Typically, European Jews use four different types of surnames:ġ Place Names: For example, the surname Greenberg refers to the towns of Grunberg in Germany and Poland that both once had thriving Jewish communities.Ģ Occupational Names: For example, Hoffman is a Jewish name meaning "steward."ģ Patronymic names: These last names indicate familial relationships. Later still, Jews from places like Yemen and India didn't adopt last names until they emigrated to Israel in the 20th century. Ashkenazi Jews (from eastern Europe and Germany) didn't take on last names until well into the 18th and 19th centuries when governments in Europe began registering Jews as subjects. Sephardic Jews (from areas around the Mediterranean) did not start adopting family names until the 15th century when expulsion from Spain meant finding a way to keep family ties. Jewish last names are a relatively new phenomenon, historically speaking. Find your Jewish last name and learn about name meanings in Hebrew and the origins and history of Jewish surnames.
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