Jewish Last Names

It is not easy to identify Jewish last names. The sounds of several German last names would pass off as Jewish last names. However, the different Jewish last names prevalent today were not traditionally inherited. Let’s have a look at some Jewish last names.

Traditionally, Jewish people did not have surnames. They had been following the patronymic system of naming, wherein the name of the person is followed by the word ‘ben’ meaning ‘son of’ or ‘Miriam bat’ meaning ‘daughter of’ and then followed by the father’s name. Thus, if the person’s name is Samuel, his name would be written as Samuel ben Abraham. The so-called Jewish surnames that we hear of today, were imposed by law in the 1700s. However, identifying them specifically as Jewish surnames is difficult.

Listing down all the existing Jewish last names and meanings is a cumbersome task. Thus, we have compiled a list of Jewish last names. They may or may not be common ones.

List of Jewish Last Names