360+ Jewish Last Names or Surnames That Tell Amazing Stories

Hey there! Ever wondered about Jewish last names and their incredible stories? I love how each one is like a little puzzle piece of history. You know when you find an old family photo album and each picture tells a story? Well, Jewish surnames are exactly like that – except these stories go back hundreds of years!

Think about your own last name for a second. Maybe it came from your great-great-grandparents, right? But here’s something wild – most Jewish families didn’t even have permanent last names until pretty recently, like just a couple hundred years ago. Before that, people mainly went by “son of” or “daughter of” their dad’s name. Pretty different from today, huh?

These names really took off when European rulers were like, “Okay, everyone needs a proper last name now!” (I guess they got tired of having five Davids in the same village!) And that’s when Jewish families started picking names that meant something special to them – maybe their job, where they lived, or something they loved.

You know what’s neat? While medieval clan names were all about showing which group you belonged to, Jewish last names tell personal family stories. Some families chose names like Goldsmith because, well, they were actually goldsmiths! Others picked names like Berlin because that’s where they were from. Pretty straightforward, right?

Want to hear more about how these names came to be? Trust me, it gets even more interesting!

Jewish Last Names

• Cohen – Priest, from ancient Hebrew priestly class
• Levi – Associated with the Levite tribe, Hebrew origin
• Friedman – Man of peace, Yiddish/German origin
• Goldman – Gold man (goldsmith), Germanic-Jewish origin
• Hoffman – Steward or farm manager, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Klein – Small or little one, German-Jewish origin
• Berg – Mountain or hill, Germanic origin
• Stern – Star, German-Jewish origin
• Roth – Red (often referring to hair color), Germanic origin
• Kaplan – Community leader, Yiddish origin
• Shapiro – From the city of Speyer, Germany
• Katz – Abbreviation of Kohen Tzedek (righteous priest), Hebrew origin
• Levy – Variant of Levi, Hebrew origin
• Weiss – White, German-Jewish origin
• Schwartz – Black, German-Jewish origin
• Goldberg – Gold mountain, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Newman – New man, Anglicized Jewish surname
• Abrams – Father of many nations, Hebrew origin
• Epstein – From the German town of Eppstein
• Rosen – Rose, German-Jewish origin

Like family group names, these surnames often reflect deep community ties.

Last Names of Jewish Origins

(These names have fascinating backstories connected to Jewish heritage)

• Blum – Flower, German-Jewish origin
• Feldman – Field man, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Greenberg – Green mountain, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Horowitz – From the town of Horovice, Czech origin
• Israelson – Son of Israel, Hebrew origin
• Jacobson – Son of Jacob, Hebrew-Germanic origin
• Kessler – Copper worker, German-Jewish origin
• Levin – Lion, Hebrew origin
• Mendelsohn – Son of Mendel, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Nussbaum – Nut tree, German-Jewish origin
• Oppenheimer – From the city of Oppenheim, German origin
• Pearson – Son of Perez, Hebrew-English origin
• Rabinowitz – Son of the Rabbi, Slavic-Jewish origin
• Salomon – Peaceful one, Hebrew origin
• Silverman – Silver worker, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Tauber – Dove, German-Jewish origin
• Unger – Hungarian, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Wasserman – Water carrier, German-Jewish origin
• Yablonsky – Apple tree, Slavic-Jewish origin
• Zimmerman – Carpenter, German-Jewish origin

These names remind me of how cultural team names carry deep meaning within communities.

Jewish Surnames

• Adler – Eagle, German origin (often used by merchants)
• Becker – Baker, German-Jewish occupational name
• Diamond – Adaptation of Diament, referring to the precious stone
• Eisenberg – Iron mountain, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Finkel – Diamond/precious stone, Yiddish origin
• Goldstein – Gold stone, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Hirsch – Deer, German-Jewish origin
• Isaacs – Son of Isaac, Hebrew patronymic
• Kahn – Variant of Cohen, Hebrew origin
• Leib – Lion, Yiddish origin
• Marcus – Derived from Latin “Marcus,” common among Roman Jews
• Nachman – Comforter, Hebrew origin
• Perlman – Pearl man, Yiddish origin
• Rosenberg – Rose mountain, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Singer – Singer/Cantor, German occupational name
• Teitelbaum – Date palm tree, Yiddish origin
• Weinberg – Wine mountain, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Yitzhaki – Son of Isaac, Hebrew origin
• Zuckerman – Sugar man, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Blumenthal – Valley of flowers, German-Jewish origin

Just like how powerful team names can tell you about a group’s identity, these surnames often reveal fascinating family histories!

