BERMAN Origin of surname
BERMAN
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 patronymic, derived from a male ancestor's personal name, in this case of biblical origin.
Berman means "bear man" in German and Yiddish. Ber, which means "bear" in Yiddish, can stand alone or have derivative forms like Berl, Berko. It also gave rise to family names like Berlin and Berkowitz. In some cases Berman is derived from the Hebrew Dov ("bear"), which is the traditional nickname of the biblical male personal name Issachar. In his blessings to his sons Jacob compares Issachar to a large-boned ass, a symbol of hard work and strength (Genesis 49.14). Because 'donkey' was a derisive term in Europe, the Jews living there replaced it with another animal embodying great strength and endurance, the bear, whose old German name is linked to 'man, hero and prince'. In some cases Berman is derived from a medieval house-sign, as for example in the Jewish quarter (Judengasse) of medieval Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where each house had a sign, usually an animal or a flower. With time, many of the signs became fixed hereditary family names. One house was signed 'Zum Goldenen Baeren' ("to the Golden Bear"). The Jewish surname Baer is documented in the city since the early 16th century. Other related family names: Beer is documented in the 15th century in Italy with the scholar Benjamin Ben Elijahu Beer; Baer is recorded in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1530; Bermann in 1548 in Hesse, Germany; Behrmann in the German town of Fuerth in 1708; Behr in Westhoffen, eastern France, in 1720; Baer in Paris in 1756; Baehr, Berr and Ber in France at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. Berlis a diminutive of Baer; Berkin; Ber; Baer; Berner; Berish.
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Berman include the Russian educator publisher and author, Lasar Berman (1830-1893); the 20th century American endocrinologist and author, Louis Berman; the English-born American astronomer, Louis Berman; and Avraham (Adolf) Berman, born 1906 in Poland, who participated in the organization of the Warsaw ghetto uprising.
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 patronymic, derived from a male ancestor's personal name, in this case of biblical origin.
Berman means "bear man" in German and Yiddish. Ber, which means "bear" in Yiddish, can stand alone or have derivative forms like Berl, Berko. It also gave rise to family names like Berlin and Berkowitz. In some cases Berman is derived from the Hebrew Dov ("bear"), which is the traditional nickname of the biblical male personal name Issachar. In his blessings to his sons Jacob compares Issachar to a large-boned ass, a symbol of hard work and strength (Genesis 49.14). Because 'donkey' was a derisive term in Europe, the Jews living there replaced it with another animal embodying great strength and endurance, the bear, whose old German name is linked to 'man, hero and prince'. In some cases Berman is derived from a medieval house-sign, as for example in the Jewish quarter (Judengasse) of medieval Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where each house had a sign, usually an animal or a flower. With time, many of the signs became fixed hereditary family names. One house was signed 'Zum Goldenen Baeren' ("to the Golden Bear"). The Jewish surname Baer is documented in the city since the early 16th century. Other related family names: Beer is documented in the 15th century in Italy with the scholar Benjamin Ben Elijahu Beer; Baer is recorded in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1530; Bermann in 1548 in Hesse, Germany; Behrmann in the German town of Fuerth in 1708; Behr in Westhoffen, eastern France, in 1720; Baer in Paris in 1756; Baehr, Berr and Ber in France at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. Berlis a diminutive of Baer; Berkin; Ber; Baer; Berner; Berish.
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Berman include the Russian educator publisher and author, Lasar Berman (1830-1893); the 20th century American endocrinologist and author, Louis Berman; the English-born American astronomer, Louis Berman; and Avraham (Adolf) Berman, born 1906 in Poland, who participated in the organization of the Warsaw ghetto uprising.