence of this migration – 8th century – to the district of
Kiev, well-known to have been a centre of trade from the early days. Al-
though the Russian Orthodox Church was opposed to the Jews, the king
gave them financial support as trade people.

Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1533–1584) hated them and caused those who
refused to convert to Christianity to be drowned in the Duna river. In the
second half of the 16th century, there were hardly any Jews living in Mos-
cow and Russia. They did not return until the 17th century.

Most of the Tsars placed restrictions on the Jews. Peter the Great (1682–
1725), although acknowledged for his tolerance, would not give Jews the
right to settle in Russia. But some baptised Jews, however, found favour
with him. Jews were generally prohibited from entering the establishment,
however, despite mixed fortunes, they were more or less tolerated. Their
situation improved under Catherine II (1762–1796), yet they were still sub-
ject to pogrom = from Russian “devastation”, caused by Cossaks and other
plunderers.

At the end of the 18th century more than a million Jews came to Russia
in the wake of the partition of Poland (by Russia, Austria and Prussia).
Russia thus had the largest Jewish population in the East. New laws re-
stricted retail businesses, but some Jews were allowed to deal as real estate
landowners, farmers and distillers. Under Catherine II, a barrier was cre-
ated between the Jewish people and Russian citizens. Jews were not al-
lowed to travel, and they were restricted to live in “the Jewish Pale of set-
tlement” an area between Poland–White Russia–Ukraine. However, the situ-
ation gradually improved by the end of her reign.

Tsar Alexander I (1801–1825) introduced a liberal attitude when he

came to power. He founded universities and sought reforms in government,
proposing a modern constitution and rules of conduct. By 1804, a “Jewish
Statute” was enacted. This divided the Jewish people into three categories:
farm workers or peasants, manufacturers or producers, and retailers. As a
result of this, Jews were given for the first time in Russian history a new

83
status, that of “Jewish peasants”. They were promised much land in the
South East of Russia.

Living and developing in the Russian Empire remained a difficult, every-

day task for Jews. The above-mentioned partition of Poland (1772–93–95)
brought a large Jewish minority’s settlements – and their peoples move-
ments – under the Tsar’s strictest control.

Joseph II of Austria endeavoured to make favourable reforms but was

blocked both by the local church and the politicians. The gradual change in
their emancipation status exacted a high price on the whole Jewry as a
majority of them wanted to retain their orthodox and Chassidic traditions.
Their children were compelled to attend local schools and to learn Russian
although they had little in common with the Russian people.

With their evolving emancipation in the period 1804–1845 came the

acceptance of family names. According to Prof. L. Glesinger, the first ones
were often derived from place names: Sklower (from Sklov), Kowner
(Kowno, today Kaunas in Lithuania), Berdicewsky (Berdicev in Ukraine),
Zitomirsky (Zitomir), Nemirowsky (Nemirov), Smolenskin (Smolensk) and
Peterburgsky (St. Petersburg).

Tsar Nicolas I (1825–1855) pursued a strong Russification of his poli-

tics. After his death, important reforms were granted to Jews. At that time
some Jewish poets were well-known, such as Lejb Levanda (in “Schwere
Zeit” of 1872), and Gregor Bogrov (in “The memories of a Jew” of 1880).

The most common family names at that time were: Russ, Russo,
Rousseau, Ukrainczik (from Ukraine), Pollak, Pollatschek, Pohl (Poland),
Litwak (Lithuania), Menuhin (from Hebrew = Menachem), Heifez (place
name from Haifa), Tobalsky (Tobolsk), Dubno or Dubnow (oak), Sloninsky
(Slonin or elephant in Polish).

The October Revolution of 1917 did not bring about any change on
Jewish family names. The Soviet Union tried early to stop the emigration
of Jews from the former Russia, but they did not succeed.

84
Russian Family Place Names

Balta (1791) Bellow Belovsky Bitensky (Biten)

Batnik Bobroff Bolotin (Blotno) Borowsky (wood)
Bortnik Dissen Dubow Dvorez
Geller (Halle) Ginsburg Grodno Kitay (Gorod)
Kobrin (a town) Konotopsky Kossowsky Kozin
Krichevsky Lapine Linetsky Luban
Malev Manewitz Mazur Minkovsky
Minowitz Mirsky Mirvis Moskovitz
Ochakoff Ostrov Pinsk(y) Plisken
Pruzansky Rakusin Rockoff Satanov
Shereshefsky Sarotzin Shlensky (Szlazak) Slutzky
Sokolow Soloveitsch Tscherikover Tschudnow
Verbin Yampol Zaslavsky

Russian Names of Personal Characteristics

Bogati as “rich”.
Borodaly as “beard man”.
Pervin as “first born”.
Primak as “son in law”.
Pritikin as “neighbour”.
Sirota as “poor man”.
Soroka as “chatterer”.

Russian Trade and Occupational Names

Duchovny as a clergyman.

Gittelmacher as a tailor of jacket or smock.

Gubermann as an oat dealer.

Kabakoff as an inn keeper.

Kolatch is a white bread for Jewish feasts.
Kotelchick as a boiler maker.
Krensky as a bleacher, or from Krems in Austria.
Kushner as a furrier.

Lichtermann as man of the Sabbath lights in Austria and Russia.

M(o)lotok as a producer of hammers.

Muchnik as a producer of flour.

85
Papernick (Papirnyi) as a master of paper.
Pasternack as chive.
Plotkin (or Plotke-a) as silver scaled fish.
Plotnick as a wood worker.
Portnoy as a tailor.
Potashnik as a producer of potassium.

Reiter as a horseman.

Sapoznik as a shoemaker.
Schupack as a fish dealer.
Senelnick as dyer of natural colours.
Shaffran is a vegetable.
Sholk as a silk or silk dealer.
Solodar as a goldsmith.
Spector as an inspector or school supervisor.
Spivak as a singer.
Sukenik as a dealer of cloths.

Talmach as a Tolmach, interpreter.

Winnick as a distiller.

Zitnik as a corn dealer.

White Russian Geographical Names

Bragin Karelitz Laskov Malech

Melezin Nevler Pevsner (Posen) Shatzky
Sivitz Slepin Stolper Turoff

Ukrainian Geographical Names

Badanes Bar Barr Chabin

Chabner Chubin Chubinsky Dreebin
Kisselevitch Kleban Krulewitz Lubar
Malin Mankovsky Pekarsky Rosow
Somonsky Stawitsky

Lithuanian Names

Altschul (er) from the old Synagogue in Prague, common in Poland and
Russia.

86
Amdur from Amdursky, place name by Indura Grodno in Lithuania.
Andrussier from Andruszowce.
Anixt (er) from Aniktzty.

Batwinnik diminutive for someone who comes from Lithuania.

Dolinsky from Dolina, in Lithuania and Galicia.
Dubin from Dubina, region of an oak wood.
Dvoretz from Grodno, region of a forest.

Kolodkin from Kolodky.

Koslowski from Kolowo.

Lome from Lome.

Litwack someone who comes from Lithuania.

Manowsky from Mankowce, in Poland, Lithuania and Russia.

Melnik from Mielnik, part in Poland and Lithuania.
Meslansky from Meslany.
Meslin or Maslin from Meslany.
Mytow(v)sky from Myto.

Neviaser short form of Poneviaser from Ponevias.

Poneviaser from Ponevias.

Pikelny from Pikeln, Province Kovno, Lithuania.

Rogov from the place name Rogovo.

Rogovo
Rogow
Rogoff
Rogovsky
Rogover

Salant(er) from the place name Salanty, by Kovno.

Salander
Sallender
Snitke from Sznitki.
Skudin from Skudy.
Skier from Skiery.
Smilasky from Smilanka.
Smorgansky from Smorgan.
Svirsky from Svir, near Kovno.

Trok from Troki.

Zager from Zagory.

87
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88
8. Portugal

Jews had already settled here, when in 1143 the Portuguese independent
State was formed from a province of Castille under the rule of the Burgundian
Dukedom. The Jewish communities could not compete in numbers and
significance with the Spanish Jews. Their economic and social proportions
were however nearly the same.

In the Middle Ages Jews in Portugal were more strictly organised un-
der State supervision. A Great Rabbi, called “rabbi mor”, was on the high-
est administration board and representative of Jewry in relation to the gov-
ernment. He bore the seal of arms of Portugal and released instructions in
the name of the King. He had to control all the country’s communities. Till
the beginning of the 13th century, Portuguese law guaranteed the Jewish
people the same legal equality as the Spanish town code. But in the follow-
ing centuries the Clergy battled with the Portugal cities, against the fact
that Jews were favoured by the Crown.

Under the rule of Alfonso IV (1325–1357) the Church influence devel-

oped. They managed to forbid Jews from lending money, to exact heavy
taxes on their fortunes, to prevent the richest of them from emigrating; and
finally ordered Jews to bear a distinct mark of recognition (a star, etc.).

In the years 1385–1433 the new King Joao I took the Jews under His
protection, avoiding the explosion of intolerance in his country as it actu-
ally had just happened in neighbouring Spain, and thus favoured the immi-
gration of the fleeing Jews from there. Those who had been forcibly been
baptised – later called Marranos – as soon as they got to Portugal were
allowed to regain their religion. Ever since that time the Jewish culture in
Portugal has gained significance for the entire Jewish culture.

The well-known family Abravanel in Lisbon, who had – as other Jew-

ish trades-men in town – good lively business connections with Italy and
the Flanders, co-operated with the Portuguese public administration in man-
aging the State revenue.

In spite of the lively expressed aversion of His people and despite the
agitation of the Clergy, King Joao II (1481–1496) opened also opened his

89
boarders to the fugitive Marranos, the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492.
They attained residence there for eight months. Later, because of such aver-
sion, the King offered the emigrants a complete boat at their disposal to sail
to more hospitable countries.

King Joao II practised an unsteady policy towards the Jewry. He issued

the 4th December 1496 Decree ordering all Jews to leave the country before
October 1497, but on the other hand – despite dissuasive advice from His
counsellors – he obliged those who did not want to leave to baptise their
children, many accepted this abuse of power and believed in a better future.

The Marranos

Those Jews who were baptised by force were called Marranos in Spain and
Portugal, but they remained faithful to their religious tradition. Both Spanish
and Portuguese Catholic Churches were very busy effecting as many
conversions from the 15th century on, with all the related difficulties of
integrating such a consistent group.

Many Marranos emigrated overseas, or to other countries, such as the

Ottoman Empire, where the return to Judaism was not considered a set-
back. Even today some Jewish groups in Spain observe specific rites, prov-
ing their origin of Marranos.

Some specific Portuguese family Names:

(Jewish names in Spain and Portugal are often the same.)

Abravanel Acosta Aguilar Albo

Alcalay Alvalensi Azarja ben Mose Rossi
Cardozo Castro Cordovero Croce
Espinoza Figuera Gerondi Henriques
Medina Montalbo Najara Nunes
Paloma Pardo Sanches Toledano
Trera Vaz

90
9. United Kingdom and U.S.A.

United Kingdom

If we think about the Jews of England, Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of

Venice” and “The Jew of Malta” come straight to our minds, but why should
a Jew be such a cruel character?

At the time of Shakespeare – in the 17th century – there were practically

no Jews in the whole of England. They had been expelled from England in
1290 and got official permission to return only in the year 1650. In the
meantime there were only small communities in hiding, and meeting Jews
was virtually impossible. As a consequence of the centuries-old battling
with the Mediterranean neighbours – including the Crusades – such a dis-
torted picture of Jews, Turks and Arabs took root in Europe.

The influence of the Marranos – coming from the Iberian peninsula – in

the English community was very strong and went on expanding.

When firstly Antonio Fernandez Carvajal arrived in 1635 in London,

he returned officially to his Hebraic faith. He was by all means a “Court
Jew”, having business connections with India, West Indies, Brasil, Middle
East and the main European trade centres. Furthermore the Portuguese
Ambassador in London, Antonio de Suza, was using the Catholic chapel
annexed to the embassy as a meeting place for the Marranos of the capital.

By 1656 the new London Synagogue was opened in Creechurch Lane

in the City of London. It is still today the oldest historical marvel of English
Judaism.

During the 18th century the most important Jewish families accepted
being baptized, in exchange for their acceptance in English high society.
These top families were the D’Israeli, Basevi, Ricardo, Bernal, Lopes and
Ximenes.

At the same time Benjamin Mendes da Costa (1704–1764) founded a

committee, the “Board of Deputies” for the defence of Jewish rights.

91
 Other families as the Rothschild, the Montefiore and the Goldsmith
stuck to Jewish traditions, but fought resolutely for the emancipation of the
entire English Jewry. As a result of the “new times” with a decision by his
member of Parliament, finally Sir Nathan Mayer de Rothschild received –
as Lord Rothschild – a place in Parliament.

The Marranos community had another Synagogue in Creechurch Lane,

where they celebrated the divine Service with the first Rabbi Moses Athias,
a cousin of Carvajal. The Bevis Marks Synagogue was built in the year
1701, still today the oldest Jewish centre of the Sephardim community with
the best influence for Judaism.

The Aschkenazim did not benefit from an agreement, they built how-
ever several synagogues in the year 1722. The Asckenazim Rabbis were of
German culture and education.

When Rabbi Twele Schiff died in 1792, Solomon Herschell succeeded

him in the years 1762–1842, followed by Nathan Marcus Adler of Hannover
(1803–1890). Adler promoted a religious conservatism of English Judaism.
At that time the most outstanding Jews in England were: Dr. Joseph Hertz
Chief Rabbi of the British Empire in 1913, Raphael Mendola and Benjamin
Artom from Italy.

We do not find antisemitic reactions in England, furthermore Sir Moses

Montefiore – who played a great role within the community – and Sir Solo-
mon were, even before Lord Rothschild, an outstanding voice in promoting
the civil rights of English Jews.

The most important family names in the U.K. were: Trade and Indus-
try: Sassoons, Viscount Bearsted and Sir Alfred Mond; Legal Sciences:
Marquis Reading, Sir G. Jessel, Sir Israel Gollancz and Sir Sidney Lee;
Printing and press: J. M. Levy (Founder of the Daily Telegraph), Lucien
 

Wolf and Sir Sidney Low; Finance and political sciences: Rothschilds,
Montagus, Worms, Steirs and Speyers.

Since the First World War, the social development of Jewish communi-
ties is recognised by Welfare and Anglicisation. The influence of Michel
Friedlaender and A. Buechler as the rectors of the Jewish college was a
great improvement.

92
 The development of Jewish family names in the U.K. is due to the rule
of King George I (1714–1727), the German speaking Emperor (from
Hannover).

The other two famous Jewish names in the U.K. were: the musician and
astronomer Sir William Herschel, who discovered the planet Uranium in
1781, and Benjamin Disraeli one of the outstanding Prime Ministers of
Queen Victoria.

Most common Jewish Names in United Kingdom are:

Adler Artom Athias Basevi

Bernal Bearsted D’Israeli Goldsmith
Gollancz Herschell Jessel Lee
Lewis Levy Lopes Low
Meldola Mendes da Costa Meyer de Roth. Mond
Montefiore Raymond Reading Ricardo
Rothschild Sasson Schiff Simon
Speyer Steir Worms Ximenes
Zangwill

93
United States of America

Many people of the most varied origins got protection from distress in the
“new continent” of America. It also gave shelter to an impressive number
of persecuted and poor Jews. They were guaranteed a position under the
American constitution, although their emancipation process had been rat-
her slow.

In the year 1664 the Jewish people did not have in the U.S. the same
religious liberty as the Christians had. The Jews’ position changed slowly
with the American revolution of 1776 and the parting of the new United
States from English rule.

The new spirit was now Puritanism. This meant a strong connection to
the Old Testament. Free American colonies had become in the new era an
“American Israel of Gods”: State and Religion should be united under one
Theocracy; however, the independent and modern interpretation of the U.S.
constitution was total separation between State and Religion.

Consequently all religions were considered at the same level, and fa-
vouritism to the local Church or prejudices against Jews were forbidden. It
improved strongly the Jews’ social position, it helped develop integration
by self-esteem.

Many French Jews immigrated to America during the Napoleonic times.

But the culminating point was the immigration from all over Europe in the
years 1900–1914, where a huge wave of 1.4 million Jews reached the Ameri-
can coast.

In the main U.S. cities there were over 100,000 Jewish citizens: 225,000
in Chicago, 100,000 in Cleveland and 200,000 in Philadelphia. But Jews
preferred to stay in New York where in 1924 they numbered 1.7 million,
and generally on the East Coast. Later in the West big cities were created
and new opportunities were offered to Jewish migration.

Economic emancipation and progress for these immigrants developed

slower than expected. The German Jews started there as peddlers or retail-
ers, and then as owners of Jewish shopping centres: Strauss, Altman, Gimbel,
Stern and Bloomingdale.

94
 In the banking business the important groups were: the Kuhn, Loeb,
Saligman and Speyer. They were leaders in the metal and mining industry.
With the arrival of Russian and Polish Jews – from 1880 on – their influ-
ence in the fur and clothing branch improved considerably. Very soon they
took the leadership in the Press.

After the census of 1989, the American Diaspora or Jewish population

reached 5,900,000: 2.5% of the U.S. population, with a peak of 10% in the
State of New York.

Translation, Alteration and Transformation of Jewish

American Names:

There is no new Jewish name in America – because on their arrival in

America, most immigrants had already a family name – but many naming
or nomenclature of different kinds.

Most of the Jewish U.S. population today was born in America: they
are 100 percent Americans. The Jewish families had translated their names
into English, it is therefore hard to recognise some time their name of ori-
gin. They got deformed by transcription of various European languages:
Russian, Polish, German, Rumanian, Hebrew or Galician. The alteration
and transformation of so many Jewish names are impressive.

Benzion Kaganoff, the author of a Name book, was surprised that only
few Jews were informed about History at large and especially the origin of
their own family name.

Some examples:
Baker Was originally Becker.
Butcher Was Fleischer.
Brewer Was Breuer.
Weaver Was Weber.
Painter Was Farber.
Leather Was Leder.
Thimble Was Fingerhut.
Needle Was Nadel.
Shears Was Schere.

95
Total (or Partial) Translation:
Braun Into Brown
Freund Into Friend
Bischofswerder Into Bishop
Hausschild Into House
Wertheimer Into Worth
Steinberg Into Stone.

Shortened Name Forms:

By Acopoce (the cutting of the last syllable or letters)
Argowitz Into Argo
Bodenheimer Into Boden
Kamienski Into Cummins
Goldfinger Into Gold.

By Aphaeresis (the cutting of the first syllable or letters)

Dingfelder Into Felder
Eisenkraemer Into Kramer
Juliusburger Into Burger
Nathansen Into Hansen
Nathanson Into Son.

By Syncope (the cutting of the middle syllable or letters)

Anfanger Into Anger
Harburger Into Harber
Herzberg Into Herber.

American Typical Forms:

Pniower Into Power
Plaut Into Plant
Aufricht Into Austin
Epstein Into Eden
Podzaboradsky Into Potter
Weichselbaum Into Wallace
Buttermilch Into Burlay

Nicknames or Christian names as Surnames:

Lutz Rosenthal Into Lutz
Gerhard Cohn Into Gerard
Ingeborg Katz Into Inge Borg.

96
Different Forms:
Schwarzkopf Into White
Fritz Josephsthal Into Joseph Thal
Cohn Into Hahn
Lemberg Into Bing.

97
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98
10. Israel

It is remarkable, probably unique in modern history, as in only twenty years

from the foundation of Israel, on the 14 May 1948 to the end of the Sixties,
a mass of immigrants could be integrated into a State. In two decades, three
million Jews, of different geographical and social origins, became integrated
in a little band of land in the Middle East.

Obviously, such a kind of integration has had dramatic repercussions in

the development of family names in the area.

On the one hand we find names coming from all over Europe and Asia,
on the other hand a considerable effort is put forward to unifying the name-
giving.

We can observe a double process of formation in the family names of

Israel:

Alterations from biblical Hebrew Names are:

Abraham Into Abram, Brahm, Braun and Bramm.
Benjamin Into Bohn, Bonem, Binnin and Benoni.
Hayim Into Haim, Heim, Heimer and Heimler.
Jacob Into Kaplan, Kappel, Koppelmann, Kuwie and Kubin.
Isaac Into Eisig, Eisack, Essig, Itzig, Sack and Sacks.
Israel Into Isserles, Isler, Schrulmann.
Levi Into Lewin, Lehmann, Liebmann and Loeb.
Manasse Into Mannes, Monash and Mann.
Menachem Into Mendel, Mandel, Menkes, Magnin and Munk.
Mordechai Into Model, Mottel, Marcus amd Marz.
Moses Into Maisel, Mosse, Moos, Moscheles and Mosin.
Salomon Into Salom, Salmon and Salinger.
Zacharias Into Sacher, Sacharow and Sacks.

Change of European into Hebrew Names:

The immigrants brought along their original, national (German, Russian,

Polish, etc.) names. After the Second World War the Israeli Jews turn their
names into Hebrew. Some examples: David Green to David Ben Gurion,

99
Slomo Salzmann Rubasow to Sazar (Shazar), Jizchak Simsi to Jizchak Ben
Zwi, and Golda Meyerson to Golda Meir (former Prime Minister).

Other Hebrew names in substitution of German are: Melamed, Menu-

chin, Meworach, Mazliach, Maschiach, Baruch, Gaon, Nachmias, Rokeach,
Anaw, Farchi, Kamchi, Kohen, Levi, Elijahu and Salom.

Names borne from Russian, Polish and German immigrants were the
following: Milhofer, Kormos, Karplus, Hertz, Meir, Sultan, Seskin and
Halperin.

