Jewish Last Names and Meanings: History, Origins & Popular Surnames

Jewish last names carry deep history, faith, and identity. From Hebrew surnames rooted in the Bible to Ashkenazi Jewish surnames shaped in Europe, every name tells a story. These surnames link families to ancestry, culture, and migration.

Whether exploring the most common Jewish last names or discovering unique Jewish last names, each one is a window into Jewish heritage, traditions, and genealogy. Here’s a list of Jewish surnames A–Z with their meanings.

The History of Jewish Surnames

Early Use of Jewish Last Names

Jewish names first appeared in ancient Israel but grew widely in the 15th century as Jews spread across Spain, Germany, Poland, and Eastern Europe. Many surnames came from the Old Testament, occupations, and towns where families lived.

1. Cohen – priest
2. Levi – tribe of Levi
3. Abramson – son of Abraham
4. Isaacs – son of Isaac
5. Moseson – son of Moses
6. Aaronson – son of Aaron
7. Davidov – son of David
8. Eliezer – God is my help
9. Baruch – blessed
10. Nissim – miracles
11. Shmuelson – son of Samuel
12. Ben-Ami – son of my people
13. Ben-Zion – son of Zion
14. Azriel – God is my help
15. Amiel – God is with my people

Influence of Religion, Culture, and Geography

As Jews settled in Germany, Poland, Spain, Yemen, and the Mediterranean, their last names reflected language, culture, and geography. German-Jewish last names often ended in -berg, -stein, -man, while Polish-Jewish surnames used -sky/-ski. Sephardic Jews often had Spanish or Arabic roots.

1. Goldberg – gold mountain (German origin)
2. Rosenstein – rose stone
3. Weinberg – vineyard hill
4. Horowitz – from Horovice, Bohemia
5. Oppenheimer – from Oppenheim, Germany
6. Brody – from Brody, Ukraine
7. Epstein – from Eppstein, Germany
8. Trier – from Trier, Germany
9. Segal – Levite role (assistant to priests)
10. Schwartz – black/dark
11. Weiss – white/fair
12. Klein – small (German origin)
13. Mizrahi – eastern (Sephardic origin)
14. Toledo – from Toledo, Spain
15. Castro – castle (Sephardic name)

Origins of Jewish Last Names

Hebrew and Biblical Roots

Many Jewish surnames come straight from the Hebrew Bible. These names highlight prophets, tribes, and blessings.

1. Cohen – priestly family
2. Levy/Levi – Levite tribe
3. Abrams – descendant of Abraham
4. Mizrahi – eastern
5. Shapiro – from Hebrew “beautiful”
6. Baruch – blessed
7. Elijah – my God is Yahweh
8. Ezra – help
9. Daniel – God is my judge
10. Nathan – gift of God
11. Solomon – peace
12. Jonah – dove
13. Samuel – God has heard
14. Isaiah – God saves
15. Ezekiel – God strengthens

German, Polish, and Eastern European Influences

When Jews lived in Germany, Poland, and Eastern Europe, their surnames adapted to Germanic and Slavic languages. Many took on endings like -stein, -baum, -man, -sky, or -witz, which are still common today.

1. Rosenberg – rose mountain (German origin)
2. Eisenberg – iron mountain
3. Tannenbaum – fir tree
4. Blumenfeld – flower field
5. Finkelstein – sparkling stone
6. Silberman – silver worker
7. Kaufman – merchant
8. Schneider – tailor
9. Feldman – man of the field
10. Hirsch – deer
11. Horowitz – from Horovice, Czech lands
12. Markowitz – son of Mordecai
13. Lewinsky – son of Levi (Polish style)
14. Rabinowitz – son of the rabbi
15. Goldstein – golden stone

Sephardic vs. Ashkenazi Surnames

Ashkenazi Jews lived mainly in Germany, Poland, and Eastern Europe, while Sephardic Jews lived in Spain, Portugal, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. This created distinct styles of surnames.

