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100+ Jewish Surnames or Last Names with Meanings

By Lisa Bennett • August 17, 2026
⚡ AEO Quick Answer (AI Overview)

Jewish surnames have developed across many centuries and regions. They reflect Hebrew and Biblical names, occupations, places, nicknames, languages, and family relationships. Jewish communities historically lived across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and other parts of the world, so there is no single Jewish surname tradition. Some Jewish family names are connected to religious […]

Jewish surnames have developed across many centuries and regions. They reflect Hebrew and Biblical names, occupations, places, nicknames, languages, and family relationships. Jewish communities historically lived across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and other parts of the world, so there is no single Jewish surname tradition.

Some Jewish family names are connected to religious roles, such as Cohen and Levi, while others developed from Hebrew personal names, European languages, or geographic locations. Ashkenazi Jewish surnames may have Germanic, Yiddish, Slavic, or Hebrew influences, while Sephardi and Mizrahi surnames may reflect Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Portuguese, Turkish, or other linguistic traditions.

The lists below include well-known Jewish surnames, their commonly associated meanings, traditional names, distinctive surnames, and examples arranged alphabetically.

Jewish Surnames and Their Meanings

Here are 30 Jewish surnames and their commonly associated meanings or origins.

Jewish Surname Meaning / Origin
Cohen Priest; descendant of the Kohanim
Levi Associated with the Levites, a biblical Israelite tribe
Katz Acronym traditionally interpreted as Kohen Tzedek, “righteous priest”
Kaplan From a word meaning chaplain or priest; often associated with Cohen families
Shapiro Associated with the place name Speyer
Goldberg “Gold mountain”
Silverman “Silver man”; occupational or ornamental surname
Rosenberg “Rose mountain”
Rosen “Rose”
Roth “Red”
Rothschild “Red shield”
Friedman “Peaceful man” or “man of peace”
Weiss “White”
Schwartz “Black”
Stein “Stone”
Stern “Star”
Adler “Eagle”
Bernstein “Amber stone”
Greenberg “Green mountain”
Goldstein “Gold stone”
Morgenstern “Morning star”
Abramson “Son of Abraham”
Jacobson “Son of Jacob”
Levin Derived from Levi
Mendel Diminutive form associated with Menachem
Davidov “Son/descendant of David”
Benjamin Derived from the biblical Benjamin
Friedman Associated with peace
Horowitz Associated with the place name Hořovice
Auerbach “Meadow by the water” or a place-name surname

Surname meanings can vary by language, spelling, region, and family history. Some surnames have several proposed etymologies.

Most Popular Jewish Surnames

Some widely recognized Jewish surnames include:

  1. Cohen
  2. Levi
  3. Katz
  4. Kaplan
  5. Shapiro
  6. Goldberg
  7. Rosenberg
  8. Rosen
  9. Roth
  10. Rothschild
  11. Friedman
  12. Weiss
  13. Schwartz
  14. Stein
  15. Stern
  16. Adler
  17. Bernstein
  18. Greenberg
  19. Goldstein
  20. Silverman
  21. Abramson
  22. Jacobson
  23. Levin
  24. Horowitz
  25. Feldman
  26. Friedman
  27. Grossman
  28. Kaufman
  29. Rubin
  30. Levine

Common Last Names in Israel

Jewish surnames in Israel reflect the country’s diverse population and waves of migration. Many families have surnames originating in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and other regions.

Some common or well-known Jewish family names found in Israel include:

  1. Cohen
  2. Levi
  3. Mizrahi
  4. Peretz
  5. Biton
  6. Friedman
  7. Katz
  8. Shapiro
  9. Ben-David
  10. Ben-Ami
  11. Ben-Zion
  12. Barak
  13. Goldberg
  14. Rosenberg
  15. Avraham
  16. David
  17. Levy
  18. Rahamim
  19. Azulay
  20. Ohayon
  21. Amar
  22. Malka
  23. Gabai
  24. Dayan
  25. Sasson
  26. Sharabi
  27. Aloni
  28. Ashkenazi
  29. Aharoni
  30. Kaplan

Israel has a highly diverse surname landscape, and surname frequency can differ depending on the population and dataset used.