Curious changes of sense were made from German speaking Jews, who
were obliged after the Names Edict of 1781 by Joseph II of Austria, to carry
hateful names. They improved in the opposite sense their names in Ger-
man: Alter (Old) for Jung (Young), Unglück for Glück (Luck), Luegner for
Wahrheit (Truth), Schlechter for Turi (Good), or Traurig for Alyagon (Care-
free).

Trade and Occupational Names in Israel:

Bufmann From “badchan”, a talk man in Jewish weddings.

Chait A tailor from the Hebrew “hajjàt”.

Chalef A knife, used by the butcher.

Geffen (Gopen) As wine, Gopen is the vine.

Katzoff From Hebrew “qassab”, a butcher.

Katziff
Kaciff
Kacev
Kazan Is Cantor from the Hebrew “hazzan”, servant in the Synagogue.
Krochmal Is a starch dealer.

Mashbir Joseph in the Bible was called the “supplier”, from “Hamash-
bir”. It is the name for corn, or wheat dealer.

Shammes From Hebrew “sammas”, is a gravedigger or sacristan.

Soref Is a goldsmith, from the Hebrew “srp” (metal).

Tabachin Is a cook or a butcher from Hebrew “Hara Beyoter”

100
Hebraic Names in Israel:

Chabas Chasan Baruk sofer, means “son in law of Baruk the writer”
Charness From “charna” = dark or black in Slavic, or instead of Chasan
reb Natan sofer, the son-in-law of the Rabbi.
Charrik Chasan reb Yosef Kalmann, son-in-law of Reb Yosef Kalman.
Charry Chasan reb Yosef, son-in-law of Reb Yosef.

Imaginary Names in Israel:

Boruchschomer First word in the prayer-book at the morning prayer.

Chodosch (Hebrew) they bore this name to be again a new man.

Neumann
Newman
Novik

Kosches In Hebrew “keschet”, meaning the zodiacal sign of “Sagitta-

rius”. This zodiac sign is called “mazal” the word for luck.

Meersand In the Genesis, they said to Jacob, that his numerous progeny
Will be like sand on sea.

Milgram Symbol of life and production, in Yiddish is “milgrom”.

Prochownik The big Abraham Prochownik was king of Poland. The word
means powder maker or chemist.

Sameth Sammet for someone with the name Schimon or Simon. The
expression “siman tov” = sign of luck is represented by three
letters which were used in the term Sameth = SMT.

Twersky Menachem Nachun von Chernobyl died 1798, was the founder
of an important dynasty of Chassidism. He bore Twersky as
his family name. There is a name place in Russia, named Tver,
and someone could come from there.

Yischtabach Place name in the district of Siddur, used by many Ukrainian

families.

101
Shortened Forms in Israel:

Avrech Shout of the “forerunner” Joseph in the Genesis.

Averik
Afrik

Barbakoff Shortened form of “ben reb Baruk kohen”, son of the priest
Baruk.
Bardach Ben reb David harif, son of David of the “thinkers”.
Baru Ben reb Wolff, son of the Wolff.
Behar Ben Harav, son of the Rabbis.

102
Morphology

The structure of individual Names

1. Some examples of Jewish family Names

The Jewish family name Aschkenasi in the Middle Ages changed to the
name “Aschkenas = Germany “because of their settlement. As long as Zewi
Aschkenasi (1656–1718), son of Jacob Aschkenasi, was the Rabbi of Alto-
na (Hamburg), he bore that family name. Later he took up the same post in
Amsterdam, where he called himself “CHACAM”, as title of Rabbi in the
Dutch Community of Sephardim.

His son bore the name Jacob Aschkenasi, and also Jacob Emden, or
Jacob Emden Aschkenasi, also Jacob Ben Zewi or shortened to Jabez. Fi-
nally he was called Jacob Hirschel (where Ben Zewi means = son of Hirsch,
= hart or little hart changing in “Hirschel”. Moreover he also added the
name “Israel”.

The family name Katzenellenbogen is of great interest. The name origi-

nates from the dukedom of Hesse and from the place name of Katzeneln-
bogen. The very old colony Katzenelnbogen was a settlement of the Katten,
a Germanic people, probably the ancestors of the inhabitants of Hesse.

During the Roman occupation that settlement was called “Cattime-

libocus” (Melibocus of the Katten). Later the name Cattimelibocus was
changed into Katzenelnbogen.

Meir Katzenellenbogen was then a derivation. He was Rabbi of Padua

in Italy and died in 1565, and was intensely honoured during the entire 15th
century.

His descendants used many different names, as Katzenellenbogensohn.

After simplifying that family name with 20 letters, the name presented the
following forms: Katzenelson, or Katznelson, or the more shortened Nel-
son. Other imaginative possibilities were: Bogensohn, Elbogen and Ellen-
gogen. In Italy they created the new form of “Boghen”. See more in the
general List at the end of this work in the initial K.

103
 The family name Dreyfus (Dreifuss) is derived from a well-known
French Jewish family, and came from the German town (as place name) of
Trier = in English Treves. Another opinion of its origin is reported by the
famous Jewish historian Heinrich Gratz (1817–1891), in his “History of
Jews”, and also supported by N. Brulls, that the family names Treves or
Trives are from the French place name Troyes, the town in the Champagne
on the Seine, in this case coming from the Hebrew form “Trivus”.

A false opinion is that the name Trebitsch, form the town Trebitsch in
Moravia, could derive from the same origin (Treves).

Today the only recognised interpretation of the family name Dreyfus is

the derivation of the German place name Trier/Treves in the Palatinate.

Some examples of acceptance of wrong writing (errors) are the follow-

ing:

The family name Deutsch was in some official documents written by an

officer not knowing German. The difficulty was after the three initial let-
ters (DEU), because the final part of the name with the letters T-S-C-H was
unpronounceable, and the name took a new and definitive form as
“DEUCHT”.

A surprising alteration exists with the family name Pollak. This very
common Jewish name of Polish origin, “Polak” meaning in Polish and Czech
“a Polish”, is used also as a Czech diminutive “Polacek”. To hide its Polish
origin, they shortened the first syllable into “Placek, Placzek or Platschek.
In Slavic they used the word “Platschek” as a “whiny”, in German
“Weinender”, and they translated the name into German as “Weiner”. Some
of the families bearing the name in Wien (Vienna), changed the name from
Weiner into Wiener because of their residence, and the whole metamorpho-
sis from Pollak into Wiener was completed.

2. Trade or occupational name

Many Jewish family names take their origin from the numerous trades and
occupations of the whole European Jewry. Apart from the religious offices,
it is astonishing how many activities exist in the Jew’s world, as intellectual
or manual occupations.

104
 These names come from both the Jewish groups, the Sephardim and the
Aschkenasim.

a) Among the Sephardim we find the following family names:

Abulafia = physician Alfandari = teacher
Albahari = pepper man Astrologo = astrologer
Chalfan = money lender Chajat = tailor
del Banco = banker del Medigo = physician
della Seta = silk man Funaro = roper
Fornari = baker Maestro = teacher
Melamed = teacher Merkadi(o) = dealer
Orefice = goldsmith Pasta = baker
Procaccia = agent Sabbah = painter

b) Among the Aschkenasim, apart from the occupations, we find the tools,
the material and the goods too as family names:
Nadel = needle Zwirn = yarn
Fingerhut = thimble Mantel = cloak
Hut = hat Zucker = sugar
Zuckerkandl = candied sugar Kandl = candy
Honig = honey Zuckertorte = confection
Zwieback = biscuit Mandelbrot = almond bread
Holz = wood Stein = stone
Schloss = lock Feder = pen
Stiefel = boot Fischbein = whalebone
Milstein = millstone

c) Family Names that are not common or very rare in the Jewish group:
Jäger Koch Schmied Förster(no)
Zimmermann(no) Wagner(no) Abdecker Advokat
Beamter Briefträger Dachdecker Diener
Friseur Gärtner Hirt Ingenieur
Korbflechter Mechaniker Offizier Optiker
Polizist Schlosser Schornsteinfeger Schauspieler
Selcher Steinmetz Strassenkehrer Uhrmacher

d) List of Family Names according to the groups of trades and occupations:

Intellectual occupations:
Mellamed Lehrer Lerner Doktor (physician)
Rofe del Medigo Aptejker Rokeach (chemist)
Schreiber Maestro Schulman Gelehrter/Sofer

105
Artists:
Künstler Pfeiffer Fiedler Maler
Geiger (violinist) Trompeter Spieler Spielmann
Zymbalist Tänzer

Branch of dressing (clothes):

Tandler (dealer) Weber Färber Kürschner
Posamentier Knopfmacher Bleicher Schneider (tailor)
Chait/Keith Nadel/Faden Zwirn/F.hut Stricker
Wollner Kaeppler

Farming:
Schäfer Ackermann Graber Baumgartner
Landmann (farmer) Bauer (peasant) Drescher (thresher)
Fischer Strohmenger

Branch of foodstuffs:
Fleischmann (butcher) Fleischhacker Beinhacker
Metzger Hacker Brenner Bronfman (distiller)
Bronfenbrenner Zuckerbäcker Beck Koch
Schenk Backofen Salzer Salzmann
Müller Mahler Biermann (brewer)

Craftsmen of leather:
Lederer Gerber Schuster Sandler
Ledermann Pergamenter Sattler (saddles)

Artistic Craftsmen:
Steinschneider Goldschmied Golder Goldner
Goldzieher Silberer Formstecher Schnitzler (carver)
Schnitzer

Branch of transport:
Schiffer Schiffmann Fuhrmann Kutscher (coachman)

Craftsmen of wood:
Holz (wood) Holzer Sessler Kestner
Holzmann Brettler Drechsler Schreiner (carpenter)

Glass-maker:
Glaser Spiegler (mirrors) Schaiber Scheibner

106
Craftsmen of metal:
Klemperer (plumber) Schmied Klopfer
Eisner (steel) Löffler Siegler (seals)

Public servants:
Mautner (exciseman) Quittner (receipts for Customs)

Trade and administration:

Buchhalter Krämer (retailer) Kaufmann (dealer) Händler
Kassier Merkadi(o) Wechsler

Branch of building:
Baumann Ziegler Maler Laqueur

Animal-traders:
Schimmelburg Rossdeutscher Metzger (butcher) Fleischhacker
Fleischmann Beinhacker Rosskamm (horses)

Various jobs:
Binder Bürsten Flexner Bergmann
Kriegsmann Schomer Seifensieder (soap-dealer)
Dragoner Buchbinder Drucker Bader
Kleiber Klauber Wassermann Handwerker

3. House and store sign or signboards

During the 30-years War, strong regulations were ordered against Jews in
Frankfort on Main. They had to carry badges on their clothes, and their
houses had to be recognized by signs or signboards. This habit had to become
one of the most interesting forms of “name-giving” in Jewish history.

At that time people were still illiterate, they could not read names, but
they could recognize signboards which identified houses and stores, and
sometimes these signs (of objects or animals) replaced the names of the
owners.

Within the ghetto of Frankfort, people were better known by the signs
which they displayed at their homes and stores, so that later they acquired
surnames from those signs.

107
The following Jewish families take their surname from these signboards:
Buchsbaum Blum Flesch Nussbaum
Ochse Rothschild Schiff Schild
Schwarzschild Stern Stiefel Traube
Weinstock Weintraub Eichhorn Drach
Greif

4. Patronymic and mother’s name

The great scholar Karl von Linnè (1707–1778) introduced in Botanics and
in Zoology the binary Nomenclature between 1753 and 1758. That system
was applied also to mark people with double names, first name or Christian
name and then surname or family name.

In this case ten first names and ten surnames are enough for a hundred
people. The number of combinations grow in geometric progression.

This kind of “name-giving” was known throughout the world.

The Jews used forms such as Mosche Ben Jaakow (Moses, son of Jacob),
David Ben Zewi (David, son of Zewi), and forms of proselytism as Josef
Ben Avraham Avinu (Josef, son of our father Abraham).

The old Greeks used such patronymics, also Alexander the Great be-
came “Alexandros ho Philippu” that means Alexander, son of Philip.

Among the Arabs, the son was named after his father, they added sim-
ply the word “IBN” = son.

The patronymic was used among German and Slavic people. Some ex-
amples are Peterson (son of Peter) and Johnson (son of John).

But also the Latin and German form exists in the genitive such as Jacobi
(son of Jacob), Peters (son of Peter), Pauli (son of Paul), and others.

The Slavic uses the first name of the father joined with the ending form
in “OWITSCH” or “EWITSCH”. The Russian patronymic is formed this
way, Petrowitsch (son of Peter) and Dimitrijewitsch (son of Demetrius),
like the Polish Kasparowicz (son of Kaspar), or the Serbo-Croat Ivanovic,
Martinovic, Petrovic and Moskovic.

108
 The Bulgarian add only the suffix “OV or EV” to the end of the name.

Rarely we find examples of the mother’s name, such as the Russian

Susanin (son of Susan). “Ivan Susanin” is the title of the oldest Russian
Opera by the composer Michael Glinka (1804–1857).

5. Place Names

The place name are very common in the Jewish communities as with the
non- Jews. The names “Turk, Schweizer, Bohm, Hamburger, Padovani and
Mantuani” were invented by non-Jewish families, and “Lemberger, Wie-
ner, Frankfurter, Sachs, Hollander and Pollak” are typically Jewish.

But for the Jewish group such names are much more important and
numerous, because of their huge migrations, from one country to another,
from Germany to Poland, from Spain to Turkey, from Bohemia to Ger-
many, etc. They were obliged to migrate a lot, and their place names re-
mained like a “passport” to indicate the origin of the family.

Prof. L. Glesinger proposed the following list of such groups of place

names, for a complete study of all the migration processes of the Chosen
people:
a. Simple names, without ending (Moravia, Oistrach, Sachs);
b. With ending “ER” (Nassauer, Spanier);
c. With ending “SKI or SKY” (Hollandersky);
d. With ending “O” (Persico, Tedesco);
e. Only diminutives (Hessel, Saxl, Turkel);
f. Adjectives (Deutsch = German).

6. Personal Characteristics

The most common Jewish names here concern colours, in the sense of the
colour of the hairs or of skins. Specifically the names Schwarz and Weiss
are the most frequent, for Jews and non Jews, followed by Roth, Blau,
Braun, Gelb, Grün and Grau.

We will end with a second list of names concerning some other physi-
cal characteristics.

109
Colours: (in all the languages):

Schwarz Schwarzer Schwarzmann Tschorny

Czorny Negro Fekete
Schwarzkopf Schwarzbart
Weiss Weissmann Bialik Blank
Bianco Fehér Weisskopf
Roth Rotmann Rotter de Rossi
Adumim Rotbart
Blau
Braun Brauner Braeuner
Grün Grüner
Grau Grauer Graumann Graubart
Gold Goldfarb

Other:
Gross Grossmann Riese Nagy
Klein Kleiner Kleinmann Kis
Petit
Lang
Kurz
Dick Dickmann Dicker
Stark
Schlang
Kahler
Kraus Kraushaar
Alt Alter Altmann
Jung Jungmann de Jonge
Schon Jaffe Joffe Jaifa
Szep
Rein Reiner
Schmutzer
Blindermann
Tauber Taubmann
Schwitzer
Zitterer
Laufer
Frisch
Nick

110
7. Other Characteristics

The names of this group derived its meaning in a positive sense, and rarely
in a negative one. These family names are grouped in the following list:

Aufrichtig Butterweich Biedermann Ehrlich

Ehrenfest (honour) Ehrenfreund Ehrenwert Ehrmann
Ernst Fein Fleissig Fröhlich
Freundlich Fromm Frommer Gutmann
Gutermann (good) Gelehrter Gerngross Geduldig
Glücklich (lucky) Glückselig Hitzig Höflich
Klug (wise) Klugmann Kligermann Lustig
Vessely Mühsam Neu (new) Neumann
Neander Nobel (noble) Redlich Reich (rich)
Reichmann Sauer (bitter) Sinnreich Sorger
Springer Steinhardt Steinherz Stolz
Süss Treulich (faithful) Tugendhaft Weiner
Wahrhaftig Weiser Wohlmuth (peaceful)
Zaghaft Zauderer (uncertain) Zierer
Zirner

8. Family Names from shortening

For examples we can run over the following list:

Ash or Aschner = (from) Eisenstadt, Altschul or Amsterdam.

Back or Baeck = (from) Ben Akiba.
Badt = (from) Ben David.
Bardach = Ben Rabbi David Chasan.
Basch = Ben Shimon.
Baum = Ben Meir.
Block = Ben Loeb Kohen.
Bock = Ben Akiba.
Braun = Ben Rabbi Nathan.
Brasch or Brosch or Brisch = Ben Rabbi Shimon.
Bradt or Barth = Ben Rabbi David.
Bruck or Brock or Broch or Brackl = Ben Rabbi Abraham Kohen.
Bry = Ben Rabbi Israel.
Brill = Ben Rabbi Jehuda Loew.
Bud or Budewig = Ben David.
Katz = Kohen Zedek.
Nasch or Naschitz = Nikolsburg.

111
Pasch = Freistadt (P = F).
Popper or Propper = Frankfurter (P = F).
Pops = Frankfurt.
Sack or Sackheim = Sera Kodesh.
Schalit = Schejichje Leorech Jomin Towim.
Schatz or Schatzky = Schaliach Zibbur.
Schick = Schem Jisrael Kadosch.
Segal = Segan Levija.

9. Adaptation towards other Languages

In the USA the Jewish families coming from Germany and from the other
countries of Eastern Europe adapted their family names and translated many
of them.

But generally it is today always possible to observe the old Jewish ori-
gin or root in the new names:

Blumenfeld is Bloomfield. Davidsohn is Davidson or Davies.

Feld is Field.
Goldstein is Goldstone.
Grünwald is Greenwood.
Hirschfeld is Hershfield.
Levi is Lewis or Lewit.
Mayer is Myer.
Katzenellenbogensohn is Nelson.
Rabinowiz is Robinson.
Silberstein is Silverstone.
Zuckermann is Sugarman.
Freimann is Freeman.
Grünfeld is Greenfield.
Gutmann is Goodman.
Isaaksohn is Isaacs.
Leawitt is Loewy or Lowy.
Mueller is Miller.
Preuss is Price.
Rosenblueth is Rosen.
Weiss is White.

In Hungary the family names were transcribed sometimes to unrecog-

nizable conditions and were presented in three ways.

a) Through simple translation into Hungarian:

Wolf = Farkas Schwarz = Fekete Bader = Furdo
Hirsch = Szarvas Klein = Kis Gross = Nagy

b) From the place name and origin of the family names:

Bonihadi from Bonyhad Czegledi from Czegled
Kanizsai from Nagy Kanizsa Kaposi from Kaposvar
Kormendi from Kormend Somogi from Somogy

112
c) After simple assonance:
Frankl = Fraknoi Bamberger = Vambéri
Kohn = Kaposi Kohn = Kardos
Kohn = Karpati Schwarz = Szilagyi
Weiss(z) = Vazsonyi Roth = Révész
Deutsch = Doményi Dux = Doczi
Gruenbaum = Gara Hirschl = Horvath

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114
General Family Names List
of Baden-Württemberg

Based on Erwin Emanuel Dreifuss’ work: “Die Namen der Juden”. Published
in Berlin in 1927 and the “Index of Baden” (Tabelle Baden).

Extended by the author, Nelly Weiss, to more German Regions (Län-

der).

More information could be found in the following Archives: in Karlsruhe

(Baden), Ludwigshafen (Palatinate), Würzburg (Bavaria), institutions fre-
quently consulted by the author.

Moreover, you can consult this same web site to obtain more informa-
tion and details from the author, about Jewish family names.

The grand duchy of Baden, part of the present “Land” of Baden-

Wurttemberg was created in 1806, with three districts (Bezirke) from south
to north: the Upper, the Middle and the Under Rhine, plus other subdivi-
sions as the “area” (Oberamt and Amt).

Aaron Brother of Moses

Agron
Agronsky
Aren
Arkin
Arkush
Orlik
Orun

Abel(es) a) Abel (Greek/Latin) = from Hebrew “Hebel”, son of

Adams.
b) Diminutive from Hebrew “ab” = father.
c) Short form of Abraham = from Hebrew abra(h)am
“the father is big”.

Abendheim(er) Place name, Baden 1809, from “Abendheim”.

115
Aberke Diminutive too of “Abraham”.
Aberl(e)
Aberlein
Aberlieb
Aberlin
Aberzuss
Avrom
Afrom
Fromel
Bremel

Abrabanel Family name of Spanish Jews.

Abravanel
Abarbanel

Abraham Name of the patriarch, 1722 in Palatinate.

Aberke
Aberl
Abramovic
Abramowitz
Abrahamson
Abrahams
Avrahamm

Abzug Print, outlet or copy.

Ach Place name, Baden 1809.

Ackermann Under Rhine, a peasant.

Adanja Place name from Turkey, translated from Adonja = “the Lord
is God”.

Adelmann All the four forms of the names derive from the German term
Adele Adel of EDEL = noble, and Adelmann is an aristocratic man.
Ethel

Adelson Son of aristocracy. An other form is: Edelsohn.

Adel

Adelstein An “expensive” name (Kaganoff). Or a name from a jeweller

who used the name in the meaning of “Edelstein” = a noble
stone.

116
Adler From Frankfurt on Main, as a house’s name in 1776 at the
N° 27.
“Black Eagle” or N° 86 “Golden Eagle”. – And from the fol-
lowing towns in the North of Baden: Billigheim, Bödigheim,
Eberstadt, Hochhausen, Külsheim, Mannheim, Merchingen,
Mosbach, Pforzheim, Rappenau, Stein on K., Tairnbach, Wert-
heim.

Aguilar Place name, in Spain.

Albo From Latin = white, name of Sephardim.

Alcalay From Alcola, Spain.

Alkus From Alkusz, a town in Poland.