1. Benveniste – welcome (Sephardic)
2. Castro – castle (Sephardic)
3. Toledano – from Toledo, Spain
4. Abadi – eternal (Sephardic)
5. Mizrahi – eastern, from Middle East
6. Levi – Levite tribe (Ashkenazi & Sephardic)
7. Cohen – priest (Ashkenazi & Sephardic)
8. Shapiro – from Speyer, Germany (Ashkenazi)
9. Weinberg – vineyard hill (Ashkenazi)
10. Katz – priestly initials (Ashkenazi)
11. Franco – free man (Sephardic)
12. Benarroch – son of Aaron (Sephardic)
13. Navarro – from Navarre, Spain (Sephardic)
14. Abravanel – noble family in Spain (Sephardic)
15. Benveniste – good neighbor (Sephardic)

Types of Jewish Last Names and Their Meanings

Last Names from Occupations (e.g., Cohen, Rabinowitz)

Many Jewish surnames come from jobs and trades like priest, tailor, or merchant.

1. Cohen – priest
2. Levi – Levite (religious worker)
3. Katz – priestly initials (Kohen Tzedek)
4. Schneider – tailor
5. Fischer – fisherman
6. Goldman – gold trader
7. Silberman – silversmith
8. Weinberg – wine producer
9. Kaplan – chaplain or steward
10. Rabinowitz – son of a rabbi
11. Singer – cantor or singer
12. Dayan – judge
13. Shulman – caretaker of the synagogue
14. Sofer – scribe
15. Baker – bread maker

Surnames from Places and Regions

Some surnames show towns, cities, or regions where Jewish families once lived.

1. Toledo – from Toledo, Spain
2. Oppenheimer – from Oppenheim, Germany
3. Brody – from Brody, Ukraine
4. Epstein – from Eppstein, Germany
5. Trier – from Trier, Germany
6. Horowitz – from Horovice, Bohemia
7. Ashkenazi – German or Eastern European Jew
8. Sephardi – Spanish or Portuguese Jew
9. Berliner – from Berlin, Germany
10. Frankfurt – from Frankfurt, Germany
11. Warszawski – from Warsaw, Poland
12. Hamburger – from Hamburg, Germany
13. Deutsch – German origin
14. Pomerantz – from Pomerania, Europe
15. Spiegelman – from Speyer, Germany

Patronymic and Family-Based Surnames

These surnames come from fathers’ names or family ancestors, showing bloodlines.

1. Abramson – son of Abraham
2. Isaacson – son of Isaac
3. Moseson – son of Moses
4. Davidson – son of David
5. Aaronson – son of Aaron
6. Jacobs – son of Jacob
7. Benjaminson – son of Benjamin
8. Solomonson – son of Solomon
9. Emanuelson – son of Emanuel
10. Eliezerov – son of Eliezer
11. Nathanielson – son of Nathaniel
12. Samuelson – son of Samuel
13. Josephson – son of Joseph
14. Baruchson – son of Baruch
15. Levinson – son of Levi

Descriptive and Character-Based Surnames

Some Jewish surnames describe physical traits or personal qualities.

1. Schwartz – black/dark
2. Weiss – white/fair
3. Gross – big/large
4. Klein – small
5. Lang – tall/long
6. Freedman – free man
7. Goodman – good man
8. Alterman – old man
9. Lieberman – beloved man
10. Zelman – peace
11. Edelman – noble man
12. Rosen – rose/flower
13. Blau – blue
14. Friedman – peaceful man
15. Hecht – pike (fish, strong)

Popular Jewish Last Names and Their Meanings

Common Ashkenazi Surnames

Ashkenazi Jews mostly lived in Germany, Poland, and Eastern Europe. Their surnames often reflect occupations, towns, and Yiddish words.

1. Cohen – priest
2. Levi – Levite tribe
3. Katz – priestly initials (Kohen Tzedek)
4. Rosenberg – rose mountain
5. Goldstein – golden stone
6. Friedman – peaceful man
7. Weiss – white/fair
8. Schwartz – dark/black
9. Klein – small
10. Kaplan – chaplain/steward
11. Rabinowitz – son of rabbi
12. Horowitz – from Horovice
13. Shapiro – from Speyer, Germany
14. Silverman – silversmith
15. Blumenfeld – flower field

Common Sephardic Surnames

Sephardic Jews lived in Spain, Portugal, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. Their names carry Spanish, Arabic, and Hebrew influences.

