Jewish Names and Naming – YIVO

The most appropriate way of considering names used by Jews in Eastern Europe is to separate the discussion of personal names from that of family names. Indeed, personal names represent an organic part of Jewish culture. Their corpus developed over the centuries in a natural way, inside the community. Their history is closely related to that of Yiddish. On the other hand, but for a very few exceptions, the family names were invented during a short period of time, around the turn of the nineteenth century. Their adoption was forced by state authorities. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, in numerous communities they were marginal for Jewish self-consciousness.  Most family researchers wonder why Jewish names were modified or even completely changed over the last 200 years.  This wonderful piece by Alexander Beider may shed some light on that subject http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Names_and_Naming