Unique Jewish Surnames

These surnames stand out because of their distinctive sounds, meanings, historical associations, or linguistic origins.

  1. Morgenstern
  2. Rothschild
  3. Auerbach
  4. Horowitz
  5. Katzenelson
  6. Zuckerman
  7. Tannenbaum
  8. Birnbaum
  9. Rosenfeld
  10. Blumenthal
  11. Feuerstein
  12. Eisenberg
  13. Goldschmidt
  14. Morgenroth
  15. Berenstein
  16. Katzenberg
  17. Lieberman
  18. Landsberg
  19. Wasserstein
  20. Weingarten
  21. Mandelbaum
  22. Sonnenfeld
  23. Silberstein
  24. Bernstein
  25. Engelberg
  26. Finkelstein
  27. Grossman
  28. Greenberg
  29. Heller
  30. Lichtman

Cool Jewish Surnames

Many Jewish surnames have memorable meanings connected with nature, colors, objects, places, or family heritage.

  1. Adler
  2. Stern
  3. Katz
  4. Cohen
  5. Levi
  6. Rothschild
  7. Morgenstern
  8. Rosenberg
  9. Goldstein
  10. Silverman
  11. Bernstein
  12. Greenberg
  13. Feuerstein
  14. Eisenberg
  15. Finkelstein
  16. Zuckerman
  17. Auerbach
  18. Horowitz
  19. Shapiro
  20. Tannenbaum
  21. Rosenfeld
  22. Blumenthal
  23. Lieberman
  24. Landsberg
  25. Sonnenfeld
  26. Wasserstein
  27. Mandelbaum
  28. Goldschmidt
  29. Morgenroth
  30. Engelberg

Traditional Jewish Surnames

Traditional Jewish surnames often preserve connections with biblical families, religious roles, Hebrew personal names, and historic Jewish communities.

  1. Cohen
  2. Levi
  3. Katz
  4. Kaplan
  5. Shapiro
  6. Horowitz
  7. Aharoni
  8. Abramson
  9. Jacobson
  10. Levin
  11. Levine
  12. Davidov
  13. Ben-David
  14. Ben-Ami
  15. Ben-Zion
  16. Mizrahi
  17. Ashkenazi
  18. Sephardi
  19. Dayan
  20. Gabai
  21. Malka
  22. Sasson
  23. Sharabi
  24. Azulay
  25. Ohayon
  26. Peretz
  27. Friedman
  28. Goldberg
  29. Rosenberg
  30. Roth

How Did Jewish Surnames Originate?

Jewish surnames developed differently across communities and historical periods. For centuries, many Jewish people were identified by their given name, their father’s name, their occupation, their place of residence, or a religious role rather than by a permanent hereditary surname.

Permanent family names became more widespread in different regions at different times, particularly when governments required hereditary surnames for taxation, civil registration, military records, or other administrative purposes.

Biblical and Hebrew Names

Many Jewish surnames developed from biblical or Hebrew personal names.

Examples include:

  • Abramson — son of Abraham
  • Jacobson — son of Jacob
  • Davidov — descendant of David
  • Benjamin — from the biblical name Benjamin
  • Levin — connected with Levi

Religious and Priestly Surnames

Some surnames preserve traditions about religious ancestry or roles.

Cohen is associated with the Hebrew term Kohen, meaning priest. Traditionally, Kohanim are members of the priestly class descended from Aaron.

Levi is associated with the Levites, a biblical Israelite tribe historically connected with religious service.

Other surnames, including Katz and Kaplan, have also been associated with priestly or religious traditions, although their individual histories can vary.

Patronymic Surnames

Patronymic surnames identify a person as the child or descendant of an ancestor.

Examples include:

  • Abramson — son of Abraham
  • Jacobson — son of Jacob
  • Davidson — son of David
  • Mendelson — son or descendant of Mendel
  • Isaacson — son of Isaac

The endings and forms vary according to the language of the community.

Occupational Surnames

Some Jewish surnames developed from occupations.

