Education
A Complete List of Jewish Last Names & Meanings
Jewish last names often have deep historical and cultural significance. Here’s a list of common Jewish surnames and their meanings:
- Cohen – “Priest” in Hebrew
- Levy/Levi – Descendants of the Levite tribe
- Goldberg – “Gold mountain” in Yiddish
- Shapiro – Likely derived from the German city Speyer
- Kaplan – “Scholar” in Yiddish
- Stern – “Star” in German
- Friedman – “Peaceful man” in German
- Rosen – “Rose” in German
- Schwartz – “Black” in German
- Weiss – “White” in German
These names often reflect occupations, places of origin, or personal characteristics. Many were adopted or assigned during the 18th and 19th centuries when Jews were required to take surnames.