Hebrew Last Names

These names have deep roots in Hebrew language and culture

• Aharoni – From Aaron, Hebrew origin
• Ben-David – Son of David, Hebrew construction
• Chen – Grace, Hebrew origin
• Dayan – Judge, Hebrew origin
• Elimelech – My God is King, Hebrew origin
• Golan – From the Golan Heights region
• Hadad – Sharp, Hebrew origin
• Israeli – Of Israel, Modern Hebrew
• Kahana – Variant of Cohen, Hebrew origin
• Luria – From the Hebrew word for lion’s cub
• Melamed – Teacher, Hebrew origin
• Nasi – Prince/Leader, Hebrew origin
• Ohana – Family, Hebrew-Moroccan origin
• Peretz – Break through, Hebrew origin
• Rabin – From Rabbi, Hebrew origin
• Shalom – Peace, Hebrew origin
• Tam – Perfect/Complete, Hebrew origin
• Uzan – Strong, Hebrew origin
• Yafe – Beautiful, Hebrew origin
• Zilber – Silver, Hebrew adaptation

Like family group names, these surnames often connect people to their ancestral roots.

Jewish Family Names

Names that have been passed down through generations

• Altman – Old man, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Bernstein – Amber stone, German-Jewish origin
• Citron – Lemon, Yiddish origin
• Dubin – From the city of Dubna, Eastern European
• Eisen – Iron, German-Jewish origin
• Fishman – Fish seller, Yiddish occupational name
• Guttman – Good man, Germanic-Jewish origin
• Halperin – From Heilbronn, Germany
• Ingber – Ginger, Yiddish origin
• Jaffe – Beautiful, Hebrew origin
• Kantor – Cantor, Hebrew-German origin
• Landau – From the city of Landau, Germany
• Margolis – Pearl, Greek-Hebrew origin
• Novak – New person, Slavic-Jewish origin
• Oxman – Ox handler, Yiddish occupational name
• Plotkin – From Plotsk, Poland
• Quint – Fifth born, Latin-Jewish origin
• Rothschild – Red shield, German-Jewish origin
• Segal – Acronym for “Segan Leviah” (assistant Levite)
• Tannenbaum – Pine tree, German-Jewish origin

Jewish Names Ending in -ski

You know how these -ski names instantly sound Eastern European? There’s a good reason for that!

• Brodski – From the city of Brod
• Choroski – From the town of Horodok
• Dubrovski – From Dubrova
• Finkelski – From Finkel (diamond)
• Grabski – From Grabów
• Horowitzski – Variant of Horowitz
• Israelski – Of Israel
• Jakuboski – Son of Jacob
• Kovalski – Smith
• Levinski – From Levin
• Minkowski – From Minków
• Novinski – New one
• Orlovski – Eagle-like
• Petroski – Son of Peter
• Rakowski – From Raków
• Sokolski – Falcon-like
• Tarnowski – From Tarnów
• Warshavski – From Warsaw
• Yablonski – Apple tree
• Zakrzewski – From beyond the bushes

Think of these names like family group names that tell you exactly where your ancestors came from!

Common Jewish Last Names

These are the names you’ll hear all the time in Jewish communities

• Abrahamson – Son of Abraham
• Berkowitz – Son of Berke
• Cohen (again, super common!)
• Davidson – Son of David
• Epstein – From Eppstein
• Feldman – Field man
• Goldberg – Gold mountain
• Horowitz – From Horovice
• Israelite – Of Israel
• Jacobson – Son of Jacob
• Kaplan – Community leader
• Levine – From Levi
• Moskowitz – From Moscow
• Nussbaum – Nut tree
• Perlman – Pearl man
• Rabinowitz – Son of the Rabbi
• Shapiro – From Speyer
• Steinberg – Stone mountain
• Weiner – Wine merchant
• Zimmerman – Carpenter

Like creative usernames, each of these names has its own special story!

Jewish Second Names

These are great middle names or alternative surnames

• Aaron – Mountain of strength
• Baruch – Blessed
• Chaim – Life
• Daniel – God is my judge
• Eliezer – God helps
• Fishel – Little fish
• Gershon – Stranger
• Hirsch – Deer
• Isaac – He will laugh
• Joseph – He will add
• Kalman – Dove
• Leib – Lion
• Mendel – From Emmanuel
• Noah – Rest, comfort
• Pinchas – Dark-skinned
• Reuben – Behold, a son
• Samuel – Name of God
• Tzvi – Deer
• Uri – My light
• Zev – Wolf

You know how powerful team names can inspire people? Well, these names carry that same kind of strength!

