KATTAN Origin of surname
KATTAN
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 personal characteristic or nickname.
Kattan is a spelling variant of Katan. Kat(t)an is the Hebrew for "small" or "young", or "cadet". The latter meaning was taken by many poets, who added it to their own names when signing their works, as a sign of modesty. This practice can be traced to the Amoraim ("Jewish scholars") and Geonim of the talmudic era. The Jewish surname Kattan could also be an occupational surname derived from the Arabic term for a "cotton fabric manufacturer/dealer". Katan is documented as a Jewish family name in Prague, Bohemia, with the physician Aron Maor Katan in 1619. In the 20th century, Katan is recorded as a Jewish family name with Stefanie Katan of Heidelberg, who was murdered in the German death camp at Sobibor during World War II, and the Yugoslav soldier Jichak Katan, who was captured by the Germans when they invaded Yugoslavia. In the 20th century, Kattan is recorded as a Jewish family name with the Iraqi-born Canadian author and journalist Naim Kattan.
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 personal characteristic or nickname.
Kattan is a spelling variant of Katan. Kat(t)an is the Hebrew for "small" or "young", or "cadet". The latter meaning was taken by many poets, who added it to their own names when signing their works, as a sign of modesty. This practice can be traced to the Amoraim ("Jewish scholars") and Geonim of the talmudic era. The Jewish surname Kattan could also be an occupational surname derived from the Arabic term for a "cotton fabric manufacturer/dealer". Katan is documented as a Jewish family name in Prague, Bohemia, with the physician Aron Maor Katan in 1619. In the 20th century, Katan is recorded as a Jewish family name with Stefanie Katan of Heidelberg, who was murdered in the German death camp at Sobibor during World War II, and the Yugoslav soldier Jichak Katan, who was captured by the Germans when they invaded Yugoslavia. In the 20th century, Kattan is recorded as a Jewish family name with the Iraqi-born Canadian author and journalist Naim Kattan.