Comical & embarrassing Jewish surnames
L. Scheps
I'm conducting research into Jewish name changes.
Rather than change names because they want to
pass as WASP (or Catholic or whatever) a
great many Jews changed their names in America,
Australia etc. because their original surnames
were comical, unpronounceable or just plain embarrassing.
I believe the name LIPSHITZ is frequently
changed. I know of a Jewish family who
understandably changed their name from Himmler
to something more reasonable.
If you know of any comical surnames people have
changed, please get in touch.
Andrew Mathis
I doubt you'd be able to find any today, but during the period of
renaming in Germany, where you couldn't choose your own name, but one
was given to you, STINKER was a name often given.
Honest to God.
lsc...@opennet.net.au (L. Scheps) wrote:
-------------------------------------
"If they give you ruled paper,
Write the other way."
--Juan Ramon Jimenez
Debra Fran Baker
>>I believe the name LIPSHITZ is frequently
>>changed. I know of a Jewish family who
>>understandably changed their name from Himmler
>>to something more reasonable.
>>If you know of any comical surnames people have
>>changed, please get in touch.
It wasn't changed, but my maiden name was Korpus. My grandfather, a"h,
knew English when he immigrated. I *wish* it had been changed.
Debra
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* For its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace. *
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Debra Fran Baker dfb...@panix.com
Stephen Dubin
In article <4lpt8q$5...@mammoth.opennet.net.au>,
L. Scheps <lsc...@opennet.net.au> wrote:
>I'm conducting research into Jewish name changes.
>Rather than change names because they want to
>pass as WASP (or Catholic or whatever) a
>great many Jews changed their names in America,
>Australia etc. because their original surnames
>were comical, unpronounceable or just plain embarrassing.
>
tell about a lady whose last name was "Nufkevitz" which, in Russian,
refers to prostitution. She went before a judge and begged to have
the embarrassing name changed. After hearing her explanation the judge
agreed that a change was in order. He asked the lady what new name
she preferred. The answer was "Horowitz!"
--
| Stephen Dubin VMD, PhD | |
| Biomedical Engineering & Science Institute | Phone: 215-895-2219 |
| Drexel University, Philadelphia PA 19104 | Fax: 215-895-4983 |
| email: dub...@duvm.ocs.drexel.edu | |
Janice Gelb
lsc...@opennet.net.au (L. Scheps) wrote:
>
>I'm conducting research into Jewish name changes.
>Rather than change names because they want to
>pass as WASP (or Catholic or whatever) a
>great many Jews changed their names in America,
>Australia etc. because their original surnames
>were comical, unpronounceable or just plain embarrassing.
>
A co-worker at a remote site has the name "Sabra Feldman," which
I assumed (having only seen it in an email address) was pronounced
"Sah-bra" as in Israel. However, I ended up participating in a
phone conference with her and everyone called her "Say-bra." I
recently had a chance to ask her about this and it turns out
that her mother is anti-religious and when she married a man
named Feldman she decided to give her kids "non-Jewish-sounding"
first names. She had an Irish neighbor named "Sabre" and decided
to use that name. Lo and behold, it ended up being mistaken for
an Israeli name, which even my co-worker thinks is great irony.
********************************************************************************
Janice Gelb | The only connection Sun has with this
jan...@marvin.eng.sun.com | message is the return address.
http://www.tripod.com/~janiceg/index.html
"[Literary-minded] men choose _Hamlet_ because every man sees himself as a
disinherited monarch. Women choose _Alice_ [in Wonderland] because every
woman sees herself as the only reasonable creature among crazy people who
think they are disinherited monarchs."
-- Adam Gopnik, _The New Yorker_
********************************************************************************
Jordi Sod
Debra Fran Baker wrote:
>
> In <4ltvlq$8...@news1.panix.com> fr...@panix.com (Andrew Mathis) writes:
>
> >>I believe the name LIPSHITZ is frequently
> >>changed. I know of a Jewish family who
> >>understandably changed their name from Himmler
> >>to something more reasonable.
>
> >>If you know of any comical surnames people have
> >>changed, please get in touch.
Well, in Spanish-speaking countries, "cagan" means "they eliminate solid
wastes". As you can imagine, Kagan is not very common... a friend of mine
had become Kegan instead.
As far as I'm concerned, I've gotten a couple of annoying remarks regarding
my last name (Sod). Once I was asked , "do you know what your last name
MEANS?" I commented that in English it meant "fertile earth", hardly a bad
thing, but that it was NOT English in the first place.
Regards,
Jordi Sod
Andrew Mathis
I thought Kagan was some strange construction of Kohen, no?
Andrew
Jordi Sod <jo...@mail.internet.com.mx> wrote:
>Regards,
>Jordi Sod
-------------------------------------
Harry Weiss
Andrew Mathis (fr...@panix.com) wrote:
: I thought Kagan was some strange construction of Kohen, no?
: Andrew
You are correct. Kagan was also the family name e of Rabbi Yisroel Meir
Kagan - The Chofetz Chaim.
Harry
Remember to Count the Omer
C.S.
