Jewish last names are among the most linguistically varied and historically layered surnames in the world. They draw from Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Arabic, German, Russian, Polish, Spanish, and more, reflecting centuries of migration, adaptation, and survival across dozens of countries and cultures. Whether you’re researching your own family tree, writing a character, or simply curious about the stories surnames carry, this collection covers the full spectrum.
The history of Jewish last names is relatively recent by global standards. Most Ashkenazi Jews in Central and Eastern Europe didn’t adopt hereditary surnames until the late 18th and early 19th centuries, often under legal mandate from governments in Austria, Prussia, and Russia. Sephardic Jews, descendants of those expelled from Spain in 1492, carried surnames much earlier, many of them Spanish or Portuguese in origin. The result is a dazzling range: occupational names, place names, patronymics, nature names, and names that are simply the Hebrew word for a quality or object.
Patronymic and Biblical Jewish Last Names
Many Jewish surnames descend directly from a father’s or ancestor’s first name, often a biblical one. These are among the most recognizable Jewish last names worldwide.
Abramowitz
A Yiddish-Slavic patronymic meaning “son of Abram,” the older form of the biblical patriarch Abraham. Common across Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, it carries immediate scriptural weight.
Isaacs
An Anglicized patronymic derived from the Hebrew name Yitzhak (Isaac), meaning “he will laugh”, a reference to Sarah’s laughter in Genesis. Widely used in Britain and the United States.
Jacobs
From the patriarch Jacob (Ya’akov), meaning “supplanter” or “he who follows at the heel.” One of the most common Jewish surnames in English-speaking countries.
Levine
A patronymic variant of Levi, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Levites held a specific priestly role in the Temple, so this surname often indicates tribal descent. Among the top Jewish last names in America.
Moskovitz
A patronymic meaning “son of Moshke,” a Yiddish diminutive of Moses. Also doubles as a place name pointing to Moscow. Common in Hungary and Slovakia.
Davidowitz
Meaning “son of David,” from the Hebrew name beloved of the biblical king and psalmist. The -owitz suffix is characteristically Ashkenazi Eastern European.
Solomonov
A Slavic-form patronymic meaning “son of Solomon” (Shlomo in Hebrew, meaning “peaceful”). Found across the former Soviet Union and Israel.
Aaronson
Straightforwardly “son of Aaron,” the brother of Moses and first High Priest of Israel. The double-A spelling is characteristic of the English adaptation.
Josephson
From Joseph (Yosef), meaning “God will add” or “God increases.” Widely used in Scandinavia and Britain by Jewish families who adopted local naming conventions.
Benjamini
A Hebrew-inflected surname derived from Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob, whose name means “son of the right hand.” Common in Israel and among Sephardic families.
Kohen and Levite Priestly Jewish Last Names
A significant cluster of Jewish surnames derives directly from the two priestly classes of ancient Israel: the Kohanim (priests descended from Aaron) and the Levites. These names are among the most distinctly Jewish last names in existence.
Cohen
From the Hebrew word for “priest” (kohen). One of the single most common Jewish last names in the world and a direct marker of priestly lineage. Spelled dozens of ways across different communities.
Katz
An acronym-surname from the Hebrew phrase Kohen Tzedek, meaning “righteous priest.” It looks like a German animal name but is in fact a distinctly Jewish construction. Extremely common in Ashkenazi families.
Kahane
A variant spelling of Cohen used in Eastern European communities, particularly in Poland and Ukraine. The -ane ending gives it a slightly different phonetic texture.
Kahn
A German-inflected variant of Cohen, common among German Jewish families. Short, clean, and immediately recognizable as a priestly surname.
Levi
The tribal name of the Levites, the priestly assistants of the Kohanim. As a surname it is used by both Ashkenazi and Sephardic families and is extremely widespread in Israel and France.
Halevi
Meaning “the Levite” in Hebrew, with the definite article ha- attached. It explicitly declares tribal identity and is common among families of Moroccan and other Middle Eastern Jewish descent.
Levy
The French and English spelling of Levi, adopted by Sephardic families who passed through France and the Netherlands. One of the most recognizable Jewish surnames in Western Europe.
Levitt
An Anglicized diminutive form of Levi, common in Britain and the United States. The -tt ending gives it a very English feel while preserving the tribal root.
