Some Aspects of German‐Jewish Names

Ashkenazi surnames present a bewildering picture, a hotchpotch derived from a variety of languages seemingly without rhyme or reason. But since names are a crucial part of a person's identity it is important to ascertain whether an underlying logic can be discovered. In fact, patterns may be discerned, beginning with the patronyms formed from traditional synagogue names. These were supplemented by the addition of profane names or kinnuyim , many of which refer back to key Biblical texts or the Zohar. By contrast, names based on professions tend to be translated into the different East European languages. Toponyms have become the focus of recent debate as social historians and genealogists explore the actual origins of what had all too readily been assumed to be place names. Name changes arise not just from movement between different countries, but are subject to more direct pressures, chief among them anti‐Semitic sentiment, both in Germany and in Anglophone countries.