Algus

Alper From Halper a hybrid translation of Heilbronn (Heilprunn)

Alpert

Alsens Place of origin, it existed in Mannheim in 1809 and Baden

Alsenz 1809.

Alt Given name, Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Altdorfer In Baden 1809.

Altstädter

Altmann Exists in Nieder-Rhine 1809.

Altfeld Old field, in Polish = Straropole (polja).

Altneu Place of foundation of the Altneu – Synagogue in Prague

(Czechia).
The old Jews of this area built the Synagogue “al tenai” with
the meaning that they were waiting there until their return to
the Holy Land, and “what is now old will be new”.

Altschul Place of origin of the old school Synagogue in Prague. It exists

in the towns of Rastatt and Landamt in the area of Under-
Rhine 1814.

Alvalensi Place name, from Valencia in Spain, plus the addition of the
Arabic article “al”.

117
Amdur From the town of Indura in the district of Grodno in Lithuania,
known as Amdur or Amter in Yiddish.

Amsel From Amsel Abraham, in the Frakfurter Ghetto house

N° 21, 1772. Only in Baden at Heidelberg and Weinheim.

Amster From Hamster, given name for person with “zeal”. Eastern
Jews think that it could derive from Raslau or Namslau in
Silesia.

Andrussier From the town of Andruszowce, in Lithuania.

Anfänger Someone who is learning, Baden 1809.

Anger

Anhanhausen From a dialect place name, Baden 1809.

Anixter From the town Onixt of Onikszty in Lettish.

Anker Anker is Symbol of hope. – Anker Holzer Jacobi is a family

Enker name Anchor from Danzig, emigrated to the US.

Ansbach From the town of Ansbach, in Bavaria.

Anzieher Ein Schuhlöffel = a shoehorn , the Polish term is “Ancier”.

Name used from a shoemaker.

Apelowitz From the town of Opole, in Poland.

Apfel Ghetto’s house in Frankfort on Main in 1776, also in Bretten

Appelbaum 1809, in Palatinate, Middle Rhine, in Murg and Pfinzkreis
1827.

Apt It is the Jewish term for the town of Opatow in Galicia.

Apter

Arfa Polish word for a tool to horn cleaning. The family name
derived from a horn trader.

Arkules Arke is a popular diminutive of Aaron, and Arkules = Arke,

Herkules Assimilation to the name of the Greek hero.

Arnheim New name instead of Aaron, Baden 1809.

118
Aronin Son of Aaron or name of a Cohen to indicate that he is from
Aronoff the branch of Aaron.
Aronow

Arzt Name found in the 15th century. Like the names as Metzger,
Schreiner, Schneider, Apotheker, Schreiber, Richter or Leh-
rer.

Asarja Ben Mose de Rossi, from Mantua 1514–1578 (Italy).

Azaria

Aschaffenburger Place name in North Bavaria, existing in Baden 1809.

Asher Name of Hebraic origin, Baden 1809.

Aschkenas In the old Assyrian Empire the name was probably ASH
Aschkenaz KU ZA. In the first Rabbinical sources the word means
Aschkenasy “ASIA”. At the beginning of the 11th century Aschkenasim
Aschkenazy takes the sense of Germany, and Aschkenasi was translated as
Esknazy German.
Schinazi From the 17th century Jews coming from Austria, Hungary,
Germany or Czecho-Slovakia were identified as “Aschkenasi”.

Aspis Is the Yiddish term of the Talmudic word USHPIZ: the owner
of an inn (or innkeeper).

Astruck Name of Greek, French and Latin origins. Astruc means in

Provence (Fra) = Someone born under a lucky star.– The
Hebraic term is “Masel Tov” = luck. – The Latin sense of
Asterius is visible in the Roman catacombs.

Atlin Has the same sense of Adele or Ethel, = noble.

Auerbach From the town of Auerbach in Hesse-Darmstadt, where the

judge Moses Auerbach in the 15th century was the first who
bore the name. – The same name exists in the cemetery of
Vienna in 1606, and as place name, Baden 1809.

Aufrichtig In the American sense = right.

Right

Ausländer Someone coming from abroad.

Auspitz From Auspitz, in Moravia and Czechia.

119
Austern When a man named Pesach in front of Austrian authorities
translated his name in German, and took the name Austern in
the meaning of Eastern.

Avigdor Joined with the Latin name “Victor”.

120
Bacharach Place of origin, from a town on the Rhine. In the area of
von Bacharach Baden, it exists in two places, at Gailingen by the lake of
Bacherach Constance 1809, and at Durlach 1670.
Bach(ert)
Bacher
Bachrich

Bachauer New name for the town of Auerbach, Baden 1809.

Bachheimer

Bachmann New name instead of Simon, in the district of Under Rhine

1809, at Gochsheim, Flehingen and Ittlingen.

Badanes The name Bodanis comes from Ukraine, from the Yiddish
Bodanis term of the Ukrainian word Bogdana = “given from God”.

Baecker In Baden 1809, in the district of Under Rhine.

Baer In Bretten, Heidelsheim, in the district Middle Rhine, in

Bär Palatinate, in Murg 1827 and in Pfinzkreis. In Stebbach also
Baerlau Baden 1809.
Bahr
Baermann
Beer

Bakst From the town of Bakst, Lithuania.

Baxt

Balta Balta is a town of Moldavia (former URSS) and since 1791 it

belonged to Russia, and was a refuge to Jews.

Balsam Chemist’s shop name, Baden 1809.

Bamberg(er) From the town of Bamberg in Bavaria, 1809.

Banet Bonet is the translation of “Yom Tob” = holy day or good day
Panet for the Jews of Provence and Spain in the 11th century. It exists
Bonet in two other forms, like Bonjorn and Bonet, and it was
widespread in France and in the UK.

Barach From Baruch = the blessed, name of Hebraic origin, in Ba-

den.

Barbakoff For ben reb Baruch Kohen, son of Baruch of Priests, with the
Slavic suffix “off”.

121
Bardach For reb David charif (in the sense of “sharp”, name in Hebraic)
son of David of Thinkers.

Barnas New name, Baden 1809.

Baron Coming from bar Aron, son of a priestly family.

Bar Aaron

Barr By the 16th century the name existed as “Bar” in Ukraine.

Probably the name comes also from Bari in Italy, Son in
Aramaic.

Bart From the whole of Baden in 1809.

Baram
Baratz
Bard
Barth
Bradt

Baruchschomer Name of Hebraic origin, Baden 1809. Baruch means the

blessed.

Basinger The surname exists in Bretten, Bauerbach, Deidelsheim, and

in Murg and Pfinzkreis. –

Bassewi Jacob Bassewi (Batsheba) Schnules (1570–1634), was a well-

known Court Jew or provider of the Habsburgs Prague 1622,
he was ennobled with the title of von Treuenberg.

Bauer In Baden 1809.

Bauernfeind In Baden 1809.

Barr

Baum Existing in Baden 1809, at Nonnenweiher, Schmieheim and

Baumann Weingarten.
Baumgarten

Baum A name shortened from Schlagbaum, an excise man on the

main street.

Baumann Existed in Schmieheim (Mahlberg), and in the big Jewish

community of Randegg 1810 and 1814. Also in the district of
Under Rhine.

122
Becker The professions or the job names are widespread since the
15th century between Jews and non-Jews, like Metzger,
Schreiner, Sofer, Schneider, Apotheker, Schreiber, Richter, all
borne in 1809. It means that Jews were interested in jobs
other than usurers. Baker is the English translation of the
German word.

Beck Nickname in different situations: seven families were bearing

the name after their first “Braunschweig”. We have two old
examples:
Braunschweig-Beck and Braunschweig-Bloch-Beck, Baden
1809 district Under Rhine and South of Kinzig.

Bechor A name given to the first son by Sephardim.

Beckmann Some were bakers, others translated the name from kedoshin
= baker.

Bedwinek In Polish it means a traveller trader who is partner with a

Bedouin.

Beer It exists in about 20 towns, very common as a Jewish family

Bär name since the Middle Ages, but some cases of origin are not
sure.

Bähr Comes from the town of Kippenheim (Mahlberg) Baden.

Baer The word means in Hebraic = fountains.

Behar = “Ben harab (harav)” means son of Rabbi. If the name has a
Sephard origin also the term comes from Arabic “from the
sea”.

Beja Place name nearby Alentejo in Portugal, on the border of

Algarve.

Beierthal Place of origin, Baden 1809.

Beilin From Beile or Bayla, and from the Italian word “bella”
(beautiful).
The suffix “in” is a Slavic one.

Beinem a name given instead of Abraham, Moses, Josef and Salomon

in the area of Stein and Königsbach, Baden 1810.

123
Beisinger From Beissing, Baden 1809.

Beit From the Hebraic word Beth = house.

Belgrader From the main city of Yugoslavia, Belgrade.

Bella From the Italian term of beautiful, but found in writings in

Beilsohn Zagreb Beile today in Croatia.
Beilinsohn
Beilke
Scheine
Schöne
Schönemann

Belmonte It is a Portuguese and Dutch Marranos family coming from

the town of Belmonte in Spain.

Bender From a little town in Rumania, or from the job of cooper.

Benedict In Baden 1809, name of Greek, French or Latin origin.

Benjamin The younger son “barulkleh” = the blessed Jakobs.

Ben The American short name.

Benigheim From the town of Diersburg in the area of Mahlberg, Baden

Bonnigheim 1809

Bennaz Hebraic name, Baden 1809. –

Bensbach In Baden 1809.

Bensheim From the town of Bensheim, Baden 1809.

Bensinger From the town of Benzingen, in Baden-Wurttemberg

Benzinger
Bensdorff

Berger Berger comes from the mountains of Galicia. The Jews

changed the Hebraic term of Baruch to Berger.
Bergmann Later on German and Slavic suffixes were added to the father’s
Bergheimer name.

Berg Short form of Rosenberg, Baden 1809 in the area of Brei-

Berger sach.

124
Berkmann Existing in the 18th century in Poland.
Berkowitz
Berko

Bernheim From the town of Bernstein in South Burgenland (Austria)

Bernheimer In Baden it is to be found since 1670, also in Waldshut,
Thiengen, Altdorf, and Gailingen 1809. In Mainbernheim and
Eichstetten.

Berwanger Place of origin from Berwanger, Baden 1809.

Besser From a title of official in the Habsburgs court; also a tax

collector in the Jewish community, or a Rabbi-judge (besser
as the best).

Bettinger A new name for Edinger.

Bettelheim A Hungarian-Jewish name, someone who is begging.

Beuerle From the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Bickart Family name in Murbach, Wangen, Constance area, Randegg

Bickard 1810, Waldshut, Radolfszell, and in South Baden 1814.
Bikard
Pickert

Bickel Someone who needs a Pick (in German = Pickel) for his own
job.

Biedermann “Decent people”. The name existed in the districts of Upper

Beedermann Rhine and Under Rhine, in the towns of Gailingen, Randegg
and Waldshut.

Biegeleisen Yiddish term for Bügeleisen, Baden 1809.

Bielefeld Town of origin, Baden 1809.

Bierig From Bieringen, in Baden, also in Austria, in Westphalia, in

France and later on in Prussia and Wurttemberg.

Bieringer from Bieringen existing in Main-Tauberkreis, Adelsheim,

Alnhausen, Hochhausen district Under Rhine 1809.

Billig Given name, Baden 1809.

Billigheimer

125
Billinger New name instead of Abraham, Moses, Josef, and Salomon
Billingsbach in Königsbach (Stein) Baden 1809.
Billings
Bilfinger

Binder From Buchbinder = bookbinder and Fassbinder, Baden 1809.

Binheimer Place of origin, Baden 1809.

Bischofsheimer Place of origin, Baden 1809.

Bischofswerder

Blaser The player of horn in the Synagogue had an important part in

the rite. Der Schofer = Blaser is Bloser = Blaser in Yiddish.

Bleibtreu Christian baptized name in the 17th century.

Bloch After the persecutions against the Jews in the 14th century a
Block lot of them went to Poland. When they wentback to Western
Blach Europe, the name Bloch appeared between them, as a German
Vlach term from Vlach (Wallach), and with the meaning of “the
Welsch stranger who came from the West”. Bloch existed in Breis-
Wallach ach, Randegg, Waldshut, Mahlberg area, Diersburg,
Wallack and in the list of Radolfszell 1814. Also in Emmendingen,
Wlock Ihringen, Breisgau, Gailingen–Constance 1810, Müllheim
area, Sulzberg, all in the Baden 1809.

Blum Coming from a sign on a house in the Judengasse in Frankfort

Blumenberg M. 1776 and common also in Ihringen 1776 before the Edict
Blumenfeld that gave the surname to Jews. It exists in the big community
Blumengarten of Schmieheim in Lörrach, in Breisach and Diersburg all in
Blumenheim Baden.
Blumenthal

Bodenheimer Place name, Bodner means in Polish cooper (Fassbinder).

Boden Bodenheimer without the suffix is = Boden.

Bodenheim In Mannheim, Diersburg, Pforzheim area, district of Under

Bodner Rhine Bödigheimer of Middle Rhine and Baden 1809.

Boehm Coming from Bohemia, Baden 1809.

Bogatch In Polish it means = rich, and in Serbian Bog = god

Bogatsch

126
Bolach From Pollack = Polish, Baden 1809.
Bolack
Bollag

Bolan From Bodländer.

Bodländer

Bolling Shortened place name from Bollingen in Wurttemberg.

Bonfelder From the town of Bonfeld, Baden 1809.

Bonyhadi From Bonyhad place of origin in Hungary.

Born Exists in the towns of Mannheim and Karlsruhe, both in Ba-

den.

Borochius Latin name for Baruch, name of Hebraic origin, Baden 1809.

Botnick In Slavic Botinka means boot.

Botnik

Bottenwieser New name for Seligmann and Liebmann in the area of Pfor-
Buttenwies heim, Baden 1809.

Boxberger From a bread called “Boxer”, in Baden.

Boxermann

Brandeis Place of origin, Brandeis on the river Elbe 1809.

Brandes
Brandt
Brandenburger

Brannold Name of German origin in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Braun Braun is a given name; Brown is the American translation.

Brown After the Jewish Edict for Surnames the family Braunschweig
was added to: Mayer Braunschweig Braun, Baden 1809.

Braunschweig New name for Bloch, and 14 Bloch families changed heir name
in the area of Lörrach in Baden.

Braunschweiger As Brown in US and UK.

Brown

127
Breisach(er) Jacob von Breisach, we find for the first time “von” joined
with a place name in 1326, later on Samuel von Mengen in
1376. Names of descent or extraction like Cohen or Levi are
also borne as surnames. Place of origin Breisach, district Upper
Rhine-Baden.

Breittenbach From Breitenbach, place of origin.

Breitenbach

Brettauer From Bretten, Baden 1809.

Brettenheimer From Bretten or Brettenheim in Wurttemberg.

Brenner Someone who is a distiller = Brenner

Breuer Brewer is an American translation.
Brewer

Brikheimer Place name in Baden.

Brittfeld Place name, Baden 1809.

Brod (a/ y) From Brod = means “boat” in different Slavic languages, and
also name of different towns in Czecho-Slovakia.

Bruchsal Place of origin in Baden.

Bruckenstein Paving-stone, Brick is the Yiddish word for paving.

Bruckstein
Brickenstein

Brühl New name in small communities, in Mannheim too -Baden.

Brumberg From the area of Breisach, Baden 1809.

Braunberg
Brunberg

Brummi Exists in Baden 1809.

Bronner Comes from Brunner.

Brunner Like Brünner, Brun, or Brünn in Bavaria and Tyrol.

Bruno Name of German origin in the 18th and 19th centuries, Non-
Brün nenweiher, Mahlberg area, Baden.

128
Brunswick New name for Cohen, from the town of Braunschweig, Baden
1809.

Brüsler New name for Bruchsal, as hothead = Brausekopf, Ittlingen,

Gochsheim area, Baden 1809.

Büchelbaum In Baden 1809.

Buchheim(er) From Buchheim or Buchweizen = buck wheat, Baden 1809.

Buchsbaum Name from the Frankfurter Judengasse in 1776.

Buxbaum

Bukofzer From Bukow in Mecklenburg, Buko in US without suffix.

Buko

Bünzburger Place name, Bunz is a little river, Baden 1809.

Burger Someone living in the country also with city rights, in the area
Burgheimer of Emmendingen, in the Eichstetten district of Upper Rhine,
and in Breisach, Baden 1809.

Butenheimer Fishmonger of turbot (Heilbutt), Baden 1809.

Buttermilch Burlay, as French translation.

Buxbaum Common as permanent name in the district of Upper Rhine.

Buxbaum is also a sign of the house N°169 in the Ghetto of
Frankfort; and the Jews of Galicia often bore this name.

129
Calahorra Place name on the Ebro river, in the south of Pamplona, Spain,
Kalifora Calafora.
Kalwari

Calish From Kalisz, a town in Poland.

Kalisch

Canstadt From Cannstadt in Stuttgart, or from Cane for Cohen.

Cannstatt

Cariewski From Carew without suffix.

Carew

Carlebach Since 1722 in Heidelberg, Weinheim, in Baden.

Karlebach

Carsen Another name for Cohen.

Carlsruher From the town of Karlsruhe, Baden 1809.

Karlsruher

Carlton From Cohn as Cohen.

Carmona Place name near Sevilla, Spain.

Casen It exists since 1809 in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Castro De Castro, name in Spain.

Cater/Kater German dialect, common after the Tolerance Edict in Baden.

Caub From the town on the Rhine, Baden 1809.

Cerf/ Beer From French = deer, in Kippenheim, Mahlberg area, Baden

1809.
Cerfberr Cerf Berr-Beer, Naphtali Herz in Medelsheim 1783.
Beer

Chagall Surname of the painter, born 1887 in Russia, working in Paris

with numerous works of art in glass with Christian motives.

Chasin From Hebrew Chazan = cantor.

Chernoff From Slavic cherni = black or dark.

Chernoffsky

130
Christhold Since the 17th century a name being baptized in Baden.

Clark Old form for Cohen.

Clifton Also old form for Cohen.

Coblenz From the town of Koblenz, Moses Coblenz in Eisenstadt 1770.

Cogan Slavic term for Kohen or Cohen.

Ko(a)gan

Cohn Cohn from an aristocratic origin, of the family of Aarons.

Cohen

(C)Kohanovic Son of Kohanovic, from Russian, h = g .

( )Kaganovic

Colombo Italian name from the translation of Johan = pigeon.

Cooper Kupferschmied as cooper.

Cooperman

Cordovero Place name from Cordova, Spain.

Cornfeld Kornfeld is changed name for Kohen.

Kornfeld or Kornberg
Kornblum or Kornfein
Korngold or Korn grün/gut
Kornpracht or Kornreich

Cramer Someone who is a haberdasher, district Under Rhine, Baden

1809.

Creutzberger Crossby, without the suffix.

Cros(s)by

Cuenca Place name near the Cuenca Mountains, Spain.

Czegledi Place name of Czegled in Hungary.

131
Dachauer Place name from the town of Dachau in Bavaria.

Dahlheimer See the “Tabelle Baden 1809” List.

Dallon

Dale Short form for Blumenthal in the US.

Danielsohn Danson is the shortened form in the US.

Danson

Dar(e)nbacher Exists in Baden 1809.

Dargoslav Old Slavic name for “someone who eulogizes honour”.

Darmstadt From the town of Darmstadt in Hesse, in the beginning Dan-

Danstadt stadt.

Daube Since 1776 existing in the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main.

Taube Was a name in the Middle Ages and a woman’s name.
Tauber Taube is = Jona in Hebrew and Jean/John in French/English.

David Name of Hebraic origin, in the “Tabelle Baden 1809” List.

Davis David was changed for Tewel or Tewele since 1722 in Palati-
nate.

Dedelbach From the town of Dettelbach, Baden 1809.

Dessauer From the town of Dessau in Saxony-Anhalt and the form

Dessoir Dessoir changed as Mosche ben Menachem mi-Dessau
existing in the area of Gochsheim; different families took it as
a new name in Ittlingen, Flehingen, Gondelsheim, Menzingen,
Münzesheim, Baden 1809.

Deutschland (Land) Is mutilated as Land in US, and lose the initial part of
‘Deutsch’.

Diedelsheimer From Diedersheim, area Müllheim, area Bretten, from Bauer-

Dietersheimer bach or Deidelsheim in Baden, and since 1827 in the district
Diedesheimer of Middle Rhine, in the area of Murg and Pfinz.

Diedenhofer From the town of Diedenhofen, today Thionville in Lothringia,

Baden.

Diener A servant, Baden 1809.

132
Dietersheimer In the beginning the name was Bloch; it was maintained and
was joined as a double name as for Leopold Bloch Dieters-
heimer, in the area of Lörrach, Baden 1809.

Dingfelder Felder as countries, without the initial term of “Ding”.

Felder

Dinkelspiel From Dinkelsbühl, in the North of Stuttgart-Wurttemberg.

Dinkelsbühl

Dittigheimer See the “Tabelle Baden 1809” List.

Dobkin Comes from Dobe = Deborah.

Dobrin From the Slavic translation of the Yiddish word Gittel = good.
The girls often bore the name Bona or Bina in honour of Queen
Bona Sforza of Spain.

Dobrowolsky From the place name of Dobrow, and without the suffix the
Dobrow term is translated as “volunteer”.

Doerzbacher From the town of Dörzbach, in the North of Wurttemberg 1809.

Dohm From the town of Breslau in Silesia (see work by Grätz) 1812.

Dolinsky From Dolina, a town in Lithuania and Galicia, Dolina means

valley.

Dörflinger From Dörflingen, see “Tabelle of Karlsruhe” List.

Dornacher From Dornach in the suburb south of Basel, Switzerland, 1809.