Occupational Jewish Last Names
When European governments forced Jewish communities to adopt surnames, many families chose or were assigned names reflecting their trade or craft. These occupational Jewish last names span multiple languages.
Schneider
German for “tailor,” one of the most common occupations in the Jewish shtetl economy. It is among the most frequent Ashkenazi surnames in both Germany and the United States.
Schreiber
From the German word for “writer” or “scribe” (schreiben, to write). The role of scribe held particular importance in Jewish religious life, making this a prestigious occupational name.
Fleischer
German for “butcher” (fleisch means meat). Because kosher slaughter required specialized religious training, Jewish butchers were a distinct and important part of community life.
Kaufman
From the German Kaufmann, meaning “merchant” or “tradesman.” One of the most widespread Ashkenazi surnames, reflecting the commercial roles many Jewish families occupied.
Goldschmidt
Literally “goldsmith” in German. Jewish goldsmiths and silversmiths were prominent across medieval Europe, and the name spread widely through German-speaking Jewish communities.
Zimmerman
German for “carpenter” (Zimmer means room or timber). A common surname across both Jewish and non-Jewish German populations, but well-represented in Ashkenazi families.
Cantor
From the Latin and English word for the synagogue prayer leader, the hazzan. This surname was adopted by families with a hereditary connection to liturgical singing. It is used by both Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities.
Sofer
Directly from the Hebrew word for scribe, the person who writes Torah scrolls and religious documents by hand. A deeply respected profession, and a surname that announces that lineage clearly.
Chazan
A variant spelling of hazzan, the synagogue cantor. Common in communities where the Anglicized “Cantor” was not adopted. Found among Ashkenazi families from Eastern Europe.
Reznik
From the Slavic word for “butcher” (rezat, to cut). The Jewish version refers specifically to the shochet, the ritual slaughterer. Common in Russia and Ukraine.
Nature and Descriptive Ashkenazi Jewish Last Names
When Austrian Emperor Joseph II mandated that Jews adopt hereditary surnames in the 1780s, some families chose beautiful nature words from German. These names have a lyrical, almost literary quality.
Blum
German for “flower.” A simple, elegant surname that was popular among Jewish families in Austria and Germany. Common in both Ashkenazi communities and among Israeli families who kept it.
Blumenfeld
Meaning “field of flowers” in German. A compound nature surname with a distinctly poetic feel, typical of names assigned or chosen under the Josephine decrees.
Rosenthal
German for “valley of roses.” One of the more beautiful Ashkenazi surnames, it conjures landscape and was widely adopted by Jewish families in German-speaking regions.
Greenbaum
From the German Grünbaum, meaning “green tree.” A nature compound name common among German and Austrian Jewish families, often anglicized to Greenbaum in the United States.
Schwarzbaum
Meaning “black tree” in German. Less common than Greenbaum but found among Ashkenazi families from German-speaking regions. The stark contrast of the two words gives it a distinctive sound.
Goldberg
Meaning “gold mountain” in German (Gold + Berg). One of the most recognizable Jewish last names in the world, it was widely adopted by Ashkenazi families in Germany, Poland, and Austria.
Rosenberg
German for “mountain of roses.” Like Goldberg, the -berg suffix (mountain) was enormously popular in Ashkenazi surname formation. Common across Central and Eastern Europe.
Steinberg
Meaning “stone mountain” in German. Another -berg compound, found across the full Ashkenazi diaspora. The stone element also connects to a cluster of names below.
Stein
Simply “stone” in German. Short and solid, this surname was widely adopted by Jewish families in German-speaking lands and is immediately recognizable as an Ashkenazi name.
Feldman
From the German Feld (field) plus Mann (man), meaning essentially “field man” or “farmer.” Common across the Ashkenazi world, particularly in Poland and Russia.
Waldman
From the German Wald (forest) plus Mann, meaning “forest man.” A nature-based occupational hybrid that was popular among Ashkenazi families in Central Europe.
Silberman
German for “silver man,” likely referring to a silversmith or silver merchant. A metallic variant in the same vein as Goldschmidt, common among German Jewish families.
Geographic and Place-Based Jewish Last Names
Many Jewish families took surnames from their hometown or the region their ancestors came from. These place-based names are a direct map of the Ashkenazi and Sephardic migrations.
