Jewish Genealogy

If you are interested in tracing your Jewish genealogy, try doing an Internet search for the words "Jewish Genealogy" - you should find several related links to check on in your search for information.

For instance, if you are interested in finding out the meaning of Jewish names, you may be surprised to find out that people of the Jewish faith did not get surnames until the 19th century when Napoleon took over.

If your family was/is Jewish and came from Russia, Poland or Germany they were ordered by Napoleon to get a surname when he captured these countries. Napoleon ordered surnames for tax purposes and when he was eventually conquered many Jewish people went back to not having a surname, instead choosing to be "son of" names, such as Son Of Jacobson.

In the 18th and 19th centuries Jewish people adopted family names choosing to use the patriarch of the family's first name as their surname.