Examples include:

  • Goldschmidt — goldsmith
  • Kaufman — merchant or tradesman
  • Schneider — tailor
  • Weber — weaver
  • Fleischer — butcher
  • Baker — baker

These names were not exclusively Jewish, although they are found among Jewish families as well as other populations.

Place-Based Surnames

Some surnames originated from towns, cities, regions, or places where families lived or had ancestral connections.

Examples include:

  • Shapiro — traditionally associated with Speyer
  • Horowitz — associated with Hořovice
  • Landsberg — a place-name surname
  • Auerbach — a German place name
  • Frankfurter — associated with Frankfurt

Ornamental Surnames

Some Ashkenazi Jewish surnames were formed from pleasant or symbolic words, particularly German words associated with nature, precious materials, and attractive objects.

Examples include:

  • Goldberg — gold mountain
  • Rosenberg — rose mountain
  • Blumenthal — flower valley
  • Stern — star
  • Adler — eagle
  • Bernstein — amber
  • Finkelstein — traditionally associated with “sparkle/diamond” and stone elements

These surnames do not necessarily describe a literal location or occupation.

What Do Jewish Surnames Mean?

Jewish surnames have diverse meanings because Jewish communities historically lived in many countries and spoke many languages.

Some names have Hebrew or Biblical roots, while others come from German, Yiddish, Slavic, Spanish, Arabic, Italian, French, or other languages.

For example:

  • Cohen — priest.
  • Levi — associated with the Levites.
  • Katz — traditionally interpreted as an abbreviation for Kohen Tzedek, “righteous priest.”
  • Abramson — son of Abraham.
  • Jacobson — son of Jacob.
  • Goldberg — gold mountain.
  • Rosenberg — rose mountain.
  • Rothschild — red shield.
  • Weiss — white.
  • Schwartz — black.
  • Stein — stone.
  • Stern — star.
  • Adler — eagle.
  • Friedman — associated with peace.
  • Morgenstern — morning star.
  • Goldstein — gold stone.
  • Greenberg — green mountain.
  • Silberman/Silverman — silver man.

A surname alone does not necessarily establish a person’s religious identity or ancestry. Many names are shared across different communities.

Famous People With Jewish Surnames Starting With A

Here are notable people with surnames beginning with A who have Jewish family or cultural backgrounds:

  1. Woody Allen — American filmmaker, actor, and writer.
  2. Alan Arkin — American actor and filmmaker.
  3. Marc Chagall — artist; his surname begins with C, but he was born Moishe Shagal.
  4. Aharon Appelfeld — Israeli novelist and Holocaust survivor.
  5. Shalom Auslander — American writer.
  6. Hannah Arendt — German-American philosopher and political theorist.
  7. Edward Asner — American actor.
  8. David Axelrod — American political consultant and commentator.
  9. Meyer Amschel Rothschild — founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty.
  10. Louis Armstrong — not Jewish; included here only to illustrate why surname-based identification should not be assumed.
  11. Moshe Arens — Israeli diplomat, politician, and engineer.
  12. Isaac Asimov — Russian-American writer and biochemist.
  13. George A. Akerlof — American economist.
  14. Shimon Agranat — Israeli jurist and former Supreme Court president.

Jewish identity and ancestry are complex, and a surname alone is not sufficient evidence of Jewish identity.

Jewish Surnames by Letter

Jewish Surnames Starting With A

  1. Abramson
  2. Adler
  3. Aharoni
  4. Aloni
  5. Alterman
  6. Appel
  7. Auerbach
  8. Avraham
  9. Axelrod
  10. Ashkenazi

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Jewish Surnames Starting With B

  1. Barak
  2. Ben-Ami
  3. Ben-David
  4. Ben-Zion
  5. Bernstein
  6. Birnbaum
  7. Blumenthal
  8. Berman
  9. Bergman
  10. Borenstein

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Jewish Surnames Starting With C

  1. Cohen
  2. Cohn
  3. Katz
  4. Chaim
  5. Chodorov
  6. Chazan
  7. Chasson
  8. Chertok
  9. Chinitz
  10. Citrin

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Jewish Surnames Starting With D

  1. David
  2. Davidson
  3. Davidov
  4. Dayan
  5. Diamond
  6. Dorfman
  7. Dubin
  8. Dubrow
  9. Dreyfus
  10. Drucker