Dornbacher

Dornbusch A plant’s name, Baden 1809.

Dossenheim See “Tabelle Baden 1809” List.

Drach Shield or sign in the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main.

Drachen

Drechsler From Drechsler, Baden 1809.

Dressler
Drex(s)ler

133
Dreher From Dreher, also from Treves; in the area of Lörrach, Ba-
den.

Drehnbacher From the town of Treunbach, Baden 1809.

Dreifus(s) Since 1694 it is a place name from Treves or Troyes. It was

Dreyfuss common in the area of Sulzmatt, Baden and in Altdorf, Brei-
Trefus sach Eichstetten and Nonnenweiher. The name exists since
Treves 1300 and in Riehen, district Under Rhine 1810 and Mahl-
Frivasch berg 1814.
Trifus Also it existed in the area of Waldshut, in the List of Radolfs-
Tibas zell, in Altdorf, in Kuppenheim and Rastatt, 1814. Dreyfuss
is in Breisgau, Baden since 1809.
The south of Baden had the highest of concentration of this
resident name.

Dressner From the town of Dresden, Baden 1809.

Drucker Name of occupation, Drucker as printer.

Dubin From Dubina a town in Lithuania, that means “on an oak”. In

Russian, in Polish, in Lithuanian Dub = oak.

Dubowsky Variant of Dubow.

Dubofsky

Dubow – Dub A town with oaks, Dub = oak. – Also the form Dubowsky.

Duchovny Russian name for priest, also name of a Rabbi or a Kohen.

Dührenheimer From the town of Düren near Aachen, Westphalia.

Dukas – Ducas Area of Müllheim, Sulzberg. Ducas since 1670 in Durlach,

Baden.

Dukatenzeiler Is a counter of ducats (coins), also the form of Ducat.

Dunkelmann A priest from Russia.

Düppchen Since the 18th and 19th centuries in Baden.

Dürkheimer From Dürkheim in Ittlingen, Flehingen Gondelsheim, Men-

zingen and Münzesheim, Baden 1809.

Durchschlag As a weariness, also a sieve (tool).

134
Durlacher Place name from Durlach in Baden. Exists in the Mahlberg
area, Gochsheim area and Flehingen, Ittlingen, Munzingen
and Münzesheim 1809.

Duschkin From the Slavic root “Dusch” = soul.

135
Eberstadt From the town in Baden.

Ebstein Changed for Levi because this name was too Hebrew, and the
authorities preferred a new biblical term, in Rust-Baden.

Eckstein In biblical sense “The stone being abandoned from the builders
has become the corner stone.” Traditionally united with the
faith of Israel and the expectation of better times.

Edelmann Aristocratic man or man of a noble woman. Is often joined

with woman’s name, even if she was the employer or coming
from a noble family.

Edelschild Since 1814 in Rastatt, Baden. Also a not identifiable name of

house in Frankfort on Main in 1776.

Edelstein Is an “expensive” name, or specific of a jeweller. It can also

come from a woman’s noble name.

Edesheimer Place name from Edesheim near Speyer, Baden.

Edheimer

Edighofer Place name, Baden 1809.

Eger from a town in West Bohemia.

Egers

Ehmann In numerous communities wedding licences were not granted

before serving in the army. Many Jews were married only by
a Rabbi and their marriages were never registered. This name
was borne by someone who was officially declared as husband
= Ehmann, and had accomplished his military service.

Ehrentreu Almost all Jewish names have nothing to do with the German
term of Ehre = honour. It is an old form for Aaron or Kohen.
Someone coming from an Aaron or a Kohen.

Ehrlich Name of phonetic importance, near the Hebraic “Aaron”, and

Ehrmann German enough to be accepted by the local authorities. It exists
Ehrenfreund in the districts of Under Rhine and of Karlsruhe, Baden.
Ehrenpreis
Ehrenstein
Ehrenthal

136
Eichenbronner Shortenerd as Bronner in the US.
Bronner

Eichenwald Wood of oaks. Wald short name.

Wald
Grünwald
Schönwald

Eichhorn Place where the squirrels were living.

Eichstetter From the town of Eichstetten, Baden.

Eichtersheim From Heimer without suffix.

Heimer
Eichter

Einhorn A shield or sign on a house in the Ghetto of Frankfort on Main,

1776.

Einstein A well-known Jewish family name.

Eisner Instead of Isaac, Eise changing to Eisner, and Eisinger for

Eister; Eisinger from the town of Eisingen, Baden 1809.

Eisen From the town of Eisenburg today Vasvar in the county of Vas
Eisemann in Western Hungary, and from the town in West Thuringia,
Eisgarten 1809. The term “Eisen” is a new version of Isaac (named Eisik
Eisenstamm or Eise). Pforzheim Area, and Königsbach.
Eisenbach
Eisenkraft
Eisenstark
Eisenstein

Eisemann Eisenkrämer shortened to Kramer is a haberdasher. In the area

Eisenhändler of Under Rhine, Stebbach 1809.
Eisenhändler
Eisenkrämer
Kramer

Eissig A new version of Isaak, Baden 1809.

Eisnick
Eismann
Itzig
Gitzag

137
Elchanan Biblical name, II. from Samuel 21: 19.
Elkin/Elkan

Eleazar From Elieser, character of the Old Testament, Baden. Elieser

Eliezer = Gotthilf as a help from God.
Lazar
Lasar
Leeser
Leyser

Elias Name of the prophet Israel, existing in the 18th and 19th
Eliassohn centuries in Baden, mainly Müllheim area.

Ellefeld Since 1722 in Heidelberg and Weinheim in Baden, and in

Hesse.

Katzenellenbogen This name goes back to the origin from “Cattimelibocus” =

Ellenberger Melibocus are mountains in Hesse and Chatten was an old
Ellenbogen German family. Since 1586 this family was scattered around
Bogen Italy, Poland, Germany, Alsace and America.
Katzin
Ellen

Ellenbogen Since 1679 in Durlach, and in Altdorf and the Mahlberg area,
Eller Baden 1809. Two possible origins: or from Katzenellenbogen
(see above) or from a twisted footpath, as in Frankfort on Main
where it exists as a house name.

Ellereich New name for Alsace.

Elsässer Old name, Baden 1809, coming from Alsace.

Emmanuel Means” God is with us” in Hebrew, in all Baden, 1809.

Engel Since 1776 the name exists in the Judengasse in Frankfort on

Main.

Enker As anchor, symbol of hope and salvation, luck-sign for houses

Anker and stores. Also borne as a family name.
Emker

Eppinger It exists in the area of Gochsheim, Under Rhine district, and

since1809–1814 in Flehingen, Gondelsheim, Menzingen and
Stebbach.

138
Eppler Place name, Baden 1809.

Epstein Existing in the area of Emmendingen, Upper Rhine district,

Eppstein and in Hesse; emigrated from Spain in 1492 and also one of
Ebstein the oldest names from Epstein in Bohemia.

Erdheim Place name, Baden.

Erlanger As Little-Erdlingen, named Erlingen from the Jews, but not

from Erlangen (Bavaria) where no Jews were allowed.

Erlenbacher From Erlenhalz in Tyrol (Austria), Baden 1809.

Eschelbacher In Baden 1809.

Essinger From Essingen, Baden 1809.

Ettersfeld Place name near Etten in Dorfzaum, Baden 1809.

Ettinger Ötinger from Öttingen, Bavaria.

Ötinger

Ettlinger Bretten area, Middle Rhine district, Baden. After the organi-
zation of the Jewish communities in 1827, in Murg and Pfinz-
kreis. Since 1636 it existed in Ettlinger, Baden-Durlach.

Ezekiel Hebraic name as Hesekiel or Ezechiel.

Heskel
Hatzkel
Kaskel

139
Fabris District of Under Rhine, 1809.

Fahrenbacher From Diersberg, Mahlberg area, Baden.

Faikmann New name coming from the court decree of Baden of

13.12.1787.

Falk Since 1776 name of German origin, was also a Surname. Falk
Falkheim is the name of house n°62 of Judengasse in Frankfort on Main.
Falkfeld From the old German word “Wallach or Welsch” in Falkberh
Falkstein the sense of someone who speaks a Roman language or a
Falkthal stranger who comes from the west.
Valk
Walk
Wallik(ch)

Farber Färber as dyer, name of residents in Baden.

Fardei Name from Andalusia, Spain. Estori Fardei was a Jewish

scholar during the 14th century.

Fath New name, Baden 1809.

Fauber As Fauber or Faber both existing in the town of Grötzingen

since 1690 in Baden. – Faber comes from Latin = smith.

Fein From the German “feiner Mensch”, that means “decent per-
Feinstein son”. Also from Weinstein, Baden 1809.
Weinstein

Feivus Only after the 16th century used with F. – These names appear
Vivas in the List of the martyrs of Troyes.
Vives(-is)

Felner From the town of Fulda in Hesse, Germany 1809.

Felsenstein Before the name was Levy; it exists in Breisach through the
influence of the authorities and in Ihringen, Baden 1810.

Ferber As Farber (see above) is an occupation name, a dyer.

Fetterer Given name, Baden 1809.

Feuchtwanger Place name from Feuchtwangen in Bavaria.

Wanger Shortened from the original name.

140
Feuerstein From German “fire” and “stone”, we arrive at the American
Firestone version of Firestone.

Fichtenbaum From botany, the pine-tree becomes a Surname, Baden 1809.

Find New name, Baden 1809.

Fingerhut Name existing in the area of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Fingerle

Fink Flinker in German is a quick man. Common name in Germany

Finkel during the Middle Ages.
Finkdorf
Finken(r)feld
Finkelstein
Finkheim
Finkhof

Firnberg New name as “snowfield or glacier”, Baden 1809.

Fischer Instead of Löw, Karlsruhe, Baden 1809.

Feis From the French words Vives, Viss, Vis, Viscl, Vivelmann =
Faibelmann to live.
Fischmann

Flegenheimer From Flehingen, Baden 1809, and Bretten area, Palatinate,

Middle Rhine and also since 1827 Murg and Pfinzkreis.

Flehinger From the town Flehingen, Baden 1809. New chosen names
from some inhabitants, Baden 1809.

Fleckenheimer Fleck and Land in German mean “country”.

Fleckenstein
Fleckstein

Flörsheim From Flörheim, Breisach area, Upper Rhine district, Baden

1809.

Floss(er) From the town Floss in Bavaria; known also as “Judenburg”.

Flusser

Forchheimer Forchheim is a town in Bavaria. Shortened as “Former”. Exis-

Former ting in the area of Breisach, Upper Rhine, Baden.
Förschheimer

141
Formstecher Rabbi in Heubach. – Shape for the engraving of textiles or
similar. Baden 1809.

Forster Förster = forester, Under Rhine district, Baden.

Fortlouis Name, Baden 1809.

Frayda The word “Freide or Frayda” from Yiddish means “happiness”.

Freide
Fradel
Fradke
Fradkin

Fraenckel Frankel come from Franconia (Bavaria). The family was non-
Jewish in 1400, but it became a Jewish name in 1600.

Frankenstein Shortened from Frankestein. – Franken = Franconia.

Franken

Franck Since 1636 in Baden-Durchlach, then by 1810 in Constance

and Worblingen. In 1700/1800 in the district of Under Rhine
and in Nonnenweiher, Mahlberg area, Baden 1809. Finally in
1776 in the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main.

Frankfurter From the Ghetto street in Frankfort on Main; the names of the
houses here were so beloved, that the Jews opposed changing
them by offering money in 1776. The name never appears in
Baden.

Freierlich Existing in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Freud Coming from “happiness” = Freude. The most well-known

Freudenberg person bearing the name is Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), father
Freudenfeld of psychoanalysis. Freudenberger is common only in Angel-
Freudenfels thurn, and Sinsheim, Baden 1809. Freudenthaler exists only
Freudenheim in the Wertheim district of Under Rhine, Baden.
Freudenreich
Freudenstein
Freudenthal

Freundlich Breisgau area, Upper Rhine district, Baden. Also in the area
Friend of Under Rhine. – “Freund” means friend in English.

Frey Given name, Under Rhine district, and Freytag as Friday exists
Freytag only in the North of Baden 1809.

142
Friedberger From Friedberg, Hesse 1809 and in Kuppenheim
Friedheim Under Rhine district, Baden 1809.

Friedländer From Friedland, today in Czecho-Slovakia, and the form

Lander Freed/Lander and Freed are American.

Friends Name in Baden.

Froehlich It was an expensive name, Baden 1809. USA translation “Gay”.

Frosch Coming from the legend, that Moses or his ancestors, were
living in a house with the sign of a frog (Kaganoff).

Frühling “Springtime”, existing in the area of Bretten, in Jöhlingen, in

Palatinate, and since 1827 in Murg and Pfinzkreis. It exists
also in the North of Baden 1809.

Fuchs Fuchs is a name from the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main,

Fox house n°78 of the Ghetto in 1776. It means “Fox”.

Fuld From the town of Fulda in Hesse; also in Karlsruhe 1809, and
since 1722 in Heidelberg and Weinheim, Baden.

Fürst Name of the most well-known Court Jews of Hamburg, Ber-

lin, Prussia and Eisenstadt (Austria). In Baden it was a title-
name (bestowing honour), existing in the Nonnenweiher,
Mahlberg area and exclusive of north of Baden.

Fürth Place name from the town of Fürth near Nuremberg (Bava-
ria).

Futterweiss “White lining”, raw material for lining not yet painted in white,
White for textile.

143
Gabel From a town in Bohemia.
Gabler

Gailsmaier It exists only in the town of Ihringen, Baden 1809.

Gaiser Probably from the town of Hofgeismar, Under Rhine district,

and in the south of the river Kinzig, Upper Rhine district. Also
from Gaissmar, Emmendingen area, Ihringen, Breisach, Ba-
den 1809.

Galizier From Galicia (Poland). Existing in Waldshut and Randegg,

B1809.

Galpern Russian form for the town of Heilbronn (Baden), see Halpern.

Gamoran From the town of Gommern, in the East of Germany.

Gans(z) “Goose” in English, name in the Judengasse in Frankfort on

Main, 1776.

Garber Gerber means “tanner”, and the Polish term is “Garbowsky”.

Gerber
Garbowsky

Garfunkel Karfunkelstein = Diamond, name for diamond traders.

Karfunkel
Karfunkelstein
Garfinkel
Gorfinkel

Gartenhaus “House with garden”, in Polish (Galicia) common as “Kar-

tuzy”.

Gärtner Means gardener, in the district of Under Rhine, Baden

1809.

Gassmann Exists in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Gaster Coming from de Castro, a Sephard name from Europe and

North/South America. This name is borne also from Christian
families in Spain and South America. The Jewish family name
originally comes from the town of Castro near Cordova in
Spain.

144
Gattenstein Unknown place of origin.
Guttenstein
Gätter

Gay English or French translation of the term “Fröhlich” = Gay.

Geduld During the occupation of Warsaw by the Prussians 1794–1806,

the Polish Jews adopted some name of German sonority. The
Prussian authorities used the name “Geduld” = indulgence
instead of “Frieden” = peace, that will then become Friedmann
or Fried.

Geiger Occupation name, as “violinist “.

Geldersheim From the town of Geldern near Duisburg, Baden 1809.

Gelnhausen From a town in Hesse, Baden 1809.

Geissmann In the districts of Under/Upper Rhine, Baden1809; also in

Geissmar, Lörrach area since 1810, Baden.

Gerber In the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Gernsbacher Existing in Baden 1809.

Goernsbacher
Gerngross
Gernreich

Gerson By the 18th and 19th centuries it is a name of Hebraic origin,

Gershom Baden 1809.

Gerst(e) Name of Hebraic origin, “Ger” in Hebrew means Stranger.

Gerstbacher
Gerstbach
Gershon
Gerstein
Gerstner

Ghirondi From the town of Gerona, Spain.

Gieser Giesser = smelter, new name instead of Löw and Löb, see
Gisser Giesser, Karlsruhe 1809.
Zinngiesser

145
Gilden From “Gulder”. Also in Silesia as Golberg.

Ginsburg Since the 16th century as Günzburg in Bavaria. – Many

Ginzburg Russians bore the name Gunzburg in different forms: as the
von Ginzburg family of bankers in St. Petersburg.

Gittelmacher Also Hüttelmacher, in Russian “Gittelmacher”. A “Gittelmann”

Gittelmann is the husband of a woman named Gittel or a dressing-gown
Hüttelmacher maker or dress maker.
Hittelmacher

Glück Is the example of the giving of a name by law, Baden 1809.

Glick The term Glück means “luck” in English.
Gluck
Gluckel
Glickberg
Glickmann
Glicksberg
Glickstein
Glückselig (Since 1600 existing in Baden.)

Göbricher From the town of Göbrichen, Stein area, and Königsbach,

Baden 1810.

Gochtersheimer From the town of Gochsheim, Baden.

Goldberg From a town in Silesia, the first Goldberg lived there in 1400.
When the Jews left Silesia during the 14th century, many of
the banished bore the name Golberg. More than 60,000 Gold-
bergs are living today in the US. Jews revere in Poland a
woman named “Golda”. Zolotovsky is the Slavic translation
of Gold (gold) with suffix.

Goldhirsch Following is the list of the name Gold plus the different suffi-
Goldkraut xes. See Goldberg.
Goldmark
Goldreich
Goldsand
Goldschild
Goldschlag
Goldstadt
Goldstaub
Goldstern

146
Goldmann Another list of the name Gold plus suffixes. – See Gold-
Goldbaum berg.
Goldenbaum
Goldenberg
Goldblum
Goldbruss
Goldfeder
Goldfisch
Goldhaber
Goldhammer
Goldheim

Goldschmidt Shortened from Goldschmidt-Schmidt; the Betzalel ben Uri

was the Schmidt author or the smith who built all the de-
corations of the monastery.

Goldschmied Goldschmied of Emmendingen, district of Upper Rhine, Ba-

Schmied den.

Goldstein List of the name Gold plus other suffixes.

Goldsticker
Goldstrom
Goldenblatt
Goldenblitt
Goldenfluss
Goldenkrantz
Goldenthal

Golub “Golub” in Slavic means pigeon; Jonah = the pigeon.

Goodmann Translation of “Tuviah”, in Hebrew tubjah = the man is good.

Gutmann
Gute
Gut(t)er
Guttemann
Gutfeld
Gutfreund
Gutreich
Gutstein

Gomberg The name as Gundberg found at the end of the 1500s, is old
Gomperty German, existing in Ettenheim, Mahlberg area, Baden 1809,
Gompertz also Gomperty since the 14th century.

147
Gomberg(see)
Gompers
Kompert
Kumpert

Gordon The biblical Jordan river name which appears in Middle

Gordan Europe during the 15th century as Giordano in Italy, as
G(i)ordano Gordon in U.K. Gordin. Other possible place origin is the
Gorodin Polish town of Grodno.
Gordin
Grodno

Gotlob A name of German origin, Baden, 1809.

Götschel Only in the area of Müllheim and Sulzberg, Baden 1809.

Göz A name of German origin, Baden 1809.

Graber Is a stone-cutter in the 18th century, Baden. Graw is shortened

Grab from Grabowsky.
Grabenheimer
Grabowsky
Graw

Gradheimer Place name, Breisach area, district of Upper Rhine, Baden

1809.

Graf It was a title name (bestowing honour). It exists in the Bretten

area, Heidelsheim, Palatinate, Middle Rhine district, and since
1827 in Murg and Pfinzkreis; also in Lörrach, Baden.

Gramer In the district of Under Rhine, Karlsruhe List 1809.

Graner From the town of Gran, today Esztergom, in the county of

Grau Komarom, on the Danube river, in Hungary.

Gredlitz From Graditz, Baden 1809.

Grediz

Greenberg Existing in Hesse, in Silesia; people importing wool from

Grünberg Russia and Poland were known as “Grünberg”. The Grünberg
were traders or dealers in wool.

148
Greenhut The “grüne Hut” = green hat, comes from the Judengasse of
Grünhut the Ghetto in Frankfort on Main. Many families were from
Grünbaum here.

Greif Name from the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main since 1776.

Greilsamer In the districts of Upper and Middle Rhine, and also in the
Greilsheimer area of Breisach and Friesenheim, both in Baden.
Greilsheim

Greiss Given name, district Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Gretzinger From the town of Grötzingen, Baden.

Griesheimer Gries = painted horn, Baden 1809.

Grob Given name, Under Rhine district, 1809.

Grombacher From the town of Grombach, Baden.

Gronbach

Gross Exists in Altdorf, Mahlberg area, Baden.

Gros

Grub A cavity with a small house, from Sulzburg, Müllheim area,

Baden.

Grumbacher Old place of origin, from Altdorf, Mahlberg area, also in Breis-
ach and Lörrach, Baden.

Grumbein From the given name “Krummbein” = crooked leg, Baden

1809.

Grün Name originating from the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main

Grünebaum 1776, existing in Altdorf, Mahlberg area, Baden 1809.
Grünebaum
Grün(e)wald
Grünhut
Grünstein
Greenstone (An English translation). –

Grünkern As “green stone”, Under Rhine district, Baden 1809.

Grünspan Is the green of Spain, a pigment of copper, which was imported

Greenspan in Germany from Spain. Used as a colouring or as a drug.

149
Guggenheim From the town of Jugenheim in Baden. – Since 1670 in Ba-
Guggenheimer den-Durlach, also in Waldshut-Tiengen, Randegg, Walds
Guckenheimer hut, South of Baden, also area Rastatt, 1814.
Gudenheimer

Gugenheimer Existing in the area of Emmendingen, district of Upper Rhine,

also in Gailingen, Worblingen, Constance area, and in Alt-
dorf Mahlberg area, 1810.