Shapiro
Derived from Speyer, a city in the Rhineland of Germany that was home to one of the earliest and most significant medieval Jewish communities. The name traveled east with the community and became one of the most common Jewish last names in Eastern Europe.
Berliner
Simply “person from Berlin.” Jewish families in the Prussian capital adopted this surname, and it spread with emigration to Western Europe and the Americas.
Warshawsky
From Warsaw (Warszawa in Polish). A classic example of a city-based Ashkenazi surname, with the -sky suffix indicating Slavic geographic origin.
Frankfurter
From Frankfurt, the German city with a historically significant Jewish quarter. This surname was adopted by families who originated there before migrating further east or west.
Posner
From Posen (now Poznan, Poland), a city with a large historical Jewish population. The -er suffix is a German-style locative, meaning “person from Posen.”
Brody
From the city of Brody in what is now western Ukraine, a major center of Jewish learning and commerce in the 18th and 19th centuries. A recognizable Ashkenazi place-name surname.
Horowitz
From Horovice, a town in Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic). This surname traveled with Ashkenazi migration into Poland and Russia and became extremely widespread. It is one of the most historically prominent Jewish last names.
Landau
From the town of Landau in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. Like Shapiro and Horowitz, it originated in a Rhineland Jewish community and spread eastward.
Mintz
From Mainz (known in Hebrew as Magenza), another of the great Rhineland Jewish centers alongside Speyer and Worms. The name was carried east and became well established in Poland and Lithuania.
Toledano
A classic Sephardic surname meaning “from Toledo,” the Spanish city that was one of the greatest centers of Jewish life in medieval Europe. Widely used among Sephardic families in North Africa and the Middle East.
Cordoba
From the Andalusian city of Cordoba, a center of Jewish intellectual life under Moorish Spain. Used as a surname by Sephardic families who traced their ancestry there.
Lisbon
From the Portuguese capital, used by Sephardic families whose ancestors came from or through Portugal before the Inquisition forced emigration. Found among communities in the Netherlands, Morocco, and the Ottoman Empire.
Ashkenazi
From the Hebrew word for the Germanic lands (Ashkenaz), used as a surname by families who identified or were identified by their origin in Central and Eastern Europe. Used by both Ashkenazi Jews themselves and by Sephardic communities to distinguish neighbors of different heritage.
Moreno
Spanish and Portuguese for “dark” or “dark-complexioned.” A common Sephardic surname found across the Mediterranean world, used by Jewish families throughout the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, and the Iberian diaspora.
Hebrew-Origin Jewish Last Names
Some Jewish last names come directly from Hebrew words and concepts, either adopted organically or chosen when families immigrated to Israel and hebraicized their surnames.
Bar-Lev
A modern Hebrew surname meaning “son of the heart” (bar = son in Aramaic/Hebrew, lev = heart). Formed or adopted in Israel, often by families who translated or replaced an Ashkenazi surname.
Ben-David
Meaning “son of David” in Hebrew. The ben- prefix is the direct Hebrew equivalent of the Ashkenazi -son and -owitz suffixes, and Ben-David is one of the most common compound surnames in Israel.
Ben-Ami
From Hebrew, meaning “son of my people.” A surname with both patriotic and communal resonance, popular in early Zionist and Israeli culture.
Mizrahi
Hebrew for “eastern” or “oriental,” used as a surname by Jewish families from Middle Eastern and North African countries, or adopted to indicate that heritage. One of the most common surnames in modern Israel.
Shalom
From the Hebrew word for peace. Used as both a surname and a greeting, it is found across Sephardic and Mizrahi communities in Israel and the broader diaspora.
Eitan
From the Hebrew meaning “strong” or “enduring.” Used as both a given name and a family name in Israel, it has a clean, contemporary sound that many families adopted or retained.
Paz
Hebrew for “gold” or “pure gold” (distinct from the Spanish word meaning peace). Used as a surname in Sephardic and Israeli contexts, it is short and striking.
Kedem
Hebrew for “east” or “ancient times.” A surname with historical and directional resonance, used by families in Israel who wanted a name rooted in the biblical language.
Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish Last Names
Sephardic Jews — descendants of those expelled from Spain and Portugal in the late 15th century — carried surnames into the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, the Netherlands, and the Americas. Mizrahi Jews from Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Syria have a distinct and equally fascinating surname tradition.