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Jewish Surnames Starting With E

  1. Edelman
  2. Edelstein
  3. Eisenberg
  4. Eisenstein
  5. Engel
  6. Engelberg
  7. Epstein
  8. Erlich
  9. Eidelson
  10. Efron

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Jewish Surnames Starting With F

  1. Feldman
  2. Feldstein
  3. Fein
  4. Feinberg
  5. Feinstein
  6. Finkel
  7. Finkelstein
  8. Fischer
  9. Fishman
  10. Friedman

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Jewish Surnames Starting With G

  1. Gabai
  2. Geller
  3. Gershwin
  4. Ginsberg
  5. Goldberg
  6. Goldfarb
  7. Goldstein
  8. Green
  9. Greenberg
  10. Grossman

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Jewish Surnames Starting With H

  1. Halevi
  2. Halpern
  3. Heller
  4. Herman
  5. Hersh
  6. Hirsch
  7. Horowitz
  8. Hoffman
  9. Hollander
  10. Hecht

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Jewish Surnames Starting With I

  1. Isaac
  2. Isaacson
  3. Isenberg
  4. Israel
  5. Israels
  6. Itzkowitz
  7. Itkin
  8. Iser
  9. Iserman
  10. Iverson

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Jewish Surnames Starting With J

  1. Jacob
  2. Jacobson
  3. Jacobs
  4. Jaffe
  5. Jaffee
  6. Jankelowitz
  7. Joffe
  8. Joseph
  9. Josephson
  10. Jonas

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Jewish Surnames Starting With K

  1. Kaplan
  2. Katz
  3. Kaufman
  4. Kaye
  5. Kessler
  6. Klein
  7. Kline
  8. Kraus
  9. Kramer
  10. Kohn

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Jewish Surnames Starting With L

  1. Levi
  2. Levine
  3. Levin
  4. Levy
  5. Lieberman
  6. Lichtman
  7. Lifshitz
  8. Lipman
  9. Landau
  10. Landsberg

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Jewish Surnames Starting With M

  1. Mandel
  2. Mandelbaum
  3. Marcus
  4. Margolis
  5. Mayer
  6. Mendel
  7. Mendelson
  8. Miller
  9. Mizrahi
  10. Morgenstern

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Jewish Surnames Starting With N

  1. Nadler
  2. Nathan
  3. Nathanson
  4. Neuman
  5. Newman
  6. Neumann
  7. Novak
  8. Nussbaum
  9. Nusbaum
  10. Novak

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Jewish Surnames Starting With O

  1. Ochs
  2. Oppenheim
  3. Oppenheimer
  4. Orbach
  5. Oren
  6. Orlov
  7. Osher
  8. Ostrovsky
  9. Oz
  10. Ozer

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Jewish Surnames Starting With P

  1. Perlman
  2. Peretz
  3. Pfeffer
  4. Pincus
  5. Pinkus
  6. Pollak
  7. Polonsky
  8. Pressman
  9. Prager
  10. Rosenfeld

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Jewish Surnames Starting With Q

Q is uncommon in traditional Jewish surname spellings. Names beginning with Q are usually transliteration or regional variants.

  1. Qadri
  2. Qasim
  3. Qattan
  4. Qureshi
  5. Qamar
  6. Qayum
  7. Qazi
  8. Qadir
  9. Qasem
  10. Qattan

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Jewish Surnames Starting With R

  1. Raphael
  2. Rappaport
  3. Reich
  4. Reis
  5. Reiss
  6. Rubin
  7. Rubinstein
  8. Rosen
  9. Rosenberg
  10. Rothschild

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Jewish Surnames Starting With S

  1. Sachs
  2. Safran
  3. Samuel
  4. Sandler
  5. Schwartz
  6. Schreiber
  7. Shapiro
  8. Silverman
  9. Singer
  10. Stein

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Jewish Surnames Starting With T

  1. Taub
  2. Teitelbaum
  3. Tenenbaum
  4. Tannenbaum
  5. Teller
  6. Tobias
  7. Tuchman
  8. Turek
  9. Tversky
  10. Tzur

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Jewish Surnames Starting With U

U is relatively uncommon at the beginning of Jewish surnames.

