Jewish Last Names
For most of history Jews didn’t use fixed surnames. People were known as “son of” or “daughter of,” as in Moshe ben Amram. Fixed family names arrived when European states required them, above all Austria’s decree of the late 18th century and Napoleon’s decree in France. That’s why so many Ashkenazi surnames are German or Yiddish, while Sephardic Jews, whose families had used surnames in Spain and Portugal for centuries, carry names like Toledano and Benveniste.
This list covers more than 90 Jewish last names, from priestly names like Cohen and Levy to ornamental names like Rosenthal and the Hebrew surnames chosen by Israel’s founders, with meaning and origin for each. For first names, see Hebrew boy names and Hebrew girl names, or browse the Hebrew names hub.
Priestly surnames: Cohen, Levi and their variants
Many surnames point to descent from the kohanim (priests descended from Aaron) or the Levites. Several are Hebrew acronyms.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cohen | “Priest” (kohen) | The most common Jewish surname worldwide |
| Kahn | German spelling of Cohen | Common in Germany and the U.S. |
| Kohn | Variant of Cohen | Central European |
| Katz | Acronym of kohen tzedek, “righteous priest” | Not related to the German word for cat |
| Kaplan | From Latin capellanus, “chaplain” | A translation of Cohen |
| Kagan | Russian form of Cohen (no “h” sound in Russian) | Eastern European |
| Levi | “Joined”; a member of the tribe of Levi | Also a first name |
| Levy | Variant of Levi | Common in France, the U.K. and U.S. |
| Levin | Slavic-influenced form of Levi | Also Lewin |
| Lewin | Polish/German spelling of Levin | Central Europe |
| Segal | Acronym of segan leviyah, “assistant Levite” | Also Siegel, Chagall |
| Levinson | “Son of Levin” | Patronymic of a Levite name |
Patronymic and matronymic surnames
Many Ashkenazi surnames are built from a father’s or mother’s Yiddish name plus -son, -sohn, -witz, -vich or -kin. Several honor mothers, which is unusual in European naming.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Abramson | “Son of Abram” | English/German form |
| Jacobson | “Son of Jacob” | Common in the U.S. |
| Mendelsohn | “Son of Mendel” (from Menachem) | Composer Felix Mendelssohn |
| Aronson | “Son of Aaron” | Priestly lineage often implied |
| Davidson | “Son of David” | Shared with Scottish families |
| Rivkin | “Of Rivka” (Rebecca) | Matronymic |
| Perlman | From Perl, “pearl,” a woman’s name | Violinist Itzhak Perlman |
| Rabinowitz | “Son of the rabbi” | Slavic -witz ending |
| Abramovitz | “Son of Abram” | Polish/Russian form |
| Leibowitz | “Son of Leib” (“lion”) | Yiddish Leib = Hebrew Aryeh |
| Sorkin | “Of Sora” (Sarah) | Matronymic |
| Malkin | From Malka, “queen” | Matronymic |
| Yankelevich | “Son of Yankel” (Jacob) | Russian form |
Ornamental Ashkenazi surnames
When officials forced Jews in the German lands and Austrian Empire to adopt surnames, many families chose (or were given) pretty compound names of flowers, gems and landscapes. Compare with German last names.
| Surname | Meaning | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Goldberg | “Gold mountain” | German/Yiddish |
| Rosenberg | “Rose mountain” | German/Yiddish |
| Silverman | “Silver man” | Anglicized Silbermann |
| Rosenthal | “Rose valley” | German/Yiddish |
| Lilienthal | “Lily valley” | German/Yiddish |
| Blumenthal | “Flower valley” | German/Yiddish |
| Goldstein | “Gold stone” | German/Yiddish |
| Rubinstein | “Ruby stone” | German/Yiddish |
| Edelstein | “Precious stone, gem” | German/Yiddish |
| Weinberg | “Vineyard” (wine mountain) | German/Yiddish |
| Greenberg | “Green mountain” | Anglicized Grünberg |
| Mandelbaum | “Almond tree” | German/Yiddish |
| Birnbaum | “Pear tree” | German/Yiddish |
| Nussbaum | “Nut tree” | German/Yiddish |
| Himmelfarb | “Color of the sky” | German/Yiddish |
| Morgenstern | “Morning star” | German/Yiddish |
| Rosenblum | “Rose flower” | German/Yiddish |
| Finkelstein | “Sparkling stone” | German/Yiddish |
Occupational Jewish surnames
Trades and community roles became surnames too, from tailors to cantors.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Schneider | “Tailor” | Also Snyder in English |
| Shuster | “Shoemaker” | Yiddish/Slavic |
| Kramer | “Shopkeeper, peddler” | German/Yiddish |
| Becker | “Baker” | German/Yiddish |
| Singer | “Cantor, singer” | Synagogue role |
| Chazan | “Cantor” | Hebrew; also Hazan |
| Melamed | “Teacher” | Hebrew, for a children’s teacher |
| Schechter | “Ritual slaughterer” (shochet) | Religious role |
| Wexler | “Money changer” | From German Wechsler |
| Goldschmidt | “Goldsmith” | German |
| Kessler | “Coppersmith, kettle maker” | German |
| Fleischer | “Butcher” | German |
Surnames from towns and regions
Many Ashkenazi families took the name of a town their ancestors came from.
