If your last name is on this list, you may have Jewish ancestry

Common Ashkenazi Jewish surnames often include:

• Occupational names: Goldschmidt, Schneider, Weber, Kaufmann

• Place names: Berliner, Frankfurter, Wiener, Breslauer

• Patronymics: Jacobson, Levinson, Davidson

• Acronyms/abbreviations: Katz (Kohen Tzedek), Segal, Bloch

• Ornamental/compound names: Rosenberg, Goldstein, Silverman, Rothstein

Surnames common among Sephardic Jews include: Cohen, Levy, Mizrahi, Azoulay, Abarbanel, Benveniste.

Important caveats:

1. A surname alone is not proof of Jewish ancestry. Many “Jewish-sounding” names are shared by non-Jews, and many Jews have names that don’t sound Jewish at all.

2. Surnames were often imposed or changed — through migration, persecution, translation, or voluntary assimilation.

3. DNA testing and genealogical records are far more reliable than surname lists.