We've identified 100 common Jewish last names and their Hebrew meanings. One doesn't have to be fluent in Yiddish to be familiar with the term, "mensch." If you're a mensch, it says a lot about you, ...

"What Can We Learn about Our Ancestors from Jewish Surnames Adopted in the Russian Empire?" will be the topic of a presentation by scholar and author Alexander Beider for the 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, ...

As with many aspects of Jewish culture, religion, genetics and heritage, the origins of Jewish last names are ensconced in more myth than fact. There are many explanations out there attempting to ...

Jewish surnames traditionally began as being patronymic; that is, the person’s surname was the father’s name. Abraham, son of Isaac, would be known as Abraham ben Isaac, and Miriam, daughter of Isaac ...

Last week’s column described how Jewish surnames were adopted in different localities around the world. Jews assumed fixed surnames much later than their gentile neighbors, and the process, as well as ...

There’s a curious phenomenon which may be unfamiliar to American Jews: Many Germans who have no Jewish ancestors commonly use surnames like Rosenberg, Rosenthal, Meier, Weill, Schuster and Landau. The ...

Chancellor Hitler’s Voelkischer Beobachter, chief organ of the Nazi Party, today warned Jews with German surnames to change them to Jewish names or face the imposition of names by the Government. The ...

In 1933, JTA reported on the woes of a Jewish famly who shared a last name with the villain in charge of Germany. (JTA) — “Herr Adolf Hitler of Germany would be covered with confusion if he dared to ...