Abravanel
One of the great Sephardic dynastic surnames, carried by the renowned philosopher and statesman Isaac Abravanel, who served the Spanish crown before the 1492 expulsion. The name’s origin is debated but likely connects to Abraham.
Caro
A Sephardic surname meaning “dear” or “beloved” in Spanish, or possibly derived from a place name. Carried by Joseph Karo (also spelled Caro), the 16th-century author of the Shulchan Aruch, the foundational code of Jewish law.
Sassoon
From the Hebrew name Sasson, meaning “joy” or “gladness.” A prominent Sephardic surname associated with the famous Baghdad Jewish mercantile dynasty that operated across India, China, and Britain in the 19th century.
Navarro
From the Kingdom of Navarre in northern Spain. A Sephardic place-name surname used by families who came from that region, found today in communities across the former Ottoman world and Latin America.
Alhadeff
A Sephardic surname of Arabic origin, associated with Jewish families from Rhodes and other Greek islands, as well as Turkey. One of the distinctive surnames of the Rhodesli Sephardic community.
Harari
From the Arabic and Hebrew word for “mountain dweller” or “from the mountains.” Common among Jewish families from Syria, particularly from the mountain communities of that region. Widespread in Israel today.
Mizrachi
A variant spelling of Mizrahi, used by Sephardic and Mizrahi families across the Middle East and in Israel. The -chi ending reflects the Turkish-influenced pronunciation found in communities from the former Ottoman Empire.
Farhi
A prominent Sephardic surname associated with Jewish families from Damascus and Aleppo in Syria. The name likely derives from the Arabic for “my joy” or “my happiness” and was carried by influential families in the Ottoman period.
Azoulay
A Moroccan Jewish surname of Berber origin, associated with one of the most distinguished rabbinic families in North African history. Rabbi Chaim Joseph David Azoulay (known as the Chida) is its most famous bearer.
Benveniste
A medieval Sephardic surname of Old Occitan or Catalan origin, meaning “welcome” (benvengut/benvenist). It was carried by prominent rabbinic and courtier families in medieval Spain and traveled with the Sephardic diaspora.
Abecassis
A Moroccan Sephardic surname of Arabic origin, meaning “father of the bow” or “quiver bearer.” Widespread among Moroccan and Algerian Jewish families and their diaspora communities in France and Canada.
Cresques
A historic Sephardic surname from Majorca, associated with the famous 14th-century Jewish cartographer Abraham Cresques, who created the Catalan Atlas. Rare today but historically significant.
Ashkenazi Eastern European Jewish Last Names
The surnames that emerged from the Jewish communities of Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Romania have a distinctive sound: long consonant clusters, -sky and -stein and -man endings, and a mix of Slavic and Yiddish roots.
Bernstein
From the German word for amber (Bernstein). One of the most common Ashkenazi surnames in Germany and Central Europe, it has a warm, slightly literary quality. Leonard Bernstein, the American conductor and composer, is its most famous bearer.
Rabinowitz
Meaning “son of the rabbi,” from the Hebrew/Aramaic rav (master, teacher). A surname that explicitly marks descent from a rabbinic family. Found across Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.
Ginsberg
From Günzburg (also spelled Ginzburg), a town in Bavaria that was home to a significant Jewish community. The surname traveled east and became one of the recognized Ashkenazi names in Russia and the United States. Allen Ginsberg, the American poet, is a well-known bearer.
Lipsky
A Polish-style surname derived from Lipsk or Lipno, place names from the Slavic word for linden tree (lipa). Common among Polish Jewish families.
Brodsky
From the city of Brody in Ukraine, with the Slavic -sky suffix. The poet Joseph Brodsky, the Nobel laureate, is its most celebrated bearer. A distinctly Ashkenazi Eastern European construction.
Pearlman
From the Yiddish perl (pearl) plus mann. Pearl was a common Yiddish woman’s name, so this may have begun as a matronymic. Found widely in American Jewish communities descended from Eastern European immigrants.
Kaminsky
From Kaminsk or Kamen, a place name meaning “stone” in Slavic. A classic Polish-Jewish surname with the -sky suffix. Found across Poland and among American descendants of Polish Jewish immigrants.