Gumb Name of German origin, could come from “Kumpel” = com-

Gump rade. The Slavic version is the translation of Gump = button.
Gumbel Existing in Marbach, Wangen and Constance area, Baden.
Gumberich

Gundelfinger Place of origin from Gundelfingen in Baden, and Gundel is

Gundel the shortened form. In Rust, Altdorf, Ettenheim, Stein am K.,
Würzburg and Messelhausen, in Baden.

Gundersheim Existing in Baden. Gunders is the form without a suffix.

Guntersheimer
Gunders

Günzburger Probably a description of the place of origin. In Breisach,

Günzbrunner Ihringen and the Emmendingen area, South Baden.

Gunzenhaussen Place of origin from Gunzenhausen, Baden.

Hauser Short term of the same.

Gut “Gut” = good, in the district of Under Rhine, in 1787/1794

Gutfreund 1809 in Baden.
Guthmann

150
Haag “Gartenzaun” means garden hedge, Baden 1809.

Haan Existing in Palatinate, Bretten area, Johlingen, in the district

of Middle Rhine 1809, and since 1827 in Murg and Pfinz-
kreis.

Haarburger From Harburg near Hamburg.

Haass In the area of Emmendingen, Upper Rhine 1809.

Hass

Haas From the German term of rabbit, coming from the Judengasse
since 1776 Frankfort. Common before the Names Edict, Eich-
stetten 1809.

Haberer In Rust, Mahlberg area, Baden.

Hafer Haver or Chaver is of Hebraic origin, by 1800/1900.

Haber

Hachenburg Baden 1809.

Hahn In the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main there was a house

shield since 1776 with the inscription “Roten Hahn” and “Gol-
denen Hahn”, Hahn = cock. It exists also as a diminutive from
the Hebraic name Hanoch, Elhana, Manoah. – In Gailingen,
Constance area, 1810.

Hahnhardt Giving of name in Baden. A double name with the English

term “Hart” joints with “Hahn” = cock.
Hanhardt

Haium In the 18th and 19th centuries, Baden.

Halberstädter The form Halstadt is a short one without the middle syllable.
Halstad

Halla From the place name Halle, Baden 1809.

Halle
Halerstein

Halm Given name for peasant, from the term “Getreidehelm”, Ba-
den 1809.

151
Halpern One of the numerous versions of the town name Heilbronn in
Halperin Halprin Baden. This name has been common for 400 years.
He(i)lpern
Heilbrun

Halpern(see)
Heilbronn
Heilbronner
Alpron
Alpern
Galpern (see the Russian form)
Felperin

Hamburger Burgham, a transposition in the US.

Burgham

Hamburger From Hamburg or one of the different Homburgs, Baden 1809.

Hamel Baden 1809.

Hameln
Hammel

Hamleter New name for Hammelburg, Baden 1809.

Hammerstein Existing in West Prussia and in Baden.

Hammer

Hanauer From Hanau in Hesse, Baden 1809.

Harburger And Harber without the middle syllable, US.

Harber

Hartmann In the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

H(e)art
Hartmann
Hertzmann
Hirschmann

Hart Also an English translation from the German “Hirsch” = deer,

Hartmann Karlsruhe 1809.
Hardt
Hartwig(wick)
Hartig

Hatzkel Version of the name Ezechiel.

152
Hauff Baden 1809.

Haumann In the district of Under Rhine.

Häussler Place of origin, in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Hauser From Hausen, place name Under Rhine, in Baden and in Ba-
Hausmann varia.
House

Haussler A village inhabitant without land, common in Silesia in 1400.

Hausschild (er) Only House, without the suffix, in the US.

House

Hecht A fish, designed in a shield of the Judengasse in Frankfort

1776.

Heidelsheimer From the towns of Heidel(n)heim, also in the Gochsheim area,

in Heidenheimer – Flehingen, Gondelsheim, Ittlingen, Men-
zingen, Münzesheim, district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Heifetz Name of the Eastern Jews living in Haifa (Israel).

Keifetz

Hefter Is a jeweller or a gold smelter, in 1700/1800.

Heilbrunner From Heilbronn, exists in Diersberg Mahlberg area, in Brei-

Heilbronner sach, Eichstetten, Ihringen, and Nonnenweiher, Baden 1809.
Heilbrunn(er)

Heilpern From the town of Heilbronn, 13.12.1787 Baden.

H(e)ilborn
Helpern
Heilmann

Held Is another title name (bestowing honour), “Held” means hero

Heldenmuth and exists in the North of Baden.
Helmuth

Heim Since 1814 the name is changed for “Hayum or Chajjm =

Hayum Life”, name of Hebraic origin and existing all over Baden
Heimer 1809.
Heimberger Heim is also a place in the area of Müllheim, Baden 1809.
Heimerdinger

153
Heinemann In the district of Under Rhine, Baden.
Heimann
Heymann

Heinzelmann Is the name Heinz shortened, see the “Tabelle Baden” 1809
List.

Hellmann Existing in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Helman
Hillmann
El(l)mann
Gellmann
Gilmann

Henschel From the name Hanna, see the Zagreb Archives.

Chankin
Hensel

Heppenheimer From the town of Heppenheim, North of Baden.

Herbst The season of autumn, only in the North of Baden. Also in

the area of Bretten, in the Palatinate, since 1827 Murg, Pfinz-
kreis.

Hernsheim Name common since 1809, see the “Tabelle Baden” list.

Herrmann Very common as Christian name, also existing as a Surname.

All over Baden.

Hersch Name from the German term “Herz” as heart and “Hirsch” as
Hershson deer. Name clearly of Hebraic origin.
Hershson
Herschdorfer
Herstein
Herschel
Hershel
Herschfus
Hersckovitz

Herz New name instead of Löb or Löw, especially in the district of

Under Rhine. See the “Mannheimer” List of 24.8.1809.

Herzer Is a diminutive for Naphtali Herz, existing in the decree of

Baden in the years 1787 and 1827.

154
Herzbach The following list is of different names with “Herz” plus other
Herzbrunn suffixes common in the 18th century in Ettlingen and Bühl,
Herzog Baden.
Herzberg
Herzberger
Herzborg
Herzfeld
Herzthal
Herber(g)
Hersch
Hertz
Gersc
Gertz
Hirsch
Harz(t)
Herzmann
Hertzmark
Herskowitz
Gershovitz

Heskel From the name “Hesekiel”.

Hess From the German “Land” Hesse.

Hevessi From the town and county of Heves in the North of Hun-
gary.

Heysemann In the US, there are two forms without the suffix.
Heymann
Heys

Hildesheim From the town of Hildesheim, Under Saxony, see “Tabelle

Baden”.

Hill Name in the US, translation from the German term “Berg”.

Hilt Existing in the Müllheim area, in Sulzburg, South Baden 1809.

Hils Name of the small communities of Hilbach, Baden 1809.

Himmelreich “Reich” means rich, shortened in the US.

Reich/ Rich

Hirschelsohn In Kippenheim, area of Mahlberg.

155
Hirsch Existing in about 25 towns; existing as a Jewish name, since
Hirschson 1809 in Hirsch, Constance area, South of Baden. Change of
the name from Hirsch-David to Hirsch David Hirsch, Baden
1809.

Hirschberger List of the most common Hirsch names plus suffix. – See the
Hirschburg decree of Baden in 13.12.1787.
Hirschbruck
Hirschfus
Hirschhorn
Hirschhörner
Hirschman
Hirschwald

Hirsch Another list name. Hart English given name instead of

Naphtali.
Herz “Herz” in English = Heart.
Herschel As Hirsch, in Altdorf Mahlberg area, South Baden.
Herzl In Königsbach, Stein area, Baden 1810.
Cerf French translation for deer.
Yellin Slavic translation.
Jellinek Slavic translation and diminutive.
Hirschheimer
Hirst A phonetic change in the US.

Hobach In Baden 1809.

Hobbach

Hochheimer Place name, Baden 1809.

Hochherr Is a title name (bestowing honour), in the North of Baden 1809.

Hochstetter Name instead of Aaron, common in Königsbach, Pforzheim

Hochstaedter area, B 1809.
Hochstetten

Höffer Name existing in Baden 1809.

Höfer
Hof
Hofen

Hoffmann Existing in Schmieheim, the biggest Jewish community of

Hofmann Baden 1809, and in Eichstetten, Mahlberg area, South of Ba-
Hofoeler den.

156
Holländer Someone coming from Holland, exists in Nonnenweier, area
Holland Mahlberg, Baden in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Holz Place of origin, in Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Holzmann
Holzer
Gol(t)zer
Goltzmann

Homburger From Bad Homburg, Baden 1809.

Hony Name of German origin, Baden 1809.

Honn

Horden Name of small communities of Hörden, Baden 1809.

Hördt

Horkheimer In Baden.
Horn/ Honn

Horowitz From Horovice in Bohemia since the 15th century.

Howitt
Horovice
Gorwitz
Gurwich
Urevich

Hubermann A “Hafer-Händler” = a fodder trader, Baden 1809.

Huber
Gubermann A Russian form.

Hummel “The drone”, not a firm name in the Judengasse of Frankfort

1776, but existing also in the district of Under Rhine, Baden
1809.

Hut “The hat” not an exclusive house’ name of the Judengasse

since 1776 in Frankfort, but also in Upper Rhine, Baden 1809.

157
Idstein Place name near Frankfort on Main. Isten is a US shortened
Isten form.

Igelheimer From the town of Illingen, Baden 1809.

Illinger

Ilbesheimer See the “Tabelle Baden” list 1809.

Ilvesheim

Isaac Name of Hebraic origin. In Königsbach, Phorzheim area,

Isa(a)k Baden.
Isaksohn
Eissig
Eisnick
Eismann
Gitzak
Hickmann
Itzig/Itzl
Si(e)ckel
Zekl

Isselbacher Bacher short form in the US, without the suffix “Issel”.
Bacher

Israel Biblical name; name bestowing honour of Jakob.

Isril
Isserl
Srol
Srulik
Srul

158
Jacob Name of Hebraic origin, in the rural zone of Palatinate, and
Jakob all over Baden.
Jakobi The name Jacob is common in Schmieheim, 1809, the biggest
Jacobson community of the Mahlberg area. – In Marbach, Wangen and
Constance area.

Jacobso(h)n In Müllheim, South Baden; Jason is an American shortened

Jason form.

Jaffe Existing since the 16th century, in Hebrew “Jaffe” means

Kalonymos beautiful, and in the Greek translation “Kalon” or “Kalony-
mos”.
Ja(o)ffin It means beautiful name.

Jäger The hunter, in Baden district Under Rhine 1809, Austria and
Tyrol.

Jankan See the “Tabelle Baden” list 1809.

Jecklin von Ulm Since 1372 first joining between the “von” and a place name.
Je(c)kli By 1343 a form as Jeckli, and in 1349 we have Jakob Jeckli.

Jelinger From Jöhlingen in Baden. – Other form “Jöhlinger” too.

Jeselson Name of Hebraic origin, for Jessel see Joseph.

Joachimsthal Town in Czecko-Slovakia, in US = (Julius) Joachim Stahl.

Joel Biblical name; US = Jolson is a shortened form.

Joelsohn
Jolson

Joseph Biblical name of Hebraic origin.

Yosel
Yos(i)
Yesse
Jessel
Jesselmann
J(y)oske

Judah Hebraic name, and common too for non-Jewish people. It

Yehuda concerns also Jews that are born from a Jewish mother.
Udel(l)
Judke(o)
Jud

159
Jung Given name, district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Juliusburger Shortened as “Burger” in US.

Jutrosinski Jutro means in Slavic tomorrow, without suffix. –

Jutro

Juenker From Gyönk, place name in Hungary = young aristocrats

160
Ka’da’r Hungarian term for copper.

Kaffee Existing all over Baden 1809.

Coffee
Kaffenburger
Kaffmann
Kaff

Kafka Means in Czechoslovak = crow, and common for someone

Kapka who lived near a shield or a sign of house with a crow designed.
In Poland the barman is called “Kawka”. There exists a version
for Kafka as diminutive of Yaaakov/Jacob.

Kaganoff As Kohen, in Russian = Kagan plus suffix “off”.

Kahn Kahn = Kohen is originally a Hebraic name meaning “priest”.

Kagan Existing in the area of Mahlberg, Altdorf, Gochsheim, Steb-
Kahnmann bach, Müllheim, Sulzburg and Baden.
Kaplan
Kohn
Chan

Kalb Given name for a butcher, in the district of Under Rhine,

Kalbermann Baden.
Kalter

Kanizsai From the town of Nagykanizsa, in the county of Zala, Hungary.

Kamerer In Baden 1809; Kaminski-Cummins phonetic adaptation in

Kaminski the US.
Cummins

Kanter New term with some doubts of the name “Aaron”, existing in
Kand the district of Under Rhine 1809, and Königsbach Pforzheim
area.
Kantor is “chazzan” in Hebrew.

Kaposi From the town of Kaposvar, in the county of Somogy, Hungary.

Karlebach In the Bretten area, in Heidelsheim, district of Middle Rhine,

in Karlinsky Badener Palatinate, and in Karlebach, Upper
Rhine district 1809.

Karpf Name since 1776 of a house shield in the Judengasse in Frank-

fort.

161
Kasel Place name in the area of Rastatt and in the whole of Baden
Kassel 1809.
Kaskel
Kassewitz

Kastanienbaum Means chestnut, and Kasten is shortened in the US without a

Kastanien suffix.
Kastner
Kasten

Katscher From the town of Kacs, in the Borsod-Zemplén county, Hun-

gary.

Katzenellenbogen From a town in the Hesse-Nassau land. The old colony of

Bogen Katzen-elnbogen was founded by the German “Katten” people,
Elbogen from whom descend the “Hessen” people. The old Roman-
Ellenbogen name of this colony was “Cattimelibocus”, changed in the time
of the first county in “Katzenellenbogen”. In this area we can
find today a town with the same name “K.”, which still is the
open market centre. Padova Meir Katzenellenbogen or Meir
von Padua who was an important Italian rabbi, came from this
centre in 1500.
Different members of the family bore the name Katzenellen-
bogensohn or shortened it into Katzenelson or Katznelson.

Katzenellenbogen
Nelson Bogensohn
Katzenelnbogen

Katzenstein “Katz “is a word of Hebraic origin, it has not the sense of
Katzauer “cat”, but comes from the shortened form of “Kohen Zedek”,
Katzenelson in Hebrew = the most honest priest.
Katzin
Cattimelibochi
Ellbogen
Ellen

Kauf The name exists in about 38 towns. Kaufmann comes from

Kaufmann Jacob. In Stebbach of the district of Upper Rhine, in Gochs-
Kofmann heim of the district of Under Rhine, in Phorzheim, Königs-
Yakovmann bach and Karlsruhe of the district of Middle Rhine, and also
Yakofmann in the area of Lörrach South of Baden, 1809.

Kaula A doubtful name, see “Tabelle Baden” list 1809.

162
Kay Name of Hebraic origin, since 1463 in Baden and the Lörrach
Kayn area, also Baden 1809.

Keller Instead of “Braunschweig or Bloch”, meaning “cellar”, in the

area of Lörrach, Baden 1809.

Kenderberg Place name, Baden 1809.

Kerich Exists in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Kern

Kessler A Kesselmacher, Kessel = boiler.

Kessel
Kastel

Kiez An unknown name, Baden 1809.

Kietz

Ki(e)lsheimer A doubtful change of the name Aaron. – Existing in the area

Külsheim of Pforzheim, in Königsbach, district of Middle Rhine, Ba-
den.

King From the town Königsberg, East Prussia, today Kalingrad

Königsberger- (Russia).

Kirchheimer Name of the communities of different “KIRCH” towns. – Area

Kirchhaüsser of Kirchen-Lörrach, South Baden 1809.
Kirchmeyer
Kirschenblat
Kirchstein
Kirste(i)n
Kirsche
Kirschdorf
Kirschheim
Kirschenzweig

Kissingen(er) Town in Franconia, see “Tabelle Baden” list 1809.

Klausner Name of a monk, existing in the district of Under Rhine, Ba-

Klangmann den 1809 and in Rust, area of Mahlberg, Upper Rhine, Ba-
den.

Klee-/Kleefeld Klee is the clover in the area of Breisgau, Upper Rhine, Ba-
den 1809.

163
Kleimenhagen Shorted into Hagen.
Hagen

Klein Given name and personal characteristic like “Big – White –

Black” existing in Emmendingen area, Eichstetten and Under
Rhine, 1809.

Klepfisch By the translation in English also “Haddock” in the US.

Klippfish
Stockfish

Klinger Like a clod of earth, a false gem stone, or a trader.

Kloz(er) Kloz is a given name to the Phorzheim area or of the Under

Klotz Rhine district 1809.

Klopmann Someone who knocks at the shutters, to wake up the pious for
morning prayers.

Kluger An expensive name, existing in the whole of Germany.

Kohn See Kahn.

Kohut Ukrainian term for a cock, also concerns a house shield in the
Judengasse of Frankfort on Main in 1776.

Kolatsch From Slavic “bread” or Yiddish “Kolitz”. – The Russian and

Kolitz Polish Jews had white bread for festivity and the Sabbath.

Koma The name “Kamen” means stone and rock. Koma is a wrong
Kamen contraction.

Königsberger/ King King is a US short form.

König A title name, bestowing honour, in the North of Baden 1809.

Königsberg It is a translation of the Hebraic name Melech or Elimelech,
Königsbacher meaning “God is a King”. The German authorities gave the
poor Jews the name “König”. Könisberg comes from the main
city of East Prussia, Baden 1809. Königsbacher exists since
1670 in Baden and Durlach.

Koermini From the town of Körmend, county Vas on the Raab, western
Hungary.

164
Koppel From Jakob; existing in the whole of Baden. – Since the 18th
Koppelovich- century and in 1810 in Marbach, Wangen and the Constance
Kob(p)el area.
Kopeloff Son of Jacob.
Jacobson
Yaakobel

Kosches Existing in the form “Qeschet”= umbrella; it was a hint of the

history of Noah and a symbol of an eternal link.

Korf Someone who is a Korbmacher = basket maker.

Korff
Kormitzer

Koslawsky From the town of Kossov in Poland.

Kossow

Kostrelitz Koster is a short form.

Korshak Ukrainian word for “noble”, or Polish term for” wine-glass”.

Korczak House sign of a cellar.

Kortenbach Place name, Baden 1809.

Kotlar A copper boiler maker.

Kramer A haberdasher (trader) to the Aschkenasim.

Kraft Exists in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Kraines “Kreindel” is a Yiddish name since the Middle Ages.

Krainin
Kreindel
Kreines

Krakauer From the Polish town of Krakau, today Krakow.

Kramer In the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Krahmer

Krasny Slavic term for “red or beautiful”; adopted as a family name it

is a translation from “Hanah or Bayla, or Shayndel”.

Kra(e)tchmer In Yiddish a “Kretchme” is a country inn, a monopoly for

Krachmann Jews in Poland.

165
Kraus(s) Given name as “frizzy head”, exists in the Under Rhine district,
Krauskopf Baden 1809.

Krautheimer Heimer is the short form, Baden 1809.

Krauth/Heimer

Krehan As English phonetics it changes into “Crayon”.

Kreilsheimer From the town of Crailsheim in Württemberg.

Crailsheim
Krezinger
Kretzkes
Grotzingen
Cresca

Krieger Host or innkeeper, from the German word “Krug” or “Krueger”

Kriegsho(a)ber or “Krieger”, since 1500 in Germany.

Krischer Slavic word “Krish” for cross.

Krupnich Slavic word for fodder or wheat trader.

Krueger See “Krieger”, in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Krulewitz From the town of Krolewiez, near Kiev in Ukraine.

Kulefsky From a town called Kolowa in Lithuania.

Kuli/Kolowski
Kulikowsky

Kuppenheim(er) Name of small communities and a German town.

Kippenheim

Kuttenblumer Place name, from Kutna in Poland and Czecho-Slovakia.

Kugelmann In the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Kuhn Given name, in Baden and Under Rhine 1809.

Kurz Given name as “short”, in Under Rhine and Baden.

Kusel/Kushner Like “furrier”, existing in South Baden.

166
Lacher Someone who often laughs; also the German translation of
the name Isaac = he will be laughing, from the word “Lache”
= marsh, or from “Nachmann”.
Lachmann Early in 1400 common as a Christian name, later as a family
name, an expensive name.

Lachmanski Lans is a short form in the US. – From the term “Lanczi”.
Lans

Ladenburger Place name, “Lane” is an American short form. Existing in

Ladenburg Ittlingen, Mannheim, and Mosbach, North of Baden 1809.

Ladmann Instead of Latter, in the district of Under Rhine 1809.

Lamm Since 1776 a name from the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main.

Landauer From the town of Landau in Palatinate. Existing in the Pforz-

Landau heim area, Königsbach, Baden 1809. From Landau in Bava-
ria, some Jews were expelled in 1545, and they went to Prague.

Landsberger From different towns called Landsberg. – “Lane” is a short

Lane form in the US.

Lang Personal characteristics: “long”. – In the area of Mahlberg,

Altdorf and the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Langenbielau From a place name.

Langenbach In Baden 1809.

Langweiler
Lang(en)
Weiler

Lapidus Latin form for stone-cutter, translated into German “Steiner”.

Lapin(e) Lapine is also a Polish community.

Laskov From a town in White Russia and Lithuania.

Laskovitz

Latter “Leiter” since 1776 means = ladder. The name was common
before the Names Edict in the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main.

Laube(r) Form the word “l’aube” in French, Baden 1809. Laubheimer

Laubheimer comes from the town of Laupheim near Ulm in Baden.

167
Laudenbacher From the town of Lautenbach, in West Prussia. – Existing in
Lautenbach the whole of Baden, 1809.
Lautenberg

Lauenberg Name instead of Ladenburg, Baden 1809.

