Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay
Jewish Surnames and Patronymics
Presentation by Thomas Fürth
Sunday, February 12, 2023
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay will hold a meeting on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. People can choose to attend in person or watch via Zoom.
- Date: Sunday, February 12, 2023
- Time: Social with refreshments begins at 1:30 p.m.; Program – 2 p.m.
- Place: In Person: Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, 14041 Icot Blvd., Clearwater, FL33760
Online: Zoom (RSVP information below)
- Program: “Jewish Surnames and Patronymics -- How to Trace Ancestors Before They Got Fixed Surnames”
- Speaker: Thomas Fürth, President of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Sweden
Anyone who traces their Jewish ancestry back to the 18th century or even further back in history encounters the challenge of searching for their ancestry without the clue that a fixed family name constitutes.
Very few Ashkenazic Jewish families had fixed surnames before the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Instead, they used surnames that changed every generation, mainly a patronymic. In larger cities, different types of nicknames were used as surname, which could change within a generation and often indicated the place a person came from what occupation he had or sometimes personal characteristics.
Preserved special lists in archives of which family adopted which surname are rare. Instead, you must use vital records, censuses and other sources. Thomas Fürth will show with the help of case studies how he has found which patronymic names and nicknames used as surnames his ancestors used before being forced to adopt a fixed surname.
Fürth, an associate professor of history at Stockholm University, is president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Sweden and the Genealogical Society of Sweden and Avotaynu Contributing Editor for Sweden. He lectures frequently in Sweden and been speaker at several IAJGS and Roots Tech conferences and writes articles for different Swedish genealogical magazines and for Avotaynu - The International Review of Jewish Genealogy. He has been running courses in Jewish genealogy for several years at the Paideia Institute in Stockholm and is author of Judisk släktforskning (Jewish Genealogy) a book in Swedish how to trace your Jewish ancestry starting in Sweden.
In-person attendees can socialize and use JGSTB’s library before watching Fürth together via Zoom. Online attendees must RSVP to Chris Burklund by email at jgstb-res@jewishvets.org to receive sign-on instructions. For more information about the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay, go to http://www.jgstb.org/ . The program is free to members and $5 for non-members. Dues, which will run through 2023, are $25 for single members and $35 for couples/families. To join contact Chris Burklund by email at jgstb-res@jewishvets.org.