Margolis
From the Hebrew/Aramaic word margalit, meaning “pearl.” A beautiful name that emphasizes a precious object, common among Ashkenazi families in Lithuania and Poland.
Braverman
From the Yiddish braver (brave or fine) plus mann, meaning essentially “brave man” or “fine man.” A surname used in Ashkenazi communities across Eastern Europe and well established in American Jewish families.
Plotkin
From the Yiddish/Russian plotka, meaning “roach” (a type of fish). Fish-based surnames were not uncommon in Ashkenazi communities near rivers and lakes. Found in Russian and Polish Jewish communities.
Tenenbaum
From the German Tannenbaum, meaning “fir tree” or “pine tree.” A nature surname adopted or assigned to Ashkenazi families in German-speaking regions, well known in American Jewish culture.
Wolff
From the German word for wolf. A common surname in both Jewish and non-Jewish German communities, but it was widely adopted by Ashkenazi families and spread throughout the diaspora. The double-f spelling is characteristic of the German Jewish variant.
Rosen
From the German word for rose. One of the most common Ashkenazi surnames, standing alone or as the root of compound names like Rosenberg, Rosenthal, and Rosenbaum. Short, clear, and immediately recognizable.
Stern
German for “star.” A popular Ashkenazi surname adopted across German-speaking Jewish communities and spread throughout the diaspora. Simple, strong, and still widely used.
Klein
German for “small.” One of the most common surnames in both the Jewish and general German population. In Jewish communities it was widely adopted in Central and Eastern Europe and is a top Jewish surname in the United States.
Weiss
German for “white.” Another color-descriptor surname adopted broadly in Ashkenazi communities. The variant spelling Weis is also found. Common in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and their diaspora communities.
Schwartz
German for “black.” The color contrast with Weiss is striking. Schwartz is one of the most recognizable Ashkenazi surnames in the United States and was one of the most commonly adopted color names in Central Europe.
Adler
German for “eagle.” A popular Ashkenazi surname adopted in German-speaking lands. The eagle held symbolic significance in European heraldry, and the name has a strong, proud feel. Alfred Adler, the Austrian psychologist, is one of its notable bearers.
Fuchs
German for “fox.” An animal surname common in both Jewish and non-Jewish German communities, but well established in Ashkenazi families. Sometimes anglicized to Fox in English-speaking countries.
How to Research Your Own Jewish Last Name
If you have a Jewish last name in your family and want to understand its origins, the first step is identifying which broad tradition it belongs to. Ashkenazi names tend to show German, Yiddish, Polish, Russian, or Ukrainian roots. Sephardic names often reflect Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, or Ladino origins. Mizrahi names frequently draw on Arabic, Persian, or Kurdish. Knowing the region your family came from is the most powerful tool you have.
Spelling variation is a major complication. Jewish surnames were transcribed by immigration officials, census takers, and military registrars who often worked phonetically and in a language different from the family’s own. Cohen becomes Kohn, Kahn, Cohn, and Kagan. Horowitz becomes Hurwitz, Gurvich, and Gurwitz. Following all the phonetic variants of your name is essential when searching historical records.
Databases like Yad Vashem’s Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names, the JRI-Poland database, and the Ellis Island records are invaluable starting points. For Sephardic families, the records of the Alliance Israelite Universelle schools and Ottoman census documents can be revelatory. Many Israeli national archives also hold records from Jewish communities across the former Ottoman Empire.
If your family changed its name upon immigration — as many did — look for the original in ship manifests rather than naturalization papers, since the manifests were often completed before any anglicization occurred. A family named Blumenfeld might have arrived under that name and left records as Bloomfield within a generation. The original form is often recoverable if you look at the right source.
Finally, DNA testing combined with surname research can be extraordinarily useful for Jewish families because of the well-documented genetic bottlenecks in Ashkenazi ancestry. Services that specialize in genealogical DNA interpretation can help you connect with distant relatives who share both your genes and variants of your surname, opening up branches of the family tree that paper records alone might never reveal.
Jewish last names are not just labels. They are compressed histories: a record of where a family lived, what they did, who they prayed to, and how they survived. Every one of the names on this list carries that weight, and tracking one down in your own family is one of the most rewarding kinds of historical detective work there is.