Lauterbach Place name from the town of Lauterbach in the Baden-Würt-

temberg area.

Lay New name instead of Seligmann or Liebmann, Phorzheim area.

Lay instead of Levi, in Ettenheim, Mahlberg area, Baden
1809.

Lazarus/ Lasar Greek short form for “Eleazar” = God help.

Elki(a)n
Elkanan
Eliezer
Le(e)ser
Leyser

Ledermann Is a “tanner”. In the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Lederer

Lehmann Lehmann is the sign of a “vassal” of a feudal lord. As a Jewish

Lehman name it comes from the occupation of banker or money lender.
In German it changed from Leihmann to Lehmann.

Leibowitz Instead of Levi or Moses, in the area of Lörrach, Baden 1809.

Lei

Leipziger From the city of Leipzig in Saxony, East Germany.

Lemle Name of Hebraic origin as “Ascher”, all over Baden. Also

joined as Levi-Lemle, in Bretten, Palatinate, Murg and Pfinz-
kreis.

Lempert Means “Leopard”.

Lemport
Lampert

Lenoff Is a Polish name.

Leo/Leopold In Baden 1809, and also in the area of Rastatt country and
town.

168
Lerner Means in English a “student”.

Lessing As a Jewish name it exists since 1812 in Berlin.

Levi In Hebrew = Levit ; from this line came the Kohanin, the priest.
Levinger Existing in Ettenheim, Gomberg, Schmieheim and Mahlberg,
Levistein Baden 1809. The Levi-Cohen were from London, borne too
as a surname.
Lewinstein Common in Löwenstein 1809, Ettenheim, Mahlberg , Baden
1809.
Levit Levit as Jewish name, exist in Emmendingen and Ihringen,
Baden.
Livi Names as Jobel Kayn in 1463, and Maier Levy in 1525, are
common until 1700, but seldom in the records. Existing in the
Gailingen-Constance area, and in Müllheim Sulzburg, Baden.
Levi-Spiro The name Levi-Spiro appears in Costance.

Levy Most common name before the Names Edict. Exists in the
Levi(s) district of Upper Rhine, Breisach area, Mahlberg area, Alt-
Levisohn dorf, all over Baden 1809.
Lewei

Lew Instead of Löwe, in Yiddish “Layb”, formerly “Levi”.

Leff/Layb

Lewei Instead of Raphael. In the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Liberles Exists in the Under Rhine district, and South of the Kinzig,
Baden 1809.

Licht Instead of Uri and Meir = light. – The name Lichtmann in

Lichter 1700 was borne from people who paid in Russia some taxes
Liechti for using Jewish candles on the Sabbath. Lichtenstetter is
Lichtenberg shortened as Light in the US. All these names exist in Bretten,
Lichtenfeld Bauerbach, Deidesheim, in the Palatinate, and since 1827 in
Lichtermann Murg and Pfinzkreis.
Lichtenstein
Light
Lichtenstetter
Lichtzer
Lichtzieher

Lichter Name of German origin, Baden 1809.

169
Liebermann German translation from “Eliezer”= help of God. In the Kur-
Lieb(p)mann pfalz of Baden since 1722. In 1787 the name was not autho-
Liesermann rized, but after the decree of December 1787 it was borne as a
Liepmann name.

Link In the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Linker

Lindauer From “Linde”, name of a plant, and also as a sign of a house

Linden name. Lindenmann is the name joined with Nathan Isaac.
Lindheimer Common in Bretten, in the district of Middle Rhine and in
Lindemann Murg and Pfinzkreis, Baden 1809.

Linz From the Austrian city of Linz , in Upper Austria.

Lion From Lion = Levi, in Ettenheim, Mahlberg area, Baden

1809.

Lippmann From the botanical name “Lipa” in Slavic = lime-tree.

Liepmann Lippmann shortened as Linn in US.– Existing in Baden 1809.
Since 1365 linked with “Eliezer” and “Gottlieb”,
Lipmann Gottlieb = Lieb = Lipmann.
Lipa Lipsky is a form from the city of Leipzig in Lipkin Saxony,
from the Slavic Lipsk=Lipa for its large number of limes.
Liper/(is)
Lipsky
Litman

Lisbone From the Portuguese capital.

Litmanowitz As Litman shortened in the US, without the suffix.

Lobenegg Instead of “Neckarsulm”, Baden 1809.

Lohberg Instead “Lonerstein”, Baden 1809.
Lobenheimer Place name in Baden.

Loeb/Löw New version for Löw, in the List of Mannheim 1809.

Löbmann
Löwmann

London New version from the Hebraic word Lamdan = scholar, when
Lopper the Jews were expelled from Bavaria, and went by 1545 to
Prague, someone bore this name.

170
Lorsch From a town in Hesse, common in Baden 1809.
Lorch
Lorgé/Lorig

Löser Translated in German from the Hebraic word = inheritance

administrator, common in 1700 and 1800.

Löw Translation of the symbol Yehuda = Juda; the Lion (Löwe) is

Loewens the symbol of Juda. Exists in the Stein area 1810, in Königs-
bach in the Rastatt area in 1814, Baden. In the List of Mann-
heim and Löwengardt
Logart Karlsruhe and also in Schmieheim.
Löwenberger

Löwenstein Changed in 1938 to different versions:

Lawton
Lewis
Livingstone
Lorris
Lowe(ns)
Lownds
Löb/Löw
Löwenthal
Löwson/Löwy

Lubar Unknown place of origin, from the Slavic “Lubar” = love.

Luber
Lubarsky

Lucis From the place name of Lucka in Silesia in 1809.

Löckel Since 1565 in Hesse, Germany.
Lucker
Lauck(a)
Leute
Leickart
Lindi
Lucal
Luchard
Lutgard

Lustig From Hebrew simhat = happy or Simhà = happiness, expen-

sive name, Baden 1809.

Lusheimer From the town of Neulussheim, Under Rhine, Baden.

171
Maas A dialect form for “Meise” = (bird) great tit or tomtit. Since
Meise 1776 and before the Names Edict; in the Judengasse of Frank-
Massenbach fort on Main. Common all over Baden.

Machol In the 18th and 19th centuries.

Maghuel

Mandel In 1700 and 1800 in Osterburken and Mosbach, d. Upper

Rhine.
Maendel “Mandel” is = almond; common for Jewish families in the
area of Mosbach. A form also of the “Mendel”
Mandelbaum
Mandelstamm

Mager Given name, in the area of Mullheim, Baden 1809.

Mahler In the Mahlberg area, Altdorf, and district of Under Rhine,

Baden.

Maienthal Place name, Baden.

Maier Existing in the area of Bretten, Heidelsheim, Pfalz, in the

district of Middle Rhine, Murg and Pfinzkreis 1827, Königs-
bach and Stein.

Maimann Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden

Mainzer Place name From Mainz, Baden.

Major Given name, in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Malkes From the Hebrew “Malkah” = queen.

Malkow Same form as the previous “Malkes” from Hebrew “Malkah”,

Malkoff queen.
Malkin(son)

Mamelsdorf From the town of Mamelsdorf, Baden 1809.

Mandelbaum Plant name (Bot.) as sign in the House shields, Baden 1809.
Mandel See “Menahem” and “Mandel”.
Mandula

172
Manes From “Menascheh” = man’s name. Name of Hebraic origin in
the 1700s and 1800s. Common in Morbach and Wangen,
Constance area.

Mannes Doubtful name by 1810, and changed for Grub Hilb and Maier,
Mann in Sulzburg Müllheim area, Baden.

Mannheim Place name, common before the Names Edict, in the north
Baden.
Mannheimer In Schmieheim too, Mahlberg area, and the biggest Jewish
community in Baden 1809. As Mannheimer it exists in Eber-
bach, Flehingen, Ladenburg, Gochsheim area, see the List of
Karlsruhe.

Maram/Meir Given name for Meir-Licht (light) = the illuminated”. In honour

of the Rabbi Meir of Rottenbug by 1200, numerous families
bore this name Meir after the Names Edict. Common in South
and West Germany, imported in Bohemia and Moravia.

Marko/Mark Name of German origin, in Baden 1809.

Markbreiter Mark is a short form, without the suffix.

Marks Shortened form of Markus.

Marcus (o)
Mark (x)

Marlock In the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Marmorstein As “marble”, the US short form is “Martin”.

Martin

Marx See Marks. The family Levi and Levi-Marx, existing in the
Marxheim Bretten area, in the district of Middle Rhine and since 1827 in
Murg and Pfinzkreis. The name all over Baden 1809, and in
the area Müllheim, in Sulzburg Constance area, in Gailingen,
in Pfalz, in Heidelsheim, and since 1827 in Murg and Pfinz-
kreis.

Matthias In Königsbach Pforzheim area, Baden.

Mattis
Mattathias
Matthew
Mathison
Matisoff

173
Mayer Hebraic name, see Meir, used in 1809, in the Emmendingen
May/Mai Ihringen and Eichstetten area, south of Baden. Mayer exists
too in Murbach, Wangen, Sulzburg, area Müllheim; see list of
Karlsruhe-Mayer in Lörrach too, since 1772 in Kurpfalz, since
1743 Baden.

Meckesheim Name of small communities as in the town of Heidelberg,

Meckesheimer Baden 1809.

Meir “Licht” as light = the “illuminated, with the following forms:

Meyerfeld
Meyerhardt
Meyerheim
Meyersberg
Meyerstein
Meyersicht
Meyers

Meisel/Maizel Name borne in 1550, from the Meisel Synagogue of Prague.

Meislish
Meizlich
Mordecai
Moshe/Moses

Melber A flowers trader.

Mendel/Mandel Is the diminutive of the Hebraic name “Menahem”, see

Mandelbaum Kaganoff.
Mandelbrodt
Mandelblum
Mandelmann
Mandelsüss
Mandelstamm
Mend(s)berg
Menkin
Mendthal
Mendelowitz
Mendelson

Menge (s) In North German it means trader, in the 1700 and 1800.

Menke (sohn) In the Müllheim area, Baden.

Ment Name of Hebraic origin since 1776.

174
Menzinger In small communities as Menzingen, Gochsheim area, Under
Rhine.

Mergentheim From Bad Mergentheim, Wurttemberg 1809.

Merman

Metzger Trade and occupational names since 1400 are borne also by
non-Jews, as “Arzt, Becker, Metzger, Schreiner and Schnei-
der”. Later on not only the trade names. Metzger = butcher.

Merz/Mez Month name for March, in the North of Baden 1809. Mez
could be the French place of origin. It exists also in the district
of Upper Rhine in the area of Breisach, Baden 1809.

Meyer From the whole of Baden in 1809.

Meyerbeer Double name, from Meyer and Beer.

Meyerlinger Other “Meyer” form.

Meiling
Meilingen

Michel Name of Hebraic origin, Michael = “Someone who is like

God”.

Midas See the “Tabelle Baden” List 1809.

Milhaud From the town of Milhaud near Nimes in the south of France.
Milgrom

Milstein Means “miller” in English, from the miller or the miller-stone

Millstone Baden

Mintz From the city of Mainz in the Palatinate, Baden 1809.

Minc/ Menz
Munz

Miskolezi From the town of Miskolc, in the Borsod-Zemplén county,

Hungary.

Miranda Place name in Spain.

Mischowski Mishow is the US short form, without the suffix.

Mishow

175
Mistelfelder In the whole area of Baden.
Mislowitzer

Mlotok Is a little hammer, in Russian.

Moch/Mock Moch and Mauch in 1700 and 1800, in Nonnen-weiher, Ba-

den.
Mauch Mock foud in the Under Rhine district 1809, and Lörrach
area.

Model Old Hebraic name, existing in the Pforzheim area, Baden 1809.
Modela
van Modran

Monath Only in the north of Baden.

Montagu The family name of “Romeo and Julietta” of Shakespeare, the

“Montecchi” means “a pointed mountain“.

Moos (er) Coming from “Mose”, in Gochsheim, in the Waldshut area –

Moosbacher Under Rhine, in Randegg; see List of Radolfszell 1814.
Mosbacher

Morgen Morgen = tomorrow, in the US changed for Morgenstern.

Morgenstern

Morgenthau The registering of this name was in 1779.

Moses Old Hebraic name.

Masheles
Manscheles

Motzkin A garrison’s name, from the Hebraic “Motz” (moreh zedek),

= teacher of justice (Rabbi).

Mueller Name instead of Oscher, south of the Kinzig, Under Rhine,

Baden.

Mühlstock Mills as English, or Multin in French.

Mühlstein

Münzesheimer Exists in the area of Gochsheim, in the district of Under Rhine,

in Bauerbach, Gondelheim, Menzingen, Rohrbach, Stebbach
Weiler and Baden 1809.

176
Muthart Peculiarity, exists only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden,
1809.

Mutter Name existing all over Baden 1809. “The same rights of both
Mother the parents in the ethics matter are emphasized, against the
Biblical opinion, by the Jewish teaching”.

177
Nachman(n) Name of Hebraic origin, Nachman of Braclaw (1772– 1811)
is a member of European Chassidism.

Nadel Is the symbol of the tailor’s occupation, the “needle”.

Nadenheim Is an imaginative form of “Nathan”, in Baden in the List of

Karlsruhe.

Nagel Given name for a carpenter, the symbol of” Nail”.

Nager/Nuger From the Hebrew “naggar” = carpenter.

Neiger

Naphtali Name, of the son of the Jakobs, as Naphtali Herz Mendels-

heim.

Nathan Name of Hebraic origin from the prophet. Common in the

Nadenheim 18th and 19th centuries. “Son and Hausen” could be a short
Nathanson form of the same name.
Nathausen
Natowic

Nauen It exists in the whole Land of Baden, 1809.

Nay(j)mark From the town of Neumark, in Poland and in Bohemia.

Newmark

Neder In the area of Breisgau, south of Baden 1809.

Neidenstein (er) In some small communities, in the district of Baden.

Nelson Some names changed into Nelson, as Levi, Isaak, Katzen-

ellenbogen or Samuel; in the area of Emmendingen, Baden.

Netter/Neder Only in the area of Mahlberg and in the south of Baden.

Nä(h)ter
Nöther

Neu For the new names, in the area of Breisach, Upper Rhine,
Neuburg(er) Baden “New, Newman and Noymer” are short forms in US.
Neumann
Neumetzger
Newhouse

178
Neugass Place of origin, found in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Neumark See “Naymark”, place name, in Breisgau Upper Rhine, Ba-

den, 1809.

Neustadter From Neustadt, exists in Baden 1809.

Nieheim Only in the area of Breisgau, district Upper Rhine, Baden,

1809.

Nissenbaum “Nissen” is the Hebraic month of Nisan, or in Hebrew the

Nissenfeld walnut-tree.
Nissenholtz

Noether See “Netter”, only in Kuppenheim 1814, or Rastatt-Baden

1809.

Nuernberg From the city of Nuremberg in Bavaria. In short form:

Nurnberg.

Nussbaum Name from the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main since 1776,

means (Walnut).

179
Oberländer Only in Diersburg, Mahlberg area and in Durlach since 1670,
Obinheimer Baden.

Odenheimer Exists in Karlsruhe 1809, in the Province of Baden 1809, and

in Ödinger the district of Under Rhine, also in Deidelsheim,
Heidelsheim Walldorf and Heinsheim. Ödinger from the town
of Öttingen, Baden.

Öhlesheimer From the town of Öhlesheim, Breisach area, district of Upper

Ohlesheimer Rhine, Baden 1809.

Österreicher Someone from Austria, short form in the US and Baden,

“Ostier”.

Ofner “Ofen” is the German translation of the city of Buda, the

western half-part of the Hungarian capital “Budapest”.

Olitzki US short form without a suffix is “Oli”.

Opfinger From the town of Opfingen, Breisach area, Upper Rhine 1900.

Oppenheimer Place name from the town of Oppenheim on the Rhine, Palatin-
ate. Since 1722 in Heidelberg; “Oppenheim” was also an old
Jewish community in Hesse. Name also in the Upper Rhine
area, in Main, in Diersburg area, in Neufreistett, Stollhofen and
south of Baden. In Karlsruhe too, in the district of Under Rhine.

Orchndesch In the US was changed into “Orr”.

Orenstein Is a dialectal form of “Aaron”.

Ohrenthal
Horn
Hornstein
Hornthal
Orljansky
Orlan Is shortened in the US.
Gorenstein Is the Russian form for the name “Orljansky”.
Oren

Orttenborg From the town of Ortenburg near Passau, in Bavaria 1809.

Ortlieb Ortlieb is a name of German origin, existing in Marbach, Wan-
Ortenberg gen and Constance, Baden 1809.

Ostheimer From the town of Ostheim in Thuringia, Baden 1809.

Ottenheimer Place name from the town of Ottenheim, Baden 1809.

Odenheim

180
Pacifico Translation from the name “Shelomo or Shalom” = peace, in
the Sephardim traditions.

Paderborn From a town in Westphalia, Germany.

Pailet An unknown origin, common in Baden 1809.

Palm Plant name (Bot:), as house sign, North Baden 1809, Middle
Rhine.

Pardo Place name from “El pardo” near Madrid in Spain.

Pasternak Russian term of “Pastinak “, as salad trader or parsley.

Patinkin Slavic word “Patinka” that means “slipper or shoemaker”.

Pauker Means a small drum.

Pecsi Hungarian place name, from the town Pècs in the Baranya
county.

Peterwardeiner Place name from “Peterwardein” in the former Yugoslavia.

Pfälzer Someone coming from Palatinate, in Germany.

Pfeiffer Existing in the d. Under Rhine 1809; and since 1670 in Dur-
lach, Baden.
Pfifferling Pfifferling is a mushroom.

Pforzheimer Place name, in Baden.

Pickert In Baden 1809.

Bickard

Pilger Since 1731 in Wurttemberg, common also among the Christi-

Bilber ans.

Pilish From the Hungarian town of Pilis, near of Budapest.

Pinkas Hebraic name, son of Eleazar and nephew of Aaron.

Pinchas
Pincherle

181
Pintus Changed into “Pine” as shortened form in the US.
Pine

Plotzheim From the town of Blotzheim, in the area of Breisach, Baden.

Pniower Phonetic change in the US, as “Power”.

Power

Polajewski Shortened in the US as “Pola”.

Pola

Pollak The Slavic word means “the Polish”. Moses Valentin Pollak
Pollatschek was the “Sir of Eisenstadt” by 1781. Pollatschek is shortened
Pollat as “Pollat”. The form “Bollag” is very common in Switzerland.
Pollock
Bollag

Pommer Exists in Baden.

Popper Someone coming from Frankfort; Frankfort on Main called

“Popper”.

Possel Only in the area of Gochsheim and in the district of Under

Posselt Rhine, Baden.

Potok From the town in East Galicia; Potok means “stream or river”.

Prager From the capital of Czekia, exists in Altdorf, Mahlberg area,

Präger Baden.

Pressburger From the city of Bratislava (former Pressburg) capital of

Slovakia. Only in Rexingen near Horn on the Neckar river,
Baden.

Preuss By the American pronunciation it changed into “Pruce”.

Pruce

Priebatsch The American short form is “Priebat “.

Prinz Originally from an earlier form of the city of Florence,

“Florenca” as F-R-N-Z.-

182
Rabin The Biblical Rabbi is the nephew of Hanna. “Rabba as Han-
Rabinovich na”.

Rakusin From the place name of Ragusa, today Dubrovnik in Croatia.

Rakusino Other English forms: Racusin or Racoosin.
Rakuzino
Racuen

Rappe Name from the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main since 1776.

Rapport The family Rappaport had as a house sign the crows. When
Rappaport they went to Portugal, the name “Rabe” was joined with “Por-
to” = Rappaport.

Rastatter From the village of Rastatt, in Baden 1809.

Rath Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Rau Given name, in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Regendorfer From Reckendorf, Baden 1809.

Regensberg Place name from the town of Regensburg in Bavaria.

Reich Given name, as “rich”, in the district of Under Rhine, Baden

1809.

Reichelson The Hebraic name “Rachel” was changed in German and

Reich Yiddish to “Reichel”. Other forms: Reichelson = son of
Reiche Reichel, and Reich = rich (English). Exists only in the Under
Reichenbaum Rhine district 1808.
Reichenburg
Reichert
Reichheim
Reichloeser
Reichlos
Reichman
Reichner
Reichstein
Reichthal

Reilinger From the town of Reilingen, Baden 1809.

Reimann Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

183
Reinhorn Place name, in the area of Breisgau, in the Upper Rhine, Ba-
den 1809.

Reinach All over Baden, 1809.

Reinbach
Reingangheim
Rheingonnheim

Reines Katherina in Greek = queen, translation from Katherine/

Cathrine.

Reingenheim Short form as “Rhein” without the suffix.

Reisbeck In Baden 1809.

Reiss Exists in the town of Bretten, district of Middle Rhine. After

the subdivision the Jewish community in 1827, it was annexed
to Murg and Pfinzkreis.

Reiter Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Ryter Name of Russian Jews who were timber traders, and who were
Reitzes working by the tree trunks with horses.

Ress Instead of “Israel”, exists in Altdorf, Mahlberg area, Baden

1809.

Reuss Since 1776 name originating from the Judengasse in Frank-

fort on Main only in the area of Emmendingen in the Upper
Rhine, Baden 1809.

Reutlinger Reutlinger comes from the town of Reutlingen near Stuttgart-

Wur.
Reitlinger Reitlingen is a dialectal form of Swabia. Exists in Durlach
since 1690 and in Rastatt Baden 1814. The name is found
also in the area of Pforzheim, Königsbach and the Lörrach
area.

Rheinauer Place name from the Rhine river and mountains, only in the
Rheinheim district of Under Rhine, Baden.
Rheinsheim

Rhinauer Place of origin, since 1805 in the area of Breisgau, d. Upper

Rhine.

