WEISS Origin of surname
WEISS
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name derives from a physical characteristic.
Weiss means "white" in German. As a family name derived from a personal nickname it referred to persons with white hair, beard or skin.
The name is also 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. As a family name, it could also have associations with towns and cities in central and east European countries, among them Weissenburg in Bavaria, Germany, Weissenburg/Wissembourg in Alsace, France; Weisweil in Baden, Germany; Stuhlweissenburg/Szekesfehervar in west central Hungary; and Weissenburg/Alba Iulia in Transylvania, Romania. Some variants, like Weissbecker, literally "white baker" in German, have links with certain trades and occupations. In English speaking countries the surname of Weiss was sometimes Anglicized as Wise, giving it a second meaning. Weiss is recorded as a Jewish family name in 1197 in Wuerzburg, Germany, with Samuel Weiss, also known as Albus, the Latin for the "white one". Weisswasser is documented in 1678; Weissweiler in 1687; Weisskopf in 1690; Weisweiler in 1700; Weisel and Weiselitz in 1711; Weissweiller in 1743; Weissburg in the 18th century; Weis and Weissenburger in 1808; Weiskopf in 1891; and Waiskof in 1954. Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Weiss include the Moravian-born Hebrew poet, scholar and writer on the history of oral law Isaac Hirsch Weiss (1815-1905); the 20th century Polish-born American congressman and judge Arthur Samuel Weiss; the 20th century Czech-born American Talmud scholar and educator David Weiss, also known as Ha-Livni, "the white", in Hebrew; the Hungarian-born American magician Erich Weiss best known as Harry Houdini (1847-1926), and Israeli politician, Limor Livnat, which means "white" in Hebrew, whose original surname was Weiss; while Wise was the family name of the Hungarian-born American rabbi and public figure Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949). In the 20th century Weiss is recorded as a Jewish family name with the Weiss family, who lived in the town of Zhadova (Jadova) near Chernowitz, Bukovina (now in Ukraine), prior to World War II when the entire Jewish community of Zhadova was deported to the death camps in July 1941.
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name derives from a physical characteristic.
Weiss means "white" in German. As a family name derived from a personal nickname it referred to persons with white hair, beard or skin.
The name is also 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. As a family name, it could also have associations with towns and cities in central and east European countries, among them Weissenburg in Bavaria, Germany, Weissenburg/Wissembourg in Alsace, France; Weisweil in Baden, Germany; Stuhlweissenburg/Szekesfehervar in west central Hungary; and Weissenburg/Alba Iulia in Transylvania, Romania. Some variants, like Weissbecker, literally "white baker" in German, have links with certain trades and occupations. In English speaking countries the surname of Weiss was sometimes Anglicized as Wise, giving it a second meaning. Weiss is recorded as a Jewish family name in 1197 in Wuerzburg, Germany, with Samuel Weiss, also known as Albus, the Latin for the "white one". Weisswasser is documented in 1678; Weissweiler in 1687; Weisskopf in 1690; Weisweiler in 1700; Weisel and Weiselitz in 1711; Weissweiller in 1743; Weissburg in the 18th century; Weis and Weissenburger in 1808; Weiskopf in 1891; and Waiskof in 1954. Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Weiss include the Moravian-born Hebrew poet, scholar and writer on the history of oral law Isaac Hirsch Weiss (1815-1905); the 20th century Polish-born American congressman and judge Arthur Samuel Weiss; the 20th century Czech-born American Talmud scholar and educator David Weiss, also known as Ha-Livni, "the white", in Hebrew; the Hungarian-born American magician Erich Weiss best known as Harry Houdini (1847-1926), and Israeli politician, Limor Livnat, which means "white" in Hebrew, whose original surname was Weiss; while Wise was the family name of the Hungarian-born American rabbi and public figure Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949). In the 20th century Weiss is recorded as a Jewish family name with the Weiss family, who lived in the town of Zhadova (Jadova) near Chernowitz, Bukovina (now in Ukraine), prior to World War II when the entire Jewish community of Zhadova was deported to the death camps in July 1941.