| Surname | Place of origin | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Horowitz | Hořovice, Bohemia | Prominent Levite family |
| Shapiro | Speyer, Germany (Shpira) | One of the oldest Ashkenazi names |
| Landau | Landau in the Palatinate, Germany | Also a rabbinic dynasty |
| Ginsburg | Günzburg, Bavaria | Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg |
| Epstein | Eppstein, Hesse | Very old family name |
| Oppenheimer | Oppenheim, near Mainz | Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer |
| Posner | Posen (Poznań), Poland | Also Pozner |
| Brody | Brody, Galicia (now Ukraine) | Former Jewish-majority town |
| Pollack | “From Poland” | Also Polack |
| Berliner | “From Berlin” | German |
| Warshawsky | “From Warsaw” | Polish/Russian form |
| Spielberg | Spielberg, a place name in Austria and Germany | Director Steven Spielberg |
Sephardic and Mizrahi surnames
Sephardic Jews trace their roots to Spain and Portugal; Mizrahi Jews to the Middle East and North Africa. Their surnames often reflect Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic or Hebrew. See also Spanish last names and Arabic last names.
| Surname | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Toledano | “From Toledo” | Spanish |
| Benveniste | “Welcome” | Catalan/Occitan |
| Abravanel | Meaning uncertain | Spanish-Portuguese; statesman Isaac Abravanel |
| Alfasi | “From Fez” | Moroccan Arabic |
| Abulafia | “Father of well-being” | Arabic, medieval Spain |
| Mizrahi | “Eastern” | Hebrew |
| Peretz | “Breach, breakthrough” (Genesis 38) | Hebrew |
| Saban | “Soap maker” | Arabic |
| Sasson | “Joy” | Hebrew |
| Dayan | “Judge” (of a rabbinic court) | Hebrew/Aramaic |
| Azoulay | Meaning disputed | Moroccan |
| Pinto | “Painted” or “chick” | Portuguese |
| Cardozo | “Thistle field” | Portuguese; Justice Benjamin Cardozo |
Hebraized surnames of modern Israel
Many early Israelis replaced European surnames with Hebrew ones, often choosing a word that echoed the old name. Ben-Gurion encouraged the practice.
| Surname | Meaning | Famous bearer (original name) |
|---|---|---|
| Ben-Gurion | “Son of the lion cub” | David Ben-Gurion (born Grün) |
| Peres | “Bearded vulture” | Shimon Peres (born Perski) |
| Meir | “One who shines” | Golda Meir (born Mabovitch, married Meyerson) |
| Sharon | The Sharon coastal plain | Ariel Sharon (born Scheinermann) |
| Barak | “Lightning” | Ehud Barak (born Brog) |
| Eshkol | “Cluster of grapes” | Levi Eshkol (born Shkolnik) |
| Shamir | “Flint, very hard stone” | Yitzhak Shamir (born Jeziernicky) |
| Ben-Zvi | “Son of the deer” | Yitzhak Ben-Zvi (born Shimshelevich) |
| Oz | “Strength, courage” | Writer Amos Oz (born Klausner) |
| Tamir | “Tall, upright” | Common modern surname |
| Agnon | From his story “Agunot,” about “anchored” (deserted) wives | Nobel laureate S. Y. Agnon (born Czaczkes) |
| Navon | “Wise, understanding” | President Yitzhak Navon |
Tips for researching Jewish last names
- Expect spelling changes. The same name may appear as Szapiro, Shapiro, Schapira or Spira depending on the country and the clerk.
- Surnames are fairly recent for many Ashkenazi families, often dating only to around 1800. Before that, look for patronymics like “Yosef ben Moshe” in community records.
- A priestly surname such as Cohen or Katz suggests a family tradition of kohen descent, but it isn’t proof on its own; plenty of kohanim have other surnames.
- Many families changed names on arriving in the U.S. or Israel, so check naturalization and ship records for the older form.
- Pair a surname with a first name from biblical names if you’re writing a family history or a historically grounded character.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common Jewish last name?
Cohen is widely considered the most common Jewish surname worldwide, followed by Levi/Levy and their many variants.
Why do many Jewish surnames sound German?
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Austrian Empire and German states required Jews to adopt fixed surnames, most of them German. Yiddish, spoken by Ashkenazi Jews, is also Germanic.
What does the surname Katz mean?
Katz is an acronym of the Hebrew kohen tzedek, “righteous priest.” It usually signals a family of kohanim and has nothing to do with cats.
What are Sephardic last names?
Sephardic surnames include Toledano, Benveniste, Abravanel, Abulafia, Cardozo and Pinto, many reflecting Spanish or Portuguese places and words.
Are Goldberg and Rosenberg always Jewish names?
Not always. Both are German place and ornamental names also used by non-Jewish families, but in the U.S. they are most often Jewish.