Jewish Surnames and Meanings

These names have really cool stories behind them – let me share them with you!

• Apfelbaum – Apple tree (Isn’t it sweet? They literally named themselves after fruit trees!)
• Birnbaum – Pear tree
• Diamant – Diamond (Fancy, right?)
• Edelstein – Precious stone
• Feigenbaum – Fig tree
• Gottlieb – God’s love (Beautiful meaning, don’t you think?)
• Hertz – Heart
• Kaufman – Merchant
• Lehrer – Teacher
• Morgenstern – Morning star
• Nadelmann – Needle maker
• Rosenblum – Rose bloom
• Schreiber – Writer/scribe
• Silberstein – Silver stone
• Tischler – Carpenter
• Vogel – Bird
• Weintraub – Grape vine
• Yedid – Friend
• Zuckerman – Sugar man
• Baum – Tree

Just like picking cool words for usernames, these names were chosen for their beautiful meanings!

Unique Jewish Last Names

Here are some names you might not hear every day – they’re pretty special!

• Alkalai – From Alcalá, Spain
• Brandeis – From Brandenburg
• Chagall – Like the famous artist!
• Dreyfus – From Trier, Germany
• Elukin – From Iluki, Russia
• Farbstein – Colored stone
• Glikman – Happy man
• Heschel – Deer
• Izbicki – From Izbica
• Kalisch – From Kalisz, Poland
• Landsman – Countryman
• Maisel – Little Moses
• Nachmani – Consoler
• Oppenheim – From Oppenheim, Germany
• Perutz – From Perugia, Italy
• Quintner – From Kutno, Poland
• Rappaport – From Porto, Italy
• Saphirstein – Sapphire stone
• Tepper – Potter
• Uziel – God is my strength

Think of these like unique usernames – they really stand out in a crowd!

Typical Jewish Last Names

These are the names you’ll probably recognize – they’re super common in Jewish communities!

• Abrams – Father of many
• Bernstein – Amber stone
• Cohen (yep, it shows up everywhere!)
• Diamond
• Eisenberg – Iron mountain
• Friedman – Peace man
• Goldstein – Gold stone
• Hoffman – Steward
• Katz
• Lefkowitz – Son of Lefko
• Markowitz – Son of Mark
• Nudelman – Noodle maker
• Orloff – From Orlov
• Perlstein – Pearl stone
• Rabin – Rabbi
• Schwartz – Black
• Silverstein – Silver stone
• Weiss – White
• Yellin – From Yelin
• Zussman – Sweet man

Cool Jewish Last Names

Hey, check these out – they’re some of the most interesting Jewish names I’ve come across!

• Blitzstein – Lightning stone (How cool is that?)
• Diamondstein – Diamond stone
• Feuerman – Fire man
• Glassman – Glass worker
• Himmelfarb – Sky color
• Ironstone – Exactly what it sounds like!
• Kunstler – Artist
• Lichtenstein – Light stone
• Morningstar – Just beautiful, right?
• Nightingale – Like the bird
• Ohrenstein – Ear stone
• Phoenix – Like the mythical bird
• Quicksilver – Mercury
• Rubenstein – Ruby stone
• Silverbush – Silver bush
• Thundercloud – Pretty dramatic!
• Winterstein – Winter stone
• Youngman – Young person
• Zauber – Magic
• Stormwind – Just wow!

Like having cool clan names, these names really make a statement!

German Jewish Last Names

These names have such rich history – they’re from when many Jewish families lived in Germany

• Adler – Eagle
• Baum – Tree
• Dreyfus – From Trier
• Ehrlich – Honest
• Freund – Friend
• Gottfried – God’s peace
• Heilbronn – From Heilbronn city
• Keller – Cellar
• Lowenstein – Lion stone
• Meyer – Administrator
• Neumann – New man
• Oppenheimer – From Oppenheim
• Ritter – Knight
• Schiff – Ship
• Thalheimer – Valley home
• Ulrich – Heritage ruler
• Vogel – Bird
• Wertheimer – From Wertheim
• Zeitung – Newspaper
• Bach – Stream

You know how family group names tell stories? These names are like little history books!

Jewish Last Names from Reddit

These are names that people often talk about online – they’ve got some interesting stories!

