The Name Game - Conquering Jewish Name Challenges
Jewish names, both surnames and forenames, create a challenge for researchers working to trace families back in time. My husband's great grandfather was known by multiple names during his lifetime including Yudel Izvekovich Sochet, Judil Shochert, Yehuda bar Yitzchak and Jacob Shoer.
Given Names in Many Languages
While it may seem that these names are not related, they are. The records were written in Russian, Hebrew script, English and Hebrew print, but also included Yiddish forms. Yudel/Judil, Yiddish, is a kinnui, also known as a nickname or secular name, for Yehuda, his Hebrew name. It translates as little Yehuda. Itzvekovich and 'bar Yitzchak' both translate to son of Yitzchak or Isaac. Jacob begins with the same letter as his Hebrew name.
Changing Surnames
Sochet and Shochert are spelling variations of shochet, which was Jacob's occupation. A shochet is a ritual butcher. Shoer is the name he and his sons randomly chose or it could be an acronym they created. Schor is a Hebrew acronym created when combining Shochet and Rav (rabbi). Both Jacob and his son, Mendel, were also known as Rabbis or leaders of services. It is possible they chose this acronym, which both recognized their dual occupations and sounded more American.
It is important to understand and recognize all possible forms of your ancestors' names. Try the following resources for researching the names of potential matches for your family members:
Given Names in Many Languages
While it may seem that these names are not related, they are. The records were written in Russian, Hebrew script, English and Hebrew print, but also included Yiddish forms. Yudel/Judil, Yiddish, is a kinnui, also known as a nickname or secular name, for Yehuda, his Hebrew name. It translates as little Yehuda. Itzvekovich and 'bar Yitzchak' both translate to son of Yitzchak or Isaac. Jacob begins with the same letter as his Hebrew name.
Changing Surnames
Sochet and Shochert are spelling variations of shochet, which was Jacob's occupation. A shochet is a ritual butcher. Shoer is the name he and his sons randomly chose or it could be an acronym they created. Schor is a Hebrew acronym created when combining Shochet and Rav (rabbi). Both Jacob and his son, Mendel, were also known as Rabbis or leaders of services. It is possible they chose this acronym, which both recognized their dual occupations and sounded more American.
It is important to understand and recognize all possible forms of your ancestors' names. Try the following resources for researching the names of potential matches for your family members:
- Searching Ashkenazic Reference Books for Jewish Surnames in One Step by Stephen P. Morse; This webiste searches dictionaries of Jewish surnames by Lars Menk and Alexander Beider.
- Dictionary of Jewish Surnames in Russian Empire search engine on ancestry.com.; This uses the 1993 edition of Alexander Beider's book.
- The Given Names Data Bases (GNDBs) by the late Professor G.L. Esterson
- Search for origin and meaning of Jewish family names from the Memi De Shalit database at Beit Hatsfutsot, The Museum of the Jewish People.
- The Names of the Jews, A Preliminary FAQ by Joachim Mugdan; This site has more information about kinnui.
- Consolidated Jewish Surname Index by Avotaynu. Learn about the databases included in the index here.
- Alexander Beider, A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire, Revised Edition (Bergenfield, New Jersey : Avotaynu, 2008).
- Benzion C. Kaganoff, A Dictionary of Jewish Names and Their History (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005).
- Edwin D. Lawon, Jacob and His Sons: Their Impact on Hebrew and Jewish Onomastics (Fredonia, New York : State University of New York, 2014) (http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Edwin_Lawson/publication/266797452_Jacob_and_His_Sons_Their_Impact_on_Hebrew_and_Jewish_Onomastics/links/543c75760cf24ef33b7628c7 : accessed 15 June 2015).
- Heinrich W. Guggenheimer and Eva H. Guggenheimer, Jewish Family Names & Their Origins, An Etymological Dictionary, Volume 1 (Hoboken, New Jersey : Ktav Publishing House, 1992).