Namesakes & Name Origins

 

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NAMESAKES... who was named for whom ...

HONOREE (year born)	NAMED (year born)
Dubiner, Abraham (1884)	Arlene Rubin Stiffman (1941), Alan Rubin (1946)
Dubiner, Aharon-Mical (1850's)	Michal-Aron Rubin (1906)
Dubiner, Beila Levine (1830's)	Ada Udin Ross (1916), Bert (Pomerantz) Fine (1914)
Dubiner, Leah Morganstern (1862)	Lorrie Rubin Henry
Dubiner, Schrage-Feivel (1862)	Fredrick Rubin (ben Abraham) (1921)
Fine, Julius (1911)	Julie Fine (1986)
Katz, Avram Isaac (1877)	Albert Irving Katz (1938)
Katz, Chiam-David (1845)	David Katz (1923)
Katz, Lipa (1833)	Lillian (Pomerantz) Friedman (1909)
Katz, Rachel-Yanowitz (1833)	Roslyn (Rochel-Gittle) (Silverman) Gottlieb (1927)
Katz, Sarah Zuckerman (1911)	Stephanie Jill Klein (1991) & Lauren Shelby Klein (1993)
Katz, Tzvia Unknown (1880)	Sylvia (Katz) Klein (1932) & Zvia (Segal) Naphtali (1934)
Herman, Louis (1907)	Elizabeth (Bascha Leah) Albertson (1978)
Pomerantz, Beila Silbergleit (abt. 1857)	Belle (Pomerantz) Futterman (1906) & Bert (Pomerantz) Fine (1914)
Pomerantz, Chana-Raisel Dubiner (1859)	Miriam (Friedman) Kelty [Chana -Malka] (1938) & Carol May (Weller) Frieser [Chana-Mariasha] (1944)
Pomerantz, Charles (1864)	Charles Pomerantz (1922)
Pomerantz, David (1857)	Debra (Buchbinder) Shalom (1951) & Joan Deborah (Weller) Engel (1953)
Pomerantz, Nathan (1838)	Nathan Pomerantz (1881) & Nathan Pomerantz (1898)
Pomerantz, Nathan (1881)	Neil (Nachum Isser) Frieser (1964) & Ruth (Nechama Shoshana) Kelty (1973) & David (Henach Nachum) Fine (1977)
Pomerantz, Pauline Safer (1882)	Michael (Pesach) Frieser (1970) & Mark (Pesach) Fine (1975)
Pomeranz, Israel (1871)	Allison Ivy Brecker (1964)
Pomeranz, Lena Palcovich (1875)	Laurie Lee Davis (1960) & Lisa Todd Brecker (1964)
Pomeranz, Samuel (1873)	Sonia (Pomerantz) Davis (1931), Samuel Pomerantz (1932) & Harold Stephen Pomeranz (1943)
Radisch, Bascha-Chayie Rubin (1883)	Barbara (Radisch) Siegal, [ Bernice] Audrey (Radisch) Haimowitz and Bonnie (Greenwald) Leff were all named after Bascha-Chayie.
Safer, Chayie-Malka Katz (1862)	Miriam (Friedman) Kelty (Chana Malka) (1938) & Herbert (Hy) Silverman (1937)
Safer, Feige-Gittle Cohen (abt. 1830)	Flora (Feige-Gittle) (Pomerantz) Weller (1912) & Roslyn (Rochel-Gittle) (Silverman) Gottlieb (1927)
Safer, Jack (1892)	Jack Fine (1951)
Strelser, Fruma Lipman (1856)	Gail Ferne Futernick (1954)
Weller, Flora G. Pomerantz (1912)	Grant & Gabrielle Frieser (1995); Maddie Frieser (Galia Sivan) (2003)
Weller, Bessie Zemser (1888)	Scott (Simcha Benjamin) Frieser (1973) & Brian Andrew Herman (1973) & Elizabeth (Bascha Leah) Albertson (1978)
Weller, Jacob (1884)	Jerome Waler (1945) & Joan Deborah (Weller) Engel (1953) & Michael (Yakov) Brown (1968)
Weller, Neche Engelson (bef. 1865)	Helen (Hinde Neche) (Wealer) Charaton (1927) & Shirley (Sura-Neche) (Weller-Herman) Strassler (1909)
Weller, Samuel (1912)	Ross Samuel Frieser (1997)
Weller, Shimon (bef. 1865)	Samuel Weller (1912) & Samuel Wealer (1913)
Zemser, Mariasha Streleckaja (abt. 1867)	Carol May (Weller) Frieser [Chana-Mariasha] (1944) & Miriam (Herman) Brown (1936)
Zemser, Raphael (abt. 1867)	Richard Albertson (1948) & Richard Zemser (1945), Robert Herman (1940)
Zemser, Rose (Brachman) (abt. 1892)	Rachel Grinspan (1983)
Zemser, Samuel (abt. 1892)	Sandra (Beckerman) Grinspan (1954) & Scott Zemser (1961)

 