• Applebaum – Apple tree
• Bronfman – Liquor man
• Chai – Life
• Dankner – From Danzig
• Eichler – From the oak tree
• Fingerhut – Thimble
• Greystone – Grey stone
• Hochman – High man
• Inkman – Ink seller
• Judah – Praised
• Klausner – Hermit
• Landsman – Fellow countryman
• Mendelbaum – Mendel’s tree
• Nachtigal – Nightingale
• Osterman – Eastern man
• Pfefferman – Pepper man
• Queller – Source/spring
• Rothenberg – Red mountain
• Seltzer – Carbonated water maker
• Tauber – Dove

Unique Jewish Last Names

You won’t hear these every day – they’re pretty special!

• Abbelman – Son of Abel (neat, right?)
• Brillstein – Bright stone
• Crystalman – Crystal worker
• Duvdevani – Cherry
• Engelmann – Angel man
• Fischbein – Fish leg
• Glassberg – Glass mountain
• Honeyman – Honey seller
• Iserles – From Israel
• Kiddush – Sacred
• Levenberg – Lion mountain
• Mandelblatt – Almond leaf
• Nashman – Snake charmer
• Oestreich – From Austria
• Pearlstone – Pearl stone
• Qualman – Source man
• Ringelheim – Circular home
• Sonnenschein – Sunshine
• Turtletaub – Dove dove
• Wunderlich – Wonderful

Aren’t these names amazing? Kind of like choosing unique usernames, these really stand out!

Common Jewish Last Names

These are the ones you’ll hear all the time at Jewish gatherings!

• Aaronson – Son of Aaron
• Berger – Mountain dweller
• Cohen (yep, there it is again!)
• Dubin – From Dubna
• Elman – God’s man
• Friedberg – Peace mountain
• Goldfarb – Gold color
• Herman – Army man
• Israelson – Son of Israel
• Jacoby – Son of Jacob
• Kauffman – Merchant
• Levitt – Little Levi
• Marcus – From Mark
• Newman – New man
• Perlmutter – Pearl trader
• Rossman – Horse man
• Sternberg – Star mountain
• Weinberg – Wine mountain
• Yudell – From Judah
• Zuckerkorn – Sugar grain

Just like picking cool band names, these names have really stuck around!

Jewish Last Names and Meanings

Each of these tells a cool story about the family who first used it

• Altschuler – Old scholar (pretty brainy, huh?)
• Blumenkrantz – Flower wreath
• Diamondstein – Diamond stone
• Ehrenfeld – Field of honor
• Feingold – Fine gold
• Glickstein – Lucky stone
• Himmelstein – Heaven stone
• Kestenbaum – Chestnut tree
• Leventhal – Lion valley
• Marmorstein – Marble stone
• Nussbaum – Nut tree
• Orangeberg – Orange mountain
• Perelman – Pearl man
• Quittner – From Kutno
• Rosenfeld – Rose field
• Silberberg – Silver mountain
• Tannenwald – Pine forest
• Wassertheil – Water part
• Yerushalmi – From Jerusalem
• Zylbersztejn – Silver stone

Jewish Last Names Female

You know how some names just sound more feminine? Here are some that often ran in families through daughters

• Abramovitch – Daughter of Abraham
• Basya – Daughter of God
• Chana – Grace
• Devorah – Bee
• Esther – Star
• Feiga – Bird
• Golda – Golden
• Hannah – Grace
• Ida – Work
• Judith – Praised
• Kayla – Crown
• Leah – Weary
• Mindel – Almond
• Naomi – Pleasant
• Pearl – Like the gem
• Rachel – Ewe
• Sarah – Princess
• Toba – Good
• Vita – Life
• Zelda – Dark battle

It’s like choosing feminine team names – they’ve got a special ring to them!

Jewish Surnames A-Z

Here’s a fun alphabetical tour through Jewish names – like a little name journey from A to Z!

A

• Abelman – Son of Abel
• Alter – Elder
• Aronowitz – Son of Aaron

B

• Bauman – Builder
• Berger – Mountain dweller
• Blumenthal – Valley of flowers

C

• Cantor – Singer
• Cohen – Priest
• Chazan – Cantor

D

• Diamond – Like the gem
• Drucker – Printer
• Deutsch – German

E

• Edelstein – Precious stone
• Ehrlich – Honest
• Eisenberg – Iron mountain

F

• Feldman – Field man
• Fishman – Fish seller
• Friedman – Man of peace

G

• Goldman – Gold man
• Greenberg – Green mountain
• Guttman – Good man

H

• Hoffman – Steward
• Horowitz – From Horovice
• Hirsch – Deer

I

• Isaacson – Son of Isaac
• Israelite – Of Israel
• Ivker – From Ivki

J

• Jacobson – Son of Jacob (pretty straightforward, right?)
• Jaffe – Beautiful
• Judah – Praised

