Jews often adapted the naming conventions of the local population, so surnames may give you a clue to an ancestor’s origins. Use our chart to decode common suffixes and prefixes.
| -son, -sohn |
son of (Ashkenazi)
|
ben-
|
son of (Hebrew)
|
ibn-
|
son of (Arabic)
|
-abi, -abu
|
father of (Hebrew, Arabic)
|
-zadeh
|
father of (Iranian)
|
-ian, -nia
|
son of (Iranian)
|
-chi
|
occupational suffix (Iranian)
|
-i
|
geographical locator (Iranian)
|
| -vitch |
son of (Slavic, Russian)
|