ORIGINS OF GIVEN YIDDISH NAMES

Nachum

Legal/Hebrew: Menacheym demitkari Nakhum    Gender: M    Legal Origin: Kings II 15:14
Yiddish: Menakhem / Menakhim / Menokhem / / Nakhim / Nakhum / Nokhem / Nokhim / Nokhum / Nokum / Nukhim
Yiddish Nickname: Menk / Menka / Menke / Menkl / Meynke / / Nokha / Nokho / Noshl

Pauline

Legal/Hebrew: Basya / Bisya / Pesha / Peshka    Gender: F    Legal Origin: <Chronicles I 4:18
Yiddish: Basya / Bisya / Pasha / Pashe / Pesa / Pese / Pesha / Peshe
Yiddish Origin: <BasSheva <God's daughter

Bessie

Legal/Hebrew: Basya / Bisya ?    Gender: F    Legal Origin: <Chronicles I 4:18
Yiddish: Basa / Base / BASHA / Bashe / Basya / Basye / Bisya / Batya
Yiddish Origin: <BasSheva <G-d's daughter
Yiddish Nickname: Basl / Besl / Beserl / BASHAla / BASHAle / BASHArl / Batka / Batke

Itzrok Isaac

Legal/Hebrew: Yitschak Ayzik    Gender: M    Legal Origin: Genesis 21:3
Yiddish: Eyzik / Izak / Yitzkhok / / Ayzak / Ayzik / Ayzikman
Yiddish Nickname: Etsl / Isachko / Iskhak / Itsa / Itse / Itsek / Itsig / Itsik / Itsikl / Itskanko / Itskhak / Itsko / Itsl / Izash / Sak / Sekl / Zak / Zekl / / Ayzikl / Ayzlin / Ayzman

 

Taibe or Taube comes from the German word for “dove”. Had the name been from the Hebrew word for “good” (tov), the name would have been Yiddishized to Tuva, Gutta, or Gittel, etc.

ORIGINS OF JEWISH SURNAMES

Quoted from THE JEWISH ALMANAC, Traditions, History, Religion, Wisdom, Achievements, complied and edited by Richard Siegel and Carl Rheins: "When Jewish families adopted surnames they took them from a variety of sources - occupations, geographical locations, physical or personal characteristics, nicknames, abbreviations, or first names of a father of mother (like Davidson, from David). Sometimes Jews were given last names against their will. The following is a sampling of Jewish surnames and their meanings in categories like those mentioned. The lists are based on A DICTIONARY OF JEWISH NAMES AND THEIR HISTORY by Benzion C. Kaganoff (New York, 1977)

Occupational Names
Abzug – proof sheet (printer)
Ackerman - plowman
Becker - baker
Berger - shepherd
Bodner - copper or barrel maker
Braverman - brewer
Brenner - distiller
Feder - scribe (with quill-pen)
Glass - glass trade
Korff - basket maker
Kramer - merchant
Lederer - tanner
Meltsner - malt dealer
Metzger - butcher
Pomerantz - orange (fruit) dealer
Portnoy - tailor
Schecter - slaughterer
Singer - cantor
Weber - weaver
Weiner - wine seller

Physical Characteristics
Bleich - pale
Borodaty - bearded
Dick - stout
Gelbart - yellow-bearded
Geller - yellow
Gross - large
Jung - young
Klein - small
Kraus - curly
Krumbein - bowlegged
Kurtz - short
Mankuta - left-handed
Roth - red
Rothbart - red-bearded
Schnell - fast
Schwartz - black
Schwartzbart - black-bearded
Stark - strong
Steinhart - hard as stone
Weisbart - white-bearded

Personal Characterisiters or Nicknames
Bogatch - rich
Dienstag - Tuesday
Dunkelman - deeply religious
Ehmann - husband
Ehrlich - honest
Friedman - free man
Frohlich - happy
Gottlieb - G-d loving
Gottschalk - G-d's servant
Kluger wise
Langsam - easygoing
Lustig - happy
Scholem - peace
Sommer - summer
Springer - vivacious

Georgraphical names
Bachrach - town in Germany
Bamberg - " " "
Bellow - from Belev, Russia
Calisch - from Kalisz, Poland
Ettinger - from Oettinger, Germany
Guggenheim - town in Germany
Karlin - from a suberb of Pinsk, Russia
Kutover - from Kuty, Poland
Luria - town in Italy
Mintz - from Mainz, Germany

Names from Abbreviations
Brock - ben Rabbi Akiva (son of Rabbi Akiva)
Katz - Kohen Zedek (priest of righteousness)
Rabad - Rosh av beth din (head of court)
Schatz - Sheilah tzibbur (minister of congregation)
Siegel - Segan Leviah (assistant to Levites)

Patronymics and Matronymics
Abramsohn
Abronovitch
Isaacson
Malkov
The -sohn enging is German; -vitch is Slavic; -ov is also Slavic. The latter can be -off, -ev, -eff, or -kin; e.g. Rivkin are matronymics from Malka and Rivka."

 

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