184
Ribalow From the Slavic word “Riba” = fish, is a Polish fisher-
man.

Ribeisen Reibeisen, is a dealer of cooking utensils.

Richold Only in Baden 1809.

Richter Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Riesenfeld Ried, short form with the elimination of the middle syllable in
the US.

Ries Since 1776 in Frankfort on Main; another form “Riess” also

Rieser exists in the Judengasse of Frankfort. Also in the county of
Riess Baden 1809, in the area of Müllberg, in Sulzburg and Breis-
gau area.

Rindskopf Since 1776 a name in the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main.

Ringel
Goldring

Rittner Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Robinson Common in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Rockoff Place name from the town of Rakov near Minsk, WhiteRussia.
Rakov
Rackover
Rackowsky
Rackofsky

Roedel Place name from the town of Roedelheim near Frankfort,

Baden 1809.

Roederer From the biggest Jewish community in Schmieheim, Mahl-

Röderer berg area, Baden.
Roderer

Roen Is a short form in the US from Rosendorf.

Rohr Instead of “Nathan”. See Karlsruhe list 1809, and in the area
Rohrbacher of Gochsheim in Under Rhine district, in Flehingen, Ittlingen,
Rohrmann Menzingen Münzesheim, Baden 1809.

185
Rolland In the whole of Baden 1809.

Roos Concerning the horse trade, only in the Under Rhine district
Rooss 1809.

Rose Since 1776 is a house shield in the Judengasse of Frankfort on

Main.
Rosen Rosen is an American short form for “Rosenstein”.
Rosenau
Rosenbach
Rosenbaum The botanical term is “plant of roses”, but a house sign too.
Rosenband “Rosetree” is the US short form of “Rosenbaum”.
Rosenblatt “Baum” is the US short form of “Rosenbaum”.
Rosenberg/Hill
Rosenberg/Roos
Rosenbusch
Rosendorf
Rosenfelder
Rosenheim
Rosenkranz
Rosenstiel
Rosenstock
Rosenthal
Rosenzweig With the elimination of the middle syllable in the US, “Ros-
wig”.

Rost Roos is a house sign in the Judengasse of Frankfort since 1776.

Roos Is the American short form of “Rosshalter”.
Rostholder

Rosenburger Only in Karlsruhe, 1809.

Rossheimer Without the middle syllable “Rossmer”.

Rossenfels In the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Rossenfeld

Rothhirsch In English = red deer, the US short form is “Roth”.

Roth
Rothenhaus Place of origin, in the district of Under Rhine, it was registered
as a name in Nov. 1809, exists in Orschweiher, Mahlberg as
given name.
Rothenburg In Breisgau. too and Upper Rhine 1805, Baden.

186
Rothschild Since 1776 a well known name and house shield in Frankfort
on Main.
Child The name represents the only Jewish family in Donaueschin-
gen, Villingen 1809, R. exists in Worblingen, Constance area
1809, in Waldshut, in Randegg 10/1809, and in Radolfszell
1814. The family name is common in 1500, and since 1776,
long before the Names Edict, it was borne in the d. of Upper
Rhine and in the county of Palatinate, and also in Pforzheim,
and Königsbach in the Saint Andrea part.
“Child” is the US short form for “Rothschild”.

Rothstein “Stein” is a short form of “Rothstein”.

Stein

Ruben (s) Name of Hebraic origin, son of Jakob.

Rubenstein
Rubin
Rubinfeld
Rubinger
Rubinstein

Ruf Since 1670 existing in Durlach, Baden, and in Lörrach, Ba-

den 1809.

Rülsheimer Place name, from the town of Rülzheim, Baden 1809.

Rund Given name, only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Runkel New name, it appears in the Names Edict in 1809, Baden.

187
Sachs Someone who came in the 14th century from Saxony, Germany.
Zachs

Sahlheimer Changed from: Zalman Halevi, Baden 1809.

Salinger Place name from the town of Solingen in Westphalia, Germany.

Solinger

Salm Name from the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main since 1776,

it is a short form of “Salomon” (see next entry).

Salomon Name of Hebraic origin, and the biblical son of David. It is

Sadirni probably a name existing in the area of Rastatt, Baden 1814.
Salomon In Wangen too, in Marbach and in the area of Constance.
Salm
Salten
Salton
Sandersen
Sands
Sanford
Santos
Seaman
Selton
Sloan
Solomon
Stone

Saloniki Place name from the city of Salonika in the north of Greece.

Sameth Name for a person called “Simon” or”Shimon” = Sammt.

Sammt

Samokorlija Place name of the town of Samokov, near the capital of

Bulgaria.

Samstag As the month = “Saturday”, only borne in the North of Ba-

Samst den.
Samostie

Samuel Name of Hebraic origin, Samuel is in the Bible “hanavi” =

Shmuel the prophet. Only in Waldshut, Randegg, Tabelle Radolfszell
Sauril List, Baden, 1814.
Schmelke
Schmulik
Zangwill/Zarill

188
Sandon In Baden 1809.

Sänger Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden

Saragossi Place name from the city of Saragossa in Spain.

Sassenheimer Place name from the town of Grosssachsen in Baden.

Sassemer

Satz Common name from Lithuania.

Schatz
Shatz

Sauer Given name, exists in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809
Sauerbrunn and in the Burgenland (Austria).
Sauerbruch

Schachtel Comes from house n° 99 of the Judengasse of Frankfort on

Main. Is a change of the name “shochet” (Schächter) = a ritual
butcher.

von Seelenberg Since 1787 in Baden. In US the short form of Seelenfreund =

Seelenfreund is “Friend”.
Friend

Seidenberger Common instead of “Jacob”, only in the district of Under

Rhine, See List of Karlsruhe, Baden

Seidenfaden Seiden = silk, name for a tailor, in Baden 1809.

Seitz Is the Russian word for the rabbit, in Baden 1809.

Saitz

Sekeles Name of Hebraic origin in 1700 and 1800. Is also a Hungarian

Sekler place name, and in Israel a coin maker.
Sekel

Seligmann Selig means “the blessed”, name of German origin. Existing

Selig (k) in the district of Under Rhine, in the Constance area, in Wan-
Zelig gen, in Marbach 1809, and in the Palatinate since 1722 and
Zelik 1743.

Serf Cerf means in French “deer”, existing in Bretten, in the Pala-

Cerf tinate, in the Middle Rhine district, and since 1827 in Murg
and Pfinzkreis.

189
Saphiro Someone who comes from the city of Speyer, in the Palati-
Spira nate, see chapter 2. Different forms of the the same name exist.
Spier The Jews went there since the end of Spire 11th century. They
Spiro were expelled from the town in 1350. Later local Jews
Spero emigrated to Poland, Bohemia, Hungary and Russia.
Sprai
Szpir
Saphir
Chapiro

Sichel Name from the Judengasse of Frankfort since 1776. The name
could come from the diminutive of Isaak = “Sekel”.

Siegel Name from the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main since 1776.

Siegelmann The name of Chagal could have the same origin.
Ziegel
Ziegelmann
Ziegler

Sievert Name of German origin.

Silbertag Silber is “silver” and Tag is “day”. The US shortened forms

Silbermann are: “Stein or Silversmith or Steen”.
Silberschmidt
Silberstein
Silverberg

Simon Name of Biblical origin, only in Baden since 1787.

Schimme(l)
Schimmche
Schimon

Sinauer Place of origin from Sinn (Hesse). Only found in the Under
Rhine.

Sinzheimer Place name from Sinzheim – Rastatt, in Baden 1809.

Sinsheimer
Sunz

Siracusa Place name from the town of Siracusa, in Sicily (Italy).

Sohn Sohn as the old Hebraic name of Moses. Only in the Müll-
heim area. Baden.

190
Solokow Sokol is the Slavic word for “hawk”.
Sokoloff
Sokolowsky
Sokol

Söldner Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden

Solomon See Salomon.

Saling(er)
Salm(son)
Salomon

Sommer As “summer”, only in the north of Baden 1809, in the area of

Sommerfreund Bretten, in Jöhlingen, in the Palatinate, in the Middle Rhine
district and in Murg-Pfinzkreis.

Sontheimer “Sont” and “Sund” are the old terms for “the South”, as
Sundheimer Sundgau = Südgau.

Spatz Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Spiegel From the Judengasse of Frankfort since 1776 and in the Under
Spiegelhall Rhine district in the north of Baden. Spiegel = “mirror”.
Hall Is the US short form.

Spira See Saphiro, place name from the town of Speyer in the Pala-
Saphiro tinate.

Springer Place name from the town of Springen near Heidenheim, Ba-
den 1809.

Stadecker In Baden 1809.

Stadeker

Stahl Stahl means “steel”; only in the Schmieheim district on Under

Rhine Baden 1809 and in the Mahlberg area, Baden.

Stammhalter Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden, 1809.

Stargardter From the town Stargard in East Prussia, shortened as “Star” in

the US.

Stark Stark = “strong”, only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden,

1809.

191
Staschover Only in Baden 1809.

Steeg House name in the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main since

Steegemann 1776.
Steegmann

Stein Stein = stone = Shteyn in Yiddish. Some jewellers were called

Steinfeld “Steiner” or “Edelsteiner”. All over Baden.
Steinhardt
Steinhart
Steinhausser
Steinheim
Steinmann
Steinum

Stengel Stengel = “stalk”, in Baden 1809.

Stempel Stempel = “stamp”, only in the district of Under Rhine, Ba-

den.

Sternreich Since 1776 name in the Judengasse of Frankfort on Main.

Stern Short form as “Stern” in Pforzheim, in Königsbach and North
of Baden.
Sternweiler Is a place of origin, only in the district of Under Rhine, Ba-
den 1809.
Sternfels
Sternheimer

Stiefel Stiefel = “boot”, since 1776 a name in the Judengasse of Frank-

Stieglitz fort on Main and all over Baden.

Stoller From the Russian name “stolyar” = carpenter.

Strasser Place name from the city of Strasburg in Alsace, in Karlsruhe

Strassburg(er) too and in Hippenheim in Baden and Paltinate.

Strauss Name from the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main. Karlsruhe,

Baden.

Strick Place name, only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Strohmann Only in Gochsheim, district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Stumpf Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

192
Sunz From Sinzheim in the North of Baden.

Süsskind Name of German origin, Baden 1809.

Schaffer Is an administrator.
Schafranek

Schatten Place name from Schadthausen or Schotten, in Hesse 1809.

Schotten

Schatz “Schatzmann”, a preacher in the synagogue, or a spiritual

Schatzmann guide, only found in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Schauk Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Schaul Comes from the Hebraic name of “Saul” = Schaul.

Shawl Shawl is a US short form.

Scheier Unknown origin, but some storm-roofs (Schauer) also exist in

Schauer Leipzig in Saxony.
Schayer
Schorr

Scheinberg Place name from Schönberg in West Prussia.

Schönberg
Schein
Scheinmann
Schenmann
Schenberg
Schenberger
Scheinberger
Scheinfeld
Schenfeld

Schemel Name of Hebraic origin, by 1700 and 1800. “Schem-el” name

of a God as Samuel.

Schenkolewsky Schenk = “Inn”, short form.

Schenk

Scher(er) Name in the US and Europe, for a tailor.

Scheuer House shield name in the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main.

since 1776. Common before the Names Edict. “Scheuer” =
granary.

193
Scheuer/ Shewer A cleaner. Only in the district of Under Rhine, 1809. Shewer
Scheuermann is a US dialect form of the old name.

Schiff Name of the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main since 1776, and

common in the district of Under Rhine in the North of Baden.

Schild Name of the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main since 1776,

common also in the Under Rhine, Baden 1809. Schild means
“shield”.

Schimmel A diminutive from the Hebrew name of “Schimon”.

Schirokauer Place name from Schirokau, shortened as “Shearer” in the

Shearer US.

Schlackenwerth Only in Baden 1809.

Schledorn Plant name (Bot.), in Baden 1809.

Schleich(er) Someone who is hiding, given name in Baden 1809.

Schlesinger Common in the area and town of Rastatt, in the area of

Schlösinger Gochsheim, in Menzingen and Munzesheim, in the Saint An-
dreas part, in Pforzheim, Flehingen, Gondelsheim and Baden
1809.

Schlosser Means “a lock maker”, a trade and occupational name, in the

Under Rhine district, in the south of Kinzig, in Pforzheim,
Königsbach.

Schloss Name of the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main since 1776, it

means “castle”, only in the north of Baden and in the district
of Under Rhine 1809.

Schmalz “Schmalz” means “butcher”, is an occupational name, only in

the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Schmidt Schmidt = Smith in the US, the most common name in the
western world, borne from Jews and non-Jews, in the Under
Rhine district, 1809.

Schmule From the Hebraic name “S(ch)amuel”.

Shmuel

194
Schnadinger Place name from the town of Schnatting near Straubing, Ba-
den 1809.

Schnapper Only exists in Heidelberg since 1722, and Weinheim.

Schneider Schneider means “tailor”, common since the 15th century. Only
in the district of Under Rhine, Baden, 1809.

Schnell Schnell as “fast or quick”, only in the district of Under Rhine,

Baden 1809.

Schnurmann “Schnur” = “Schwiegertochter” (old German) = “daughter-

in-law”. In Schmieheim, Mahlberg area, in the district of
Middle Rhine and in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Schoch Name of Hebraic origin, soq = Schenkel, since 1700 and 1800.

Schoenbach Place name from the town of Schönbrunn in East Bohemia

Schoenfeld (today Jedlova), but under the rule of the Empress Maria
Field Theresia the Jews were expelled from Austria and they were
Schönberger accepted in Hungary. It exists as a US translation of “Fair
Schönbrunn brook”. Schönberger only in Karlsruhe and Mannheim, Ba-
Schönteil den 1809.
Schönwald

Schopflich Only in Baden 1809.

Schopfloch

Schor Name of Hebraic origin, Schor means “ox”.

Schorsch German dialectal form as “Georg”, in Germany 1809.

Schott Existing in Randegg, Waldshut area, 1810, in the “Tabelle

Schottländer Radolfszell 1814” List and in the district of Under Rhine,
Baden 1809.

Schrag An Aramaic and Hebrew origin, borne in 1770 and 1800. The
translation means: “candel or light”.

Schreiber From the Hebrew “scrib” = writer. Only in the Under Rhine,
1809.

Schuhmacher Means “a shoemaker”, only in the Under Rhine and South

Kinzig.

195
Schulmann Means “a teacher”, only in the district of Under Rhine, Ba-
den, 1809.
Skolnic Slavic for teacher.
S(c)hames Hebrew for teacher.

Schüsler Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Schuster A shoe artisan, only in the district of under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Schutwolf Existing in the whole of Baden 1809.

Schwarz Given name as personal characteristics, “black” in Under

Rhine.

Schweitzer An occupational name: “a stable keeper or a milker”. Only in

Altdorf, Mahlberg area, Baden 1809.

Schwetzer Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Schwabich Place name from the town of Schwabach near Nuremberg,

Schwab Middle Franconia in Bavaria 1809. Existing in the area of
Breisach, Upper Rhine, in Ettlingen in the Swabia Baden, in
theDurlach-Baden and in Schmieheim 1809. In Waldshut and
Randegg since 1810 and 1814, also in Worblingen, Constance
area, Müllheim in the south of Baden, and Emmendngen,
Upper Rhine, Baden.

Schwan “The swan”, since 1776 a house shield of Judengasse in Frank-

fort.

Schwarzenberger From different origins. In the whole of Baden 1809.

Schwarzkopf
Blackhead A US translation.
Schwarz
-Ebbon
Schwarzberg A mountain in Poland.
Schwarzmann
Schwarzschild A “black shield” from the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main
since1776.
Schwarz Only in Orschweiher, Mahlberg area, Baden 1809.
Schwarzwälder Place name from a river and mountains, in the Under-Rhine
district.

196
Tauch In Baden 1809.

Tessler As “carpenter” in Ukrainian.

Thalheimer In Baden 1809.

Thomas From the Christian name “Teomim”.

Tiefenbronner Only found in the area of Stein, Baden 1810.

Tikotzki/Tick Tick is the short form.

T(D)obriner Place name from Dobrin in Hungary; only in Baden 1809.

Tockuss/Tuck Tuck is the short form in the US.

Toledano Place name from the town of Toledo in Spain.

Tolnauer Place name from the county of Tolna (Tolnau), in south

Hungary.

Torres Place name from the town of Torres, Estremadura in Portugal.

Traube A house sign in the Judengasse in Frankfort since 1776.

Traumann Exists in Karlsruhe 1809, in Bretten, in Middle and Under

Rhine, Baden.

Traupel From the Judengasse in Frankfort on Main since 1776.

Traut Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Trevus/Tribas Someone who comes from Treves (Trier) in the Palatinate,

Dreyfus see chapter 2. Name existing since 1300, in Treves since 1295
Trevi(e)s and 1306. Other name forms of the city: Trier, Troyes, Treviri,
Trefus Trivash or Treves.

Trennbach Place name from the town of Obertrennbach, Baden 1809.

Trepp Uncertain house name in Frankfort since 1776, in Upper Rhine.

Treu/Troy “Treumann” is the old name, and “Troy” the US pronunciation.

Tuchmacher Means “textile producer”, only in the Under Rhine district,

Baden 1809.

197
Überrheiner Means “beyond the Rhine river”, common in the area of Stein
1809 and in Königsbach 1810.

Ufenheimer An old place of origin. Existing in Breisgau, district of Upper

Uffner Rhine Baden 1809, since 1700 only in south Baden, Baden-
Uffenheimer Baden, Friesenheim and Kippenheim.

Ulff Since 1722 only in Heidelberg and Weinheim, Baden. The

Uhlmann name is comes from the city of Ulm (Baden) or from Ulrich.
Ullmann Exists in Gailingen, area Constance and in the districts of
Ulmann Upper/Under Rhine 1809. In Ettenheim, Mahlberg area also,
Ulman in Karslruhe, in Durlach since 1670 in Baden from the town
Ulmer of Ulm, and since1636 in Baden Durlach.

Untermayer All over Baden 1809.

Reymer
Reimer

Uri Means in Hebrew “my light”, is a Christian name, in Greek it

Feiss is “Phobus”, and in Yiddish “Feibish”.
Fifli
Feibisch

Urspringer Place name from the town of Urspringen in Bavaria, only in

Baden.

198
Valfer Only in Diersburg, Mahlberg area, Baden 1809.
Valffer(n)
Wolf

del Vecchio One of the four Princely families in Italy, in Rome since 70
A.D. with the other families “degli Adolescenti”, ‘Mansi’,
“dePomis”.

Veill French form of the name “Weil”. In German “Weiler” means

= a little place. Name existing in the whole of Germany.

Veis English form for Weiss, used in the US.

Vise

Verwer Occupational name: a “colorist”, Yiddish form, since 1423

Baden.

Veit Since 1700 and 1800 existing in the whole “Land” of Baden.
Since 1787 in Baden, in Bretten, in Pfalz district of Middle
Rhine, in the Emmendingen area, also Upper Rhine district
and in Gochsheim.

Vida Spanish translation from the Hebrew “Chayyah” (life), in

Spain.

Vigoda Wygoda means in Polish = “Inn”. The inn owners were mainly
Jews. Very common in the whole of Poland.

Viktor Means from Latin = “victorious”.

Viscl French form for: Vives, Viss, Vis, Vivelmann, Veivelmann, or

Fiscl Feibelmann and Fischmann too.
Feischl/ Feis

Vivas See “Uri”, different form of the name “Phoebus”. In the martyr
Feivus List of 1096 and 1184 in Troyes, and on the tombstones in
Phoebus Frankfort on Main we often find the names: “Vives, Vifs, Vis,
Vives or Vivs”. Since 1600 the name changed the initial, from “F”
to “V”.

Vlach See “Bloch” = “Welsch”, a stranger coming from the west.

Vogel “Bird”, only in Schmieheim, area Mahlberg, the biggest Jewish

community in Baden.

199
Volks Name of German origin.
Volg

Vollweiler Place name, in Baden.

Vorchheimer Place name from “Forchheimer”, probably South of Baden

1809.

200
Wachheimer Only in Schmieheim area Mahlberg, Baden 1809 and in
Wachter Eichstetten area Emmendingen, Baden 1809.
Wachenheimer

Wagner Someone who produces or drives wagons, in Baden 1809.

Wahl In Poland it was understood as “Wol” = oxen.

Walner

Wahrheimer In the whole Baden 1809.

Waldeck “The corner in the wood”, Baden 1809.

Waldorfer Place name from Waldorf; Baden 1809.

Waldmann Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809.

Wallenstein Existing in the area of Gochsheim, district of Under Rhine,

Wallensteiner and in Ittlingen, Flehingen, Gondelsheim, Menzingen, Münzes-
heim, Königsbach and Phorzheim, in Baden.

Walter Instead of the name “Wolf”, name of German origin, only to

find in Johlingen and Bretten, since 1827 in Baden.

Warburg Place name from the city of Warburg in Westphalia, Germany.

Wassermann Only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden 1809. Wassermann

-triedinger = Waterman US translation. Town of Place name from the
Wasservogel Wassertrüdingen Bavaria).
Waters An American pronunciation.

Weber “A textile producer”, a new family name like Becker, Flei-

scher, or Breuer.

Wechselmann “A money changer” between the Aschkenazim, “Welmann”

is a US short form without the middle syllable.

Weil Weil is an old place of origin, in Breisgau since 1805, in Ihrin-

Wail gen, Emmendingen area, in the district of Upper Rhine in
Weyhl Baden, in Altdorf too, Diersburg, Ittlingen, in Gochsheim,
Weiler Bretten area in Middle Rhine 1827 and in Murg/Pfinzkreis.
Wyler Wyler comes from the town of Weil am Rhine, and Weil exists
Weilmann in the whole of Baden; since 1700 in Kippenheim and Frie-
senheim.