1. Mizrahi – eastern
2. Toledano – from Toledo, Spain
3. Castro – castle
4. Navarro – from Navarre, Spain
5. Franco – free man
6. Benarroch – son of Aaron
7. Abravanel – noble family in Spain
8. Alhadeff – joy, Arabic origin
9. Benveniste – welcome, good neighbor
10. Habib – beloved
11. Dahan – judge (Arabic influence)
12. Amar – eternal
13. Abadi – eternal, everlasting
14. Shaltiel – asked of God
15. Azoulay – Levite family name

Rare but Unique Jewish Last Names

Some surnames are less common, tied to specific villages, trades, or biblical symbols. These are unique Jewish last names worth noting.

1. Tannenbaum – fir tree
2. Teitelbaum – date palm tree
3. Spiegelman – mirror man
4. Dreyfus – from Trier, Germany
5. Zuckerman – sugar man
6. Adler – eagle
7. Bergman – mountain man
8. Brand – fire/flame
9. Waldman – forest man
10. Gottlieb – God’s love
11. Nadel – needle
12. Perlman – pearl dealer
13. Richter – judge
14. Steinberg – stone mountain
15. Zimmerman – carpenter

Famous People with Jewish Last Names

Many well-known figures carry Jewish family names that reflect history and identity.

1. Albert Einstein – physicist (Einstein = one stone)
2. Steven Spielberg – filmmaker (Spielberg = play mountain)
3. Mark Zuckerberg – tech founder (Zuckerberg = sugar mountain)
4. Natalie Portman – actress (original surname Hershlag)
5. Leonard Cohen – musician (Cohen = priest)
6. Jerry Seinfeld – comedian (Seinfeld = shining field)
7. Jonah Hill – actor (Hill = adapted surname)
8. Golda Meir – Israeli Prime Minister (Meir = shining)
9. Henry Kissinger – diplomat (Kissinger = from Kissingen, Germany)
10. Adam Sandler – actor (Sandler = shoemaker)
11. Barbra Streisand – singer (Streisand = stripe sand)
12. Jake Gyllenhaal – actor (Swedish-Jewish roots)
13. Gal Gadot – actress (Gadot = riverbanks in Hebrew)
14. Ben Shapiro – political commentator (Shapiro = from Speyer, Germany)
15. Itzhak Perlman – violinist (Perlman = pearl merchant)

How to Research Your Jewish Family Name

Genealogy Resources and Tools

Researching Jewish ancestry is easier today with online archives, synagogue records, and genealogy databases. Many sites offer Jewish surnames A–Z with origins and meanings.

1. Abramson
2. Isaacs
3. Goldberg
4. Rosenfeld
5. Finkelstein
6. Levinson
7. Mendelson
8. Shulman
9. Teitelbaum
10. Katz
11. Epstein
12. Oppenheimer
13. Horowitz
14. Schneider
15. Weinstein

Tips for Tracing Jewish Ancestry

When tracing Jewish genealogy, look at migration records, Ellis Island databases, synagogue archives, and Yiddish/Hebrew spelling variations.

Many surnames changed when Jews immigrated to America, Israel, and Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries.

1. Kaufman → Kauffman
2. Weinberg → Weinberger
3. Goldman → Gould
4. Schwartz → Black
5. Weiss → White
6. Stein → Stone
7. Friedman → Freedman
8. Singer → Zinger
9. Levy → Levin
10. Cohen → Cohn
11. Shapiro → Shapira
12. Horowitz → Horovitz
13. Silverman → Silver
14. Rosenbaum → Rosen
15. Blumenfeld → Bloom

Conclusion: The Lasting Legacy of Jewish Surnames

Jewish surnames are more than words; they are bridges to history, culture, and faith. From Hebrew last names rooted in the Bible to Ashkenazi and Sephardic surnames shaped by migration, every name carries a story of identity and resilience.

Exploring the list of Jewish surnames A–Z helps families connect to Jewish ancestry, traditions, and heritage. These names keep alive the memory of the Jewish diaspora and its enduring legacy.