How to Tell if a Last Name Is Jewish

Can you tell if someone is Jewish based on their name?

Not really, although you may be able to make an educated guess. Most “Jewish” names are really just German, Russian, Polish, or Middle Eastern names that have been handed down through the generations. On top of that, name changes and genealogical naming conventions can lead to someone having a stereotypical “Jewish” name despite having zero Jewish ancestors (or some extremely distant Jewish ancestor). As a result, you can make an educated guess that someone is Jewish, but it’s still just a guess. The third most common Jewish surname in the United States is “Miller,” and that’s one of the most stereotypical gentile names out there. A lot of Jewish names sound “Jewish” because of antisemitism. For example, in Nazi Germany, Hitler forced Jewish families to change their names to a state-approved list of “Jewish-sounding” options. In 1808, Napoleon forced Jewish people in France to do the same. The Jewish diaspora has actually resulted in one of the most diverse sets of surnames on the planet. It’s actually way easier to tell if someone is French, Russian, Nigerian, etc. based on their last name.

Common Jewish Names

Cohen, Levy, and Israel are the only specifically Jewish surnames. There are a lot of traditionally sounding Jewish names, but genealogists and linguists have only identified three Jewish surnames that are directly drawn from their ancestral lineage. While these last names do not 100% confirm somebody is Jewish per se, it does point to someone being related to a Jewish person at some point in their family line. Cohen: Cohen is a direct descendent of the word “Kohen” which is literally the Hebrew word for “priest.” Levy: Levy is a moniker that refers specifically to the Israeli tribe of Levi (one of the 12 original tribes of Israel). Levi was the only tribe in the Torah that lived among all of the tribes; the other 11 were given their own specific territories. Levites were historically priests. The other 11 tribes have been popular names throughout history, but none can be traced directly through Jewish ancestry. Israel: From the Hebrew “Yisra’el,” Israel means “God contends” or “God persists.” This surname is a direct reference to the ancient state of Israel.

Names Associated with Judaism

There are a handful of common Jewish surnames popularized in Europe. Some Jewish surnames developed as references to places, jobs, or nicknames, but a lot of them just happened to catch on over time in Germany, Poland, France, and other European countries. As a result, these names aren’t super distinguishable from Gentiles who come from these countries, although many have Hebrew roots. Jewish families often have names ending in: -berg (Goldberg, Whalberg) -stein (Einstein, Hammerstein) -baum (Rosenbaum, Greenbaum) -witz (Horowitz, Robowitz) -thal (Rosenthal, Blumenthal) -ler (Adler, Wexler) -feld (Seinfeld, Cannfeld) -blum (Goldblum, Weissblum)

Hebrew patronymics and matronymics indicate a Jewish origin. Patronymics refers to naming conventions based on the father, and matronymics is based on the mother. This is popular in basically all cultures throughout history (O’Brian, meaning “son of Brian” in Gaelic, Anavich meaning “daughter of Ana” in Russian, etc. Here are the patronymic and matronymic patters among Jewish lineages: ben — Hebrew for “son of” (Ben-ammi, Benjamin) bat — Hebrew for “daughter of” (Batsheva, Bat-Shir) bar — Aramaic for “son of” (Barak, bar Rochel) ibn — Arabic for “of the tribe of” (bin Ahmad, bin al-Khattab) This one is primarily used by Sephardic Jews in Spain and the Middle East.

There are also a few common Jewish surname traditions. Jewish people are actually among one of the last ethnic and religious groups in the world to choose surnames. As a result, there’s a surprising amount of variety in how Jews have chosen surnames over the years. Most of them have Hebrew roots, too. There are: Names based on European towns and cities (Epstein, after Eppstein, Germany, or Oppenheimer, after Oppenheim, Germany). Names related to money (Goldstein, Silverstein, Goldman. Historically, Jewish people were banned from joining trade unions and were forced to work in finance, which wasn’t an attractive job back in the day.) Names based on familial nicknames (“Gross” in “Grossman,” for example, was a nickname for an overweight guy or girl that became a surname). Names based the Torah (Jacobs, Solomon, Meribaal). Names based on family crests and sigils (“Rothschild” is just German for “red shield,” and it’s based on the lineage’s original family crest).

Unique Judaist Naming Conventions

Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews have different naming patterns. Ashkenazim and Sephardim refer to two distinctly separate subcultures in Judaism. To make a very long and complicated history simple, Ashkenazi Jews are from Europe, while Sephardic Jews are from the Middle East (and Spain). As a result, Ashkenazi names trend more towards archetypally “Western” names, like Miller or Rosenbaum, while Sephardic names often “sound” more Middle Eastern or Spanish, like Spinoza, Shlomo, or Arruda. There are several minority subcultures of Judaism, such as Mizrahi Jews who historically lived in North Africa, or Crypto-Jews, who lived in countries where they were heavily persecuted and had to hide their Judaism.

Most Jewish families historically had no surnames. Flip through the pages of the Torah or grab a Jewish history book about the Middle Ages and you’ll notice something interesting—nobody has a last name. As a result, a lot of “Jewish” sounding names are relatively recent inventions, meaning you see a ton of variation and invention. Some Sephardic Jews began to utilize surnames earlier—especially in Spain where surnames were important for political reasons after the 10th century or so.

First names tend to carry more meaning in Judaism. The Torah contains references to roughly 2,800 first names, and many passages in the Torah focus on the lineage and history of families. As a result, Jewish families have historically taken a lot of time and consideration to select the first names of their children. While gentile families often pick first names based on how they sound, Jewish communities are much more likely to select traditionally Jewish first names. Traditionally Jewish names include Daniel, Aaron, Sarah, Joseph, Adam, Leah, Aaliyah, Miriam, Benjamin, Joseph, Tamar, Jonathan, and David. Still, this isn’t a great way to tell if someone is Jewish; a lot of Gentiles like the sound of Jewish first names, so names like “Rebecca” are everywhere.