BLOCH Origin of surname
BLOCH, BLOCHIN Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives.
Bloch is based on the German word Welsch, which means "alien" (a term applied to persons and things from Romance-language countries, particularly Italy and France) and on the Slavic Vlach, which also means "foreigner". Frequent among Jews in Alsace and Germany who had emigrated from France in the 14th and 15th centuries, Welsch became Vlach/Vallach/Wallich when Jews moved from Central to Eastern Europe, and Bloch - when they immigrated to Germany from Poland. Bloch families are recorded in Europe since the mid 17th century. the Slavic word form Blochin means "son of Bloch". The numerous Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Bloch include the 17th century Polish-born preacher and leader of the Shabbatean movement, Mattathias Ben Benjamin Ze'ev (Wolf) Ashkenazi Bloch; the German physician and zoologist, Marcus (Mordecai) Eliezer Bloch (1723-1799); the French author and journalist, Jean Richard Bloch (1884-1947); the 20th century Swiss-born American physicist, Felix Bloch, awarded the Nobel Prize in 1952; and the 20th century German-born American biochemist, Konrad Bloch, who won the Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine in 1964.
Bloch is based on the German word Welsch, which means "alien" (a term applied to persons and things from Romance-language countries, particularly Italy and France) and on the Slavic Vlach, which also means "foreigner". Frequent among Jews in Alsace and Germany who had emigrated from France in the 14th and 15th centuries, Welsch became Vlach/Vallach/Wallich when Jews moved from Central to Eastern Europe, and Bloch - when they immigrated to Germany from Poland. Bloch families are recorded in Europe since the mid 17th century. the Slavic word form Blochin means "son of Bloch". The numerous Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Bloch include the 17th century Polish-born preacher and leader of the Shabbatean movement, Mattathias Ben Benjamin Ze'ev (Wolf) Ashkenazi Bloch; the German physician and zoologist, Marcus (Mordecai) Eliezer Bloch (1723-1799); the French author and journalist, Jean Richard Bloch (1884-1947); the 20th century Swiss-born American physicist, Felix Bloch, awarded the Nobel Prize in 1952; and the 20th century German-born American biochemist, Konrad Bloch, who won the Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine in 1964.