>I believe the name LIPSHITZ is frequently
>changed.
I read someplace that that was originally Ralph Lauren's last name.
C.S.
--
N/A
la gringa bonita
C.S., you are correct...Lipshitz is Ralph Lauren's real
last name.
Julia F N Altshuler
Not a Jewish surname, but apparently "Dole" as in running for president
means "penis" in Iraq. The journalists are having a hard, er, difficult
time with the reporting.
--
d000...@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us
Debra Fran Baker
In <4mddta$f...@nntp.seflin.lib.fl.us> d000...@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us (Julia F N Altshuler) writes:
>Not a Jewish surname, but apparently "Dole" as in running for president
>means "penis" in Iraq. The journalists are having a hard, er, difficult
>time with the reporting.
What's interesting is that Dole's mother's first name was Bina.
Nina Borremans
In article <31878F...@mail.internet.com.mx>,
>> >>understandably changed their name from Himmler
>> >>to something more reasonable.
>>
>> >>If you know of any comical surnames people have
>> >>changed, please get in touch.
>
This is a little off-topic, but as I'm sure everyone
knows, many surnames of European immigrant Jews were
changed without consent upon entering the U.S.
I have a childhood friend of eastern European parentage.
When her great-grandfather was being processed at Ellis
Island just after the turn of the century, the official
asked his name. He replied, "Mocolufsky(sp?)." The
official wrote down "McClosky" !
My grandfather, on the other hand, *was* born in Scotland.
His family changed their name from Cohen to Landy at some
point in past generations by choice (or need?).
Nina
j0...@netcom.com
borr...@athens.net (Nina Borremans) writes:
On the subject of changed names [I have left Nina's (and other)
posts b/low for context and interest], an *ancient* uncle of
mine tells this tale often:
The german and yiddische words for forget are furgessen.
When the E. European Jews started pouring into the US,
they were yiddische speakers, and tho they had been given
"x-ian" names, they never used them. When asked upon
entering the US for their family name, they would answer,
"ich furgessen."
....Which is why today there are so many Jewish families
named Fergusson.
You tell me if it is emes[t].
Gut Shabbes,
Joja
j0...@netcom.com
Andrew Mathis
Quite true; my friend Terry's father is a close association of Mr.
Lauren's.
Andrew
C.S. <75333...@CompuServe.COM> wrote:
>>I believe the name LIPSHITZ is frequently
>>changed.
>I read someplace that that was originally Ralph Lauren's last name.
>C.S.
>--
>N/A
-------------------------------------
Andrew Mathis
I've heard similar stories of Irishmen named Cohen (or something along
those lines--Cowan, Cone, etc.--names that are also Kohanim names for
Jews). I guess the situation there is either: 1) An influx of Kohanim
into Ireland during one of many diasporas (the spanish settled there
at some point; some Jews were sure to follow); 2) The transliteration
of Irish language names into the English language and alphabet (Irish
used runes until the English got through with them) rendered many
somewhat similar names as Cohen. Of course, England was quite
familiar with Jewry (another topic entirely), and may have pasted the
name on Irishmen as some kind of frankly
not-at-all-insulting-yet-nonetheless-inappropriate insult.
Interesting sidenote: Dublin is the only European metropolis to elect
a Jew as its mayor.
Andrew
borr...@athens.net (Nina Borremans) wrote:
>In article <31878F...@mail.internet.com.mx>,
> fr...@panix.com (Andrew Mathis) writes:
>>>
>>> >>I believe the name LIPSHITZ is frequently
>>> >>changed. I know of a Jewish family who
>>> >>understandably changed their name from Himmler
>>> >>to something more reasonable.
>>>
>>> >>If you know of any comical surnames people have
>>> >>changed, please get in touch.
>>
>This is a little off-topic, but as I'm sure everyone
>knows, many surnames of European immigrant Jews were
>changed without consent upon entering the U.S.
>I have a childhood friend of eastern European parentage.
>When her great-grandfather was being processed at Ellis
>Island just after the turn of the century, the official
>asked his name. He replied, "Mocolufsky(sp?)." The
>official wrote down "McClosky" !
>My grandfather, on the other hand, *was* born in Scotland.
> His family changed their name from Cohen to Landy at some
>point in past generations by choice (or need?).
>Nina
-------------------------------------
schier
Not a Jewish name, but an obscure product name instead:
I just purchased a bottle of single malt made in a now-defunct
distillery called BRECHIN (BRECH means vomit in Yiddish).
With a price tag of 60 bucks in Swedish duty - free and a
name like that, any wonder why that distillery is defunct?
Haven't tasted it yet, though.
Yitzchak.
Jonathan Baker
j0...@netcom.com writes:
>The german and yiddische words for forget are furgessen.
>When the E. European Jews started pouring into the US,
>they were yiddische speakers, and tho they had been given
>"x-ian" names, they never used them. When asked upon
>entering the US for their family name, they would answer,
>"ich furgessen."
>....Which is why today there are so many Jewish families
>named Fergusson.