201
(Weil) Since 1600 in Altdorf, Mahlberg, Oschweiher, Nonnenweiher
and Ettenheim, Baden. Since 1300 in Wurttemberg too, later
Weiler = Weile = Weil in Gailingen 1814, in Waldshut-
Randegg 1814, in Lörrach, Müllheim and Sulzburg- Baden.
Weiler is a new chosen name of some inhabitants, instead of
their old Hebraic names.

Weinberg Place of origin in the district of Under Rhine, Baden. Wein-

Weinberger berg is a mountain in Westphalia from “Wyntbark”, a suburb
Weinheimer of Danzig in Poland. It exists also a town called “Weinberg”
near Nikolsburg in Moravia. Weinheimer only in Eschelbach
and Schulchtern, Baden 1809.

Weiner Place name from “Weinen”, but “Weiner” is the Yiddish word
Weinmann = Wine trader or wine producer”, “Weinheimer” too Baden
Weimann 1809. Weinmann only in the area of Gochsheime, and in the
Weinglass districts of Under/Middle Rhein, Baden. The Yiddish word
Weingartner “Weinles” was changed for the “Weinglas”.
Weingärtner
Weingarten
Weinschenk “Weinschenk or Weinshank” are both US phonetic forms.
Weinstein

Weisel Place name from the town of Wesel on Rhine, Westphalia

(Ger.)

Weisenborger Only in the area of Bretten, district of Middle Rhine, and since
Weisenreich 1827 in Murg and Pfinzkreis.

Weiss The name “Weiss or Weisz”was borne in Hungary from people

Wyss with (personal characteristics) light hair. The “Album” form
Wys is Latin, and “Blanc – White – Bianchi – Bialik – Bielsky” are
Wis French, English, Italian and Slavic translations. Weiss exists
Wise in Altdorf, Mahlberg area, Baden 1809; and instead of “Laza-
Weis rus” in Orschweiher Baden. Weis and Weiss only in the district
Weissmann of under Rhine, Baden. During the Names Edict we find Weiss
Bianchi and Weissberg in Main-Tauberkreis. Wise is a US form.
Weisskopf
Weissfrau
Weisskind

Weitner Plant name (Bot.), in Baden 1809 and in Main-Tauber-

kreis.

202
Weissmann Only found in the districts of Upper/Under Rhine, and in the
White of Breisach, Baden 1809. White is a short US form.
Weissenburger
Weissenfeld
Weisshaupt
Weissberg
Whitehill (US translation).

Welsch See “Bloch or Vlach”, and Wallach all words meaning “stran-
Wersch ger”. After the Jewish expulsion from Germany in 1300, many
Jews went to the Polish king Kasimir the “big”. All these Jews
coming from the west (Europe) “the Welsche” were called in
Slavic “Wloch” and when they came back in 1600 to Germany,
they remained “the Bloch”.

Werner Name of German origin, existing in Baden 1809.

Wernberg

Wertheimer Place name from the town of Wertheim on the Main river,
Baden. Existing in the Bretten area, in Deidelsheim, Bauer-
bach, Pfalz, since 1827 in Murg and Pfinzkreis, and in Diers-
burg, Mahlberg-Baden area. Wertheimer was borne before
1809 in Nonnenweiher, and in the Emmendingen area in the
district of Upper Rhine, Baden. As the old place of origin
before 1800 in some towns of the district of Upper Rhine. As
a new name it appears in Wertheim, Bauerbach, Östringen,
Gemmingen, Tairnbach, Walldorf. “Worth” is a US translation.

Wesel Place name from the town of Wesel or Oberwesel on Rhine,

in Westphalia. Instead of the old Hebraic name. Only in Sulz-
burg and the Müllheim area, Baden 1809.

Westheimer In Baden 1809. Westfeld is a US form.

Westfeld

Wiebel Place name. Only in Schwetzingen, Baden 1809.

Wieblinger

Wiener See “Tabelle Baden” List 1809.

Wild Place name from Willstaett, Baden. Only in the Lörrach area,
Wildmann in Stein and Königsbach, Baden 1809.
Wildstetter
Willste(a)tter

203
Willmersdoerfer Wilmers is the US short form.
Willhelm

Wimpfheimer Place name from the town of Wimpfen, Baden 1809.

Wingert Dialect form for “wine garden”. Only in the Durlach-Baden

Weingarten 1809.

Winkler “A shop owner”, who in a corner had his (Workshop).

Winnik From Russian, someone who produces brandy.

Winter “Winter-season”, only found in the north of Baden. “Winter”

Winterberger as short form in the US.
Wintheimer Place name.

Wirth “An inn owner”, only in the south of the Kinzig river, Under
Rhine, Baden.

Wislocher Place name from the town of Wiesloch, north of Baden, Ba-
den 1809. Existing in Münzesheim, Gochsheim area, in the
district of Under Rhine, in Flehingen, Gochsheim, Gondels-
heim, Ittlingen and in Menzingen and Munzesheim, Baden.

Wisslar Instead of “Wetzlar”, place name of the town Wetzlar, Baden

1809.

Wittmann Place name from the town of Wittenberg in Germany. Only in

the district of Under Rhine, Baden.

Wolff Name of German origin. Borne in 25 different towns by Jews.

Wolffart Exists in the Mahlberg area, in Altdorf, Lörrach, Mahrbach,
Wangen and Constance. Also in the Müllheim area, in Sulz-
burg, Stebbach, Gochsheim area. In Königsbach, Pforzheim
area since 1809.

Wolf As house shield “zum Wolf ” or “by the wolf ” is found in

Wolfsberg Altdorf in the area of Mahlberg, Baden. Since 1722 exist-
Wolff ing in Heidelberg and Weinheim. Wolf Benjamin (see the
Wolk Genesis 49: 27) was a Sephard.
Wolpe
Wilk Is Slavic.
Lopes Is Spanish.
Lupo Is Romanian.

204
(Wolf)
Wolfsbruck Place of origin, only in the district of Under Rhine, Baden.
Wolfsheimer All over Baden 1809.
Wolfe
Wolfenberg
Wolfenfeld
Wolfenstein
Wolfenthal
Wolfshaut
Wolfsohn
Wolper
Wulf
Zeev Is hebrew.
Zev
Ziff

Wolenberg Is a wool trader, all over Baden 1809.

Wormser Place name from the town of Worms in the Palatinate. Since
Wurmser 1670 borne in the Mark-county, and in Altdorf, Mahlberg area.
Worms is an old Jewish community, and the name was common
before the Names Edict in Baden. Exists also in Breisach,
Hoffenheim, Rust, Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Sulzberg, in
Baden. Wurmser is an old place of origin, since 1805 in Breis-
gau, and in the Upper Rhine district, in Müllheim and Sulzburg.

Würtheimer Only in Altdorf, Mahlberg area, Baden.

Würzweiler The American short form is “Weiler” Baden 1809.

205
Yehuda Means “son of Jakob”, in Hebrew “the lion”, later “the Jew”.

Yolles/Yale Form Hebrew “Yoel” as Joel.

Yoelberg
Yoelsdorf
Yoelson
Yollek
Yollenberg

Yishtobach Means the final blessing of the morning prayer.

206
Zaitz Is “rabbit” in Russian.
Zeitz
Zaichik

Zeidner An occupational name: a silk trader.

Seidner
Seidmann
Zeidemnn

Zeilberger The short US form is “Berger”.

Zelikovitz It comes from the Polish word “Zelig”, Zelig = blessed, a

Zelig translation from the name ‘Ascher’, that means happy or
Zeligsberg blessed.
Zeligsheim
Zeligstein
Zelikowitz
Zelinger
Zeliger
Zelighaus
Ascher
Aschburg
Aschburgheim

Ziegler An occupational name: since 1372 “a producer of kiln clay”,

or “a bricks maker”. Since 1440 in Frankfort, since 1337 in
Worms, John in the brick court.

Zielenziger “Zeelens” is a US pronunciation.

Zivi Name of Hebraic origin, sebi = gazelle, only in Müllheim,

Baden 1809.

Zoe A Greek name, instead of the Hebrew “chayyah” = life.

Zuckermann As “sugar man”, in the USA.

Zuckerbäcker Shortened as “Baker” in the USA.
Kermann
Kandl

207
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208
The Lavoslav Glesinger Family Jewish Names List
in the Austrian Empire from 1000 A. D. to 1900

The life of Lavoslav Glesinger:

Professor and Physician Leopold Glesinger was born on 6 February 1901

in Zagreb (Croatia), a member of the Croatian Jewish community.

His ancestors were living in the 16th century in Teschen – Austrian

Silesia – and used to bear there the name of Singer. Later on, when the
family happened to own and run a glass factory, it was pointed out as “Glas-
Singer”, thus Glesinger became its definite family name.

In 1925 Leopold graduated in Medicine in Vienna and became a spe-

cialist in neurology and psychiatry in Zagreb, in the years 1927/1928. Dur-
ing the Second World War, he was Medical Officer in the Yugoslavian Army,
and was detained for awhile by the Germans as a prisoner. In 1970 after
further studies he became full Professor in the Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb.
Since 1935 Glesinger has been carrying out, as a hobby, the compila-
tion of a Jewish family names list (60 pages) referred to the Habsburgs’s
Empire, but without giving it a title or even publishing it.

The author of this work, Nelly Weiss, met Leopold Glesinger in Zagreb
in June 1983 and realised how important this List was for the knowledge of
the Jewish family names in History. Therefore, they both agreed that Pro-
fessor C. Thoma of the Faculty of Theology in Lucerne (Switzerland) would
help Nelly Weiss to have the list set into order with all the necessary ele-
ments of interpretation for a large public.

We are honoured hereby to present the Glesinger List.

209
Glesinger List and Research:

From 500 to 1000 A. D.  

X ben Y Abrabanel Abu Albalia

Alfachar AL Gizni Hakohan
IBN Kahana Tamani

From 1000 to 1200 A. D.  

X ben Y X ibn Y Abulfary Abulfatach

Abulmaali Abulmeni Abukassar Abulwalid
Alcharisi Almani Alrui Alroy
Al(r)ruchi Alhabri Amarkala Abargeloni
Alfassi Ascheri Abudiel Alkonstantini
Ardunel Alexandri Abenazot ben Barsilai
Ben Machir Cohen Cavarite Cskafa
de Carrion de Malea de Vidas Falaguera
Gerundi Halevi Hadassi ha-Laban
Ha-Obed Ibn Gikatila Ibn Tibbon Ibn-Aknin
Ibn-Latif (Allatif) Israeli Iskafat Ikriti
Jizchaki Kabasi Kimchi Kara
Kaspi Laporta Maimuni Momsi
Moisi Nachmani Narboni Official
Or-Sabua Perpignano Pulgar Parchi Lstori
Petit Romano Romi Rokeach
Siciliano Sulami Tob-Elem (Bonfilo) Tam
von Trimberg Tortosi Taku von Worms
Wertheim Wolf Zacuto Zifroni Zarfati
Zarko Zedar Zemach (X von )
(X aus )

From 1200 to 1500 A. D.  

X ben Y Abenfar Abulafia Abufadhal

Albalaz Alfachar Astruc Abbassi
Bedaresi Benvenista Bonafoux Charisi
Crescas Dafiera Farag Falco
de Fano Faray Farissel Fischel
de Foligno Francis Franco Gikatilla
Gracian Graziano Galico Gicatella
Gomez Govea Gunzburg Halevi
Hamon Homem Ibn Jachja Ibn-Abi
Ibn-Billa Ibn-chabib Ibn-Lab Ibn-Schoschan
Ibn-Verga Ibn-Jaisch Ibn-Zurzal Isserles

210
Ichachna Jabez Jahion Jafa
Jesusun Kohen Kimchi Kapsali
Karo Katzenellenbogen Lzobi Lurja
Lammlein Landau de Lates Levi
Loans Longo Lopez Maimuni
Mantin Messeni Margdes Masserano
del Medras Medigo Meisel Mendes
Mendoso Monz Moloko Montalto
Morteira Misrachi Oppenheimer Okolonghi
Pallache Pereyra Pardo Pimentel
Pinto Polak de Pornis Portaleone
Provenzali Reubeni Rom Romano
Rossi von Rossheim Saba Salgis
Saragossi Saruk Schalal Schulom
Sforno Sidillo Silva Soncin
Tibbon Taytasak Tirado Trani
Treves Triest Zion

From 1500 to 1600 A. D.

 

Abenacar Abrabanel Afia Akrisch

Alatiko Alaschkar Algazi Alkabez
Almossnino Alschaich Alvalensi Alvares
Aschkenasi Ascaloni d’Ascoli Athias
Ascarelli Barula Beifuss Belmonte
de Benevent Benveniste Berab de Bertinou
Bezalels Calabrese de Cantori de Castro
Ceneda Chlalfon Chamorro Chandali
Chanino Chasan Coen Cohen
Coreos Corduero de Costa Crescas
Delmedigo Dormido Duchan Edels
Emden Ergas Falero Faliachi
Falk di Fano Faya Fonseca
Ghazati Galante Gordon Halle
Hekscher Heilperin Herrera Jachini
Kaidaner Kaidonower Kamenker Levita
Lambroso Lapapa de Lima Lisbona
Lobato Lublin Montalto Musaphira
Maar Maimaran Malach Marini
Melo Merari de Mesa Mesquita
Modena Molcho Nieto Ninnes
Olianow Osario de Palmes Pacifico
Parente Pena Pimentel Pinheiro
Pinkherle Popers Prino Querido
Reischer Rietz de Roccamora Rubio

211
Rosales Rosanes Saruk Serkes
Silva Silveyra Soba Sousa
Spinoza Spira Suasso Sullam
Suriel Texeira Toledano Troplowitz
Usque Vega Wiena Witzenhausen
Zaloscer Zamosc Zarphati Zloczow
Zunz

From 1600 to 1750 A. D.

 

Aboab Aguilar Algasi Alvarez

Athias Ayllon Baki Bassevi
Batscheba Bendik Belmonte Bonafoux
Busaglo Calabrese Cantarski Cardoso
Carmona Cases Castro Chagis
Chajon Chamiz Chavez Chelebi
Chija Costa Cuenqui Curiel
zum Drachen Erter Galaigo von Geldern
Ghirondi Halfan Halévy Haller
Hesschel Herdenheim Holiheim Hollaenderski
Homberg Jafa Jawan Jost
Kuranda Lazare de Lamos Leven
Lindau Lissa Lubliner Margalit
Mejuchas Metz Munk Nepi
Pappenheim Pinado Ratisbonne Recanati
Reggio Riasser Rovigo Segre
Saportas Sinzheim Speyer Stambuli
zum Straussen Tewel Zemach (Samoh)

From 1750 to 1850 A.D.

Andrade Arari Asser Avigdor
Astruc da Azeredo Beer Bendavid
Ben-Seeb Berlin(er) Berr Breitenbach
Biedermann Boerne Bresselau Borchardt
Carmi Caro Carvalho Cremieux
Cerfberr (Cerf) Charif Charin di Cologna
Creizenbach D’Israeli Dubnow Eger
Ensheim Euchel Fresco Friedrichsfeld
Funkelstein Furtado Gumprecht Kahler
Mendez(s)

Nelly Weiss-Füglister
CH–3012 Bern
nelly-e.weiss@bluewin.ch

212
Biliography

Bahlow Hans und Ursula. 1972. Deutsches Namen Lexikon. Frankfurt a. Main:
Suhrkamp.

Dreifuss Erwin Manuel.1927. Die Familiennamen der Juden. Frankfort a. Main:

Kauffmann.

Dubnov Simon. 1961. Short History of the Jewish People. Savez: Jewish Commu-
nity of former Jugoslawia.

Fürst Luca. 2001. Fürst Family Research. Rome: E-book.

Glesinger Lavoslav. 1983. “The research of Lavoslav Glesinger or J. Names (in

Austrian Empire) List”. Freiburger Rundbrief. C/O. The Collection L. Glesinger
in the University of Tel-Aviv Beth Hatefutsoth (1940–1980). 60–65. Ed. Nelly
Weiss. Freiburg i. Breisgau: Rombach.

Gold Hugo. 1938. Die Geschichte der Juden in Wien. rpt. 1960. Tel Aviv: Olamenu.

Guggenheim Florence. 1980. Juden in der Schweiz. Zürich: Kurz.

Kaganoff Benzion C. 1978. A Dictionary of Jewish Family Names and their His-
tory. London: Routledge and Kegan.

Klampfer Josef. 1965. “Das Eisenstädter Ghetto”. Forschungen, Heft 51. Jüdisches
Archiv. Eisenstadt: Burgenland.

Landmann Salcia. 1986. Jiddisch. Das Abenteuer einer Sprache. Frankfurt a. Main:
Ullstein.

Maass Ernest. 1958. “Integration and Name Changing among Jewish Refugees
from Central Europe and USA”. Names (6C): 165–179. Ed. Edward Callary.
Illinois: Illinois University Press.

Maier und Schaefer. 1981. Kleines Lexikon des Judentums. Stuttgart: Maier Johannes
and Schaefer Schaefer.

Milano Attilio. 1963. History of Jews in Italy. Torino: Einaudi.

Rabbi Toaff Elio. 1984. Annuario di studi Ebraici. 1980–1984. Rome: Carucci.

213
Roblin Michel. 1950. “Les Noms de Familles des Juifs en Europe Orientale”. Re-
vue International d’Onomastique II: 291–297. Ed. Michel Roblin. Paris:
D’Artrey.

Roblin Michel. 1955. “La démographie historique du Judaisme Italien”. Revue

Anthropologique. 147–155. Ed. Michel Roblin. Paris: Jouve.

Rode Zvonko R. 1976. “The Origin of Jewish Family Names”. Names Journal
(Band 24. Nr. 3). 165–179. American Names Society (ANS). South Dakota:
University of South Dakota.

Stern Selma. 1962. Der preussische Staat und die Juden. Judaica. Band I. Tubingen:
Mohr.

Stern Selma. 1985. The Court Jew. New Brunswick: Transaction Books. Jadaica
Series.

Weiss Nelly. 1996. “The first Jewish family names in Rome”. Lecture at The Ameri-
can Name Society. Conference 4. University New York.

Zunz Leopold. 1876. Doctor Zunz Gesammelte Schriften. Band I. Berlin: Gertenberg
Hildesheim.

Zunz Leopold. 1971. Namen der Juden, eine geschichtliche Untersuchung. Berlin:
Gertenberg Hildesheim.

214
List of the Jewish Communities, Organizations
and Institutions by Joseph Walk concerning the area
of Baden and Württemberg (Germany)

The Jewish Communities in Baden:

Adelsheim Altdorf Appenweier Baden-Baden

Bad Mingolsheim Bad Rappenau Baiertal Berwangen
Billigheim Binau Bodersweier Bödigheim
Breisach Bretten Bruchsal Buchen
Diedelsheim Diersburg Donaueschingen Dossenheim
Durbach Durlach Eberbach Eberstadt
Efringen Eichstetten Eichtersheim Elzach
Emmendingen Endingen Eppingen Ettenheim
Ettlingen Eubigheim Feudenheim Flehingen
FREIBURG Freistett Freudenberg Friesenheim
Furtwangen Gailingen Gemmingen Gengenbach
Gernsbach Graben Grötzingen Grombach
Grosseichholzheim Grünsfeld Hainstadt Hardheim
Haslach HEIDELBERG Heidelsheim Heinsheim
Hemsbach Hockenheim Hoffenheim Hüffenhardt
Ihringen Ilvesheim Ittlingen Jöhlingen
KARLSRUHE Kehl Kenzingen Ketsch
Kippenheim Kirchen Kleineichholzheim Königheim
Königsbach Konstanz Krautheim Külsheim
Kuppenheim Ladenburg Lahr Langenbrücken
Leimen Leutershausen Lichtenau Lörrach
Lützelsachsen Malsch-Wiesloch Malsch-Karlsruhe MANNHEIM
Meckesheim Menzingen Merchingen Messelhausen
Michelfeld Mosbach Muggensturm Müllheim
Münzesheim Neckarbischofh. Neckarzimmern Neidenstein
Neudenau Neustadt Nonnenweier Nordrach
Nussloch Obergimpern Obergrombach Oberöwisheim
Odenheim Pforzheim Philippsburg Radolfzell
Randegg Rastatt Reilingen Renchen
Rheinbischofsheim Richen Rust Sandhausen
Schmieheim Schriesheim Schwetzingen Sennfeld
Siegelsbach Singen Sinsheim Stein am Kocher
Sulzburg Tauberbischofsheim Tiengen Triberg
Überlingen Untergrombach Villingen Waibstadt
Walldorf Walldürn Wangen Weil am Rhein

215
Weingarten Weinheim Wenkheim Wertheim
Wiesloch Wollenberg

The Jewish Communities in Wurttemberg:

Affaltrach Atchshofen Aufhausen Bad Buchau

Bad Mergentheim Baisingen Berlichingen Bofeld
Braunsbach Buttenhausen Crailsheim Creglingen
Edelfingen Ellwangen Ernsbach Esslingen
Freudental Goeppingen-Jeb. Heilbronn Herrlinger
Hochberg Hohebach Horb Kuenzelsau
Laudenbach Laupheim Lehrensteinsfeld Ludwigsburg
Markelsheim Massenbach Michelbach Muehringen
Niederstetten Nordstetten Oberdord-Bopfingen
Oedheim Oehringen Olnhausen Pflaumloch
Rexingen Rottweil Schwabisch-Hall Schwabisch Gmund
STUTTGART Bad Canstatt Talheim Tubingen
Tuttlingen ULM Unterdeufstetten Weikersheim

(in Hohenzollern:)
Dettensee Haigerloch Hechingen

216