From Ynetnews.com, posted Dec. 28, 2005:
How Jews Got Their Names
For all those Jews wondering where their last names came from
Edith Dinar, ESRA Magazine
[snip]
In general there were five types of names (people had to pay for their choice of names; the poor had assigned names):
[snip]
Bought names:
Gluck (luck); Rosen (roses); Rosenberg (rose mountain); Rosenblatt (rose paper or leaf); Rosenfeld (rose field); Rothman (red man); Diamond; Koenig (king); Koenigsberg (king’s mountain); Spielman (to play); Lieber (lover); Berg (mountain); Wasserman (water dweller); Kershenblatt (church paper); Stein (glass).
Assigned names (usually undesirable):
Plotz (to die); Klutz (clumsy); Billig (cheap); Drek (shit).
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
Post a Comment