K

• Kaplan – Community leader
• Katz – From “Kohen Tzedek”
• Kaufman – Merchant

L

• Levi – From the Levite tribe
• Lieberman – Beloved man
• Löw – Lion

M

• Marcus – From Mark
• Mendelsohn – Son of Mendel
• Moskowitz – From Moscow

N

• Nachman – Comforter
• Neumann – New man
• Nussbaum – Nut tree

O

• Oppenheimer – From Oppenheim
• Orloff – From Orlov
• Oxman – Ox handler

P

• Perlman – Pearl man
• Pincus – Oracle
• Plotkin – From Plotsk

Q

• Quint – Fifth
• Quitter – From Kutno
• Qualman – Source man

R

• Rabinowitz – Son of the Rabbi
• Rosen – Rose
• Rothschild – Red shield

Hey, here’s a fun fact – lots of these names are like little family histories! Kind of like how family group names tell stories about who we are.

S

• Shapiro – From Speyer
• Silverstein – Silver stone
• Stern – Star

T

• Tauber – Dove
• Teitelbaum – Date palm tree
• Thorman – Gate man

U

• Unger – Hungarian
• Urbach – From Auerbach
• Uziel – God is my strength

V

• Vogel – Bird
• Varon – From Aaron
• Vita – Life

W

• Wasserman – Water carrier
• Weinberg – Wine mountain
• Weiss – White

X/Y

• Yablonsky – Apple tree
• Yellin – From Yelin
• Yitzhaki – Son of Isaac

Z

• Zuckerman – Sugar man
• Zilber – Silver
• Zvi – Deer

You know what’s cool about these names? Just like unique usernames, each one has its own special story to tell!

The Birth of Jewish Surnames

Picture this: before the late 18th century, most Jewish people didn’t even have fixed last names! They used what we call patronymic names – basically just saying whose kid you were. So if your dad was named David, you might be known as “ben David” (son of David) or “bat David” (daughter of David).

But everything changed when European rulers started requiring fixed surnames. It’s kind of like when parents choose group names today – except these weren’t exactly voluntary choices. Here’s what happened:

• 1787: Austrian Emperor Joseph II ordered all Jews to adopt German surnames
• 1808: Napoleon required fixed surnames throughout his empire
• 1844: Russian Empire mandated permanent family names

Geographic Patterns

Here’s where it gets really interesting! Different Jewish communities developed different naming patterns:

• Sephardic Jews (from Spain and Portugal):
  • Often kept traditional Spanish and Portuguese surnames
  • Many names end in -ez or -es (like Rodriguez or Mendes)
• Ashkenazic Jews (from Central and Eastern Europe):
  • Adopted German-style surnames
  • Many names reflect occupations or personal characteristics

Types of Jewish Last Names

Religious Names

These names carry deep spiritual significance, like wearing a badge of honor. The most famous ones include:

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Cohen	Priest	Ancient priestly class
Levi	Levite	Temple assistants
Katz	Abbreviation of “Kohen Tzedek”	Righteous priest

Occupational Names

Just like work team names today reflect what people do, many Jewish surnames came from traditional jobs:

• Schneider (tailor)
• Zimmerman (carpenter)
• Sofer (scribe)
• Goldman (goldsmith)

Geographical Names

Some surnames are like ancient GPS coordinates, telling us where families came from:

• Berliner – from Berlin
• Moskowitz – from Moscow
• Shapiro – from Speyer, Germany

Modern Significance and Cultural Impact

Today, Jewish surnames are more than just names – they’re bridges connecting past and present. Think of them like cultural team names that carry centuries of history.

The Hebraization Movement

In modern Israel, something fascinating happened – many Jews chose to transform their diaspora surnames into Hebrew ones. It’s similar to how powerful team names can create a strong identity. For example:

• Goldstein became Zahavi (golden)
• Schwartz became Shachor (black)
• Berg became Har (mountain)

Research and Identity

Jewish surnames have become crucial for:

• Family history research
• Understanding migration patterns
• Connecting with distant relatives
• Preserving cultural heritage

Final Thoughts

Jewish last names are like living history books, each one telling multiple stories about faith, family, and survival. They remind us how names can carry the weight of history while building bridges to the future.

Whether you’re researching your own family history or just curious about cultural naming traditions, these surnames offer fascinating insights into Jewish heritage and identity. And just like family group names today, they continue to evolve while maintaining their deep connections to the past.