The way I heard the joke, it's like:
Why is your name Sean Ferguson?
Because when I was asked for my name, I said, "Shoyn fargessen"!
"I already forgot!"
Jonathan Baker
ba...@sacco.nyu.edu
Irwin Sabath
dfb...@panix.com (Debra Fran Baker) wrote:
>
>What's interesting is that Dole's mother's first name was Bina.<<
Why?
--
Irwin
t.i.n.s.t.a.a.f.l.
david_m._baron,_m.d.
> j0...@netcom.com writes:
> borr...@athens.net (Nina Borremans) writes:
>
> ....Which is why today there are so many Jewish families
> named Fergusson.
>
> You tell me if it is emes[t].
>
> Gut Shabbes,
>
> Joja
> j0...@netcom.com
Joja,
That's really an old joke about the Jewish person named Sean Fergusson
who said "Schon fergessen" at Ellis island. I have to be sceptical of this
really happening. That's like saying you know a Jewish immigrant named
C.D. Allen. When asked what the C.D. stands for, Mr. Allen replied
"Corner Delancy"
michael slifkin
Andrew Mathis (fr...@panix.com) wrote:
: Interesting sidenote: Dublin is the only European metropolis to elect
: a Jew as its mayor.
: Andrew
Not at all true. Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester have all had
Jewish Lord Mayors.
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Professor M A Slifkin userid: sli...@brachot.jct.ac.il
Department of Electronics telephone: +972 (0)2-751176
Jerusalem College of Technology fax: +972 (0)2-422075
POB 16031
Jerusalem 91160 Israel 4Z9GDH
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Andrew Mathis
OK, um, European CAPITAL?
sli...@brachot.jct.ac.il (michael slifkin) wrote:
>Andrew Mathis (fr...@panix.com) wrote:
>: Andrew
-------------------------------------
mei...@erols.com
ba...@cs.nyu.edu (Jonathan Baker) wrote:
>j0...@netcom.com writes:
>>The german and yiddische words for forget are furgessen.
>>When the E. European Jews started pouring into the US,
>>they were yiddische speakers, and tho they had been given
>>"x-ian" names, they never used them. When asked upon
>>entering the US for their family name, they would answer,
>>"ich furgessen."
>>....Which is why today there are so many Jewish families
>>named Fergusson.
>The way I heard the joke, it's like:
> Why is your name Sean Ferguson?
> Because when I was asked for my name, I said, "Shoyn fargessen"!
> "I already forgot!"
> Jonathan Baker
> ba...@sacco.nyu.edu
And I met a man in Lisbon's bookstore on Georgia avenue near DC who
said he knew Sean Fergusson, that he was from Baltimore, and that he
wasn't kidding.
Shalom
mei...@erols.com also not a posek
"Purify our hearts to serve You in truth.
Taher libanu l'ovdecho b'emes. "
Colin Rosenthal
On Tue, 07 May 1996 01:48:19 GMT, Andrew Mathis <fr...@panix.com> wrote:
>OK, um, European CAPITAL?
>
>sli...@brachot.jct.ac.il (michael slifkin) wrote:
>
>>Andrew Mathis (fr...@panix.com) wrote:
>
>
>>: Interesting sidenote: Dublin is the only European metropolis to elect
>>: a Jew as its mayor.
>
>>: Andrew
>
>>Not at all true. Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester have all had
>>Jewish Lord Mayors.
Nope. If it was Glasgow it was a Lord Provost (who was it, btw?).
Also, British mayors/provosts aren't a) important or b) directly
elected.
--Colin Rosenthal | ``Don't smell the flowers -
--rose...@obs.aau.dk | They're an evil drug -
--http://www.obs.aau.dk/~rosentha | To make you lose your mind''-
--Aarhus University, Denmark | Ronnie James Dio, 1983 -
mei...@erols.com
fr...@panix.com (Andrew Mathis) wrote:
>I thought Kagan was some strange construction of Kohen, no?
>Andrew
Yes Kagan is cohen, but there is no 'h' in Russian so the h was
replaced by a k, which is the usual method when any h word is
transported to Russian. You implication is that they should just
change their name to cohen or the spanish version of that and I agree
with you.
>Jordi Sod <jo...@mail.internet.com.mx> wrote:
>>Well, in Spanish-speaking countries, "cagan" means "they eliminate solid
>>wastes". As you can imagine, Kagan is not very common... a friend of mine
>>had become Kegan instead.
>>Regards,
>>Jordi Sod
Shalom
mei...@erols.com also not a posek
"Purify our hearts to serve You in truth.
Taher libanu l'ovdecho b'emes. "
I miss many posts so please e-mail comments also
if you want to be sure that I see it.
michael slifkin
Colin Rosenthal (rose...@indigo.obs.aau.dk) wrote:
Sir Myer Galpin was Lord Provost of Glasgow in in the late 1950,s. I met him
once at a student conference in 1958. The first Jewish Lord Mayor of London
was David Salomon elected in 1855. Are you sure that Briscoe was elected
directly by the people?. Do not the Irish follow the UK pattern of
municipal government.
--