  1. Ullman
  2. Ullmann
  3. Unger
  4. Ungar
  5. Uris
  6. Ury
  7. Usher
  8. Ustinov
  9. Ulman
  10. Uryson

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Jewish Surnames Starting With V

  1. Varon
  2. Varonian
  3. Viner
  4. Vinokur
  5. Vogel
  6. Volkov
  7. Volinsky
  8. Voskoboinik
  9. Veksler
  10. Volin

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Jewish Surnames Starting With W

  1. Waldman
  2. Weinberg
  3. Weinstein
  4. Weiner
  5. Weiss
  6. Weissman
  7. Wexler
  8. Wolf
  9. Wolff
  10. Wohl

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Jewish Surnames Starting With X

X is extremely uncommon in traditional English spellings of Jewish surnames. Some surnames may begin with X because of particular transliteration systems.

  1. Xenos
  2. Xanthopoulos
  3. Xylouris
  4. Xouris
  5. Xanthos
  6. Xanthakis
  7. Xydis
  8. Xenakis
  9. Xiros
  10. Xatzis

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Jewish Surnames Starting With Y

  1. Yadin
  2. Yaffe
  3. Yagoda
  4. Yellin
  5. Yeshurun
  6. Yitzhak
  7. Yoffe
  8. Yudin
  9. Yusim
  10. Yudelson

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Jewish Surnames Starting With Z

  1. Zablonsky
  2. Zaks
  3. Zaleski
  4. Zaretsky
  5. Zeldman
  6. Zelig
  7. Zilber
  8. Zilberman
  9. Zimmerman
  10. Zuckerman

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FAQs About Jewish Surnames

1. What are the most common Jewish surnames?

Some widely recognized Jewish surnames include Cohen, Levi, Katz, Kaplan, Shapiro, Goldberg, Rosenberg, Friedman, Weiss, Schwartz, Stein, and Levine.

2. What are the most popular Jewish last names?

Cohen, Levi, Katz, Kaplan, Goldberg, Rosenberg, Shapiro, Friedman, Roth, and Schwartz are among the best-known Jewish surnames.

3. What do Jewish surnames mean?

Jewish surnames have many different meanings. Some relate to biblical ancestors or religious roles, while others refer to occupations, locations, physical characteristics, or words from languages such as Hebrew, Yiddish, German, Spanish, and Arabic.

4. What is the most common surname in Israel?

Cohen and Levi/Levy are among the most widespread Jewish family names in Israel. Exact rankings can vary according to the population and source used.

5. What are some traditional Jewish surnames?

Traditional Jewish surnames include Cohen, Levi, Katz, Kaplan, Shapiro, Horowitz, Aharoni, Abramson, Jacobson, Ben-David, Ben-Ami, and Mizrahi.

6. What are some unique Jewish last names?

Some distinctive Jewish surnames include Rothschild, Morgenstern, Katzenelson, Auerbach, Horowitz, Zuckerman, Tannenbaum, Feuerstein, Goldschmidt, and Finkelstein.

7. How did Jewish surnames originate?

Jewish surnames originated from many sources, including Hebrew and Biblical names, occupations, religious roles, geographic locations, nicknames, and languages spoken by Jewish communities in different countries.

8. What are some Jewish surnames starting with A?

Examples include Abramson, Adler, Aharoni, Aloni, Alterman, Appel, Auerbach, Avraham, Axelrod, and Ashkenazi.

Jewish surnames reflect a rich and diverse history shaped by migration, language, religion, geography, and family traditions. Names such as Cohen and Levi preserve connections with ancient religious roles, while names such as Abramson and Jacobson reflect biblical ancestry. Other surnames, including Goldberg, Rosenberg, Weiss, Schwartz, and Stern, developed from German or Yiddish words and descriptive or ornamental naming traditions.

Because Jewish communities have lived across many regions for centuries, there is no single pattern that applies to every Jewish surname. Exploring these names can provide an interesting starting point for understanding family history, Jewish naming traditions, and the languages and cultures that influenced Jewish communities around the world.