Jews were kept in the Ghettos and limited in the trade they could practice? What was that most popular trade?

Question

This is probably bad timing, but....the question came up in a Biblical discussion. The Old Testament always speaks of Jasper, son or or Ruth, daughter of. But no last names are given. When did all of this change? The last names reflected a trade for the most part, but when did the change come about and in what land?

How long were Jews kept living in Ghettos and in what year were they allowed to purchase last names?

What country was responsible for this move to allow Jews to have last names, and in what era? And how was the charges for the various names determined other than those reflecting the trade of these people. Was Goldsmith, a double name, more expensive than Gold or Silverman or blacksmith and why? What were the rules surrounding this name change/addition policy?

Answer 1

banking

Answer 2

Many peoples and cultures around the world do not, or did not, use last names in the Christian/Western world style. In many areas, this is a fairly recent occurrence. In Parts of Europe, as late as the 1800's, many people did not use last names.

There was no charging for the names, and the people could take any last name they wanted. Some chose their names to reflect their occupation (for example cooper means barrelmaker). Others chose last names to reflect their location (for example Berlin meant the family was from Berlin). Others chose last names from some significant object in their area (such as Rothstein meant Red Mountain or Red Stone).

But, Jews have used last names since the Bible. You just did not recognize thema s last names due to the translation you are reading. For example, Jacob, son of Isaac would have been Jacob ben Isaac, much like we still see in the Arabic culture where Osama bin Laden means literally Osama, son of Laden.

Of course, we see this in other cultures also. For example, Johnson is literally son of John. The two links below will give you more information on this.


As for the other question, the most popular trades for Jews were tradesmen and craftsmen. During the middle ages, when many Jews in Europe were forbidden from owning property or joining guilds, they started changing over to the only trade that was legal, banking. This is where the popular myth about all Jews having moeny comes from. In modern US, I would say the three most popular occupations for Jews are Doctors, Lawyers, and Businessmen, but there are Jews in all trades

Answer 3

Why don't you do some research on this?