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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Last, but Not Least
By
Martin M. Bodek
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
My name is Martin Bodek and I am a philologoholic. I am particularly fascinated by names, specifically by surnames. They reveal a story, a history, a migration tale. First names are of interest too, but they reveal only a parental aesthetic, not a potential centuries-old genealogy. As well, books on first names are ubiquitous, while books on surnames are more difficult to find. Hence I find them to be more prized and the effort of locating rare ones even more rewarding.
JewishWorldReview.com has offered to parlay my interest in the subject into a forum whereby I could make the subject (more) interesting for others.
My goal would be to entertain and enlighten myself and others and eventually to graduate my linguistic skills to the level of my idols, William Safire of The New York Times and Philologos of The Forward.
Before I deign to believe I belong in the same category as the above luminaries, I'll start here at JewishWorldReview.com and see what happens.
I therefore invite any person with a last name to please e-mail me with said surname and as much family history as possible.
Before you do so, an overview of my present linguistic skills is necessary to place my helpfulness to you in context. I speak English and Yiddish, understand Hebrew and German, can read the Cyrillic alphabet and have a rudimentary understanding of Spanish. I intend, in the near future, to attain fluency in more languages as my interest in onomastics deepens.
I also intend to make this column a brew that is four parts scholarly and one part humorous. This will balance my personality, which I consider to be four parts humor and one part scholar.
A brief overview of surname categories is also necessary to showcase what will be seen in this column. There are four general categories, plus one named for my personal predilection for puns:
1. Patronymic - names that are derived from the father's given name. For example, Jacobson (English, son of Jacob), Ivanov (Russian, son of Ivan) and McDonald (Scottish, son of Donald). Additional patronymic prefixes and suffixes include the Hebrew "Ben," the Arabic "Ibn" or "Bin," the French "Fitz-," the Dutch "Van," The Polish "-owicz," the Czech "-ovic," the Hungarian "-ovics," the Romanian "-ovici," the German "-owitz," the Iranian "-zadeh" or "-ian," the Italian "-i," the Spanish "-ez" and many others.
Matronymics - or names derived from a mother's last name - are included in this category. Some examples are Rifkin (derived from Rebecca), Helguson (Icelandic, son of Helga) and D'Ignazia (Italian, son of Ignazia).
2. Locational - names that are derived from a person or family's locale. Some names in this category pinpoint the exact location in question, such as Norman (French, from Normandy), Frankel (German, from Frankfurt) and Toledano (Spanish, from Toledo). Other locational names are more vague, such as Atwood (nice, but at which wood?), Overhill (great, but which hill?) and Brooks (lovely, care to narrow it down?).
3. Occupational - names that are derived from professions, such as Melamed (Hebrew, teacher), Schneider (German, cutter or tailor) and Abulafia (Arabic, doctor).
4. Descriptive - this is also known as the nickname category. It includes all personal identifiers, which themselves can be broken down into three general categories of my design (note that this subset is not always complimentary!):
i. Physical features - Gross (German, big), Shorter (English, shorter), Tawil (Arabic, long or tall), Rossi (Italian, redhead), Campbell (Scottish, crooked mouth), Gore (French, idle - don't tell Al!) and Kapinos (Polish, drip nose).
ii. Dispositions - Gay (English/French, cheerful), Sauer (German, austere) and Lovejoy (English, Happy).
iii. Status - Bauer (German, peasant or common citizen), Lackland (English, one lacking land or a home) and Richman (English, wealthy person).
5. Miscenameous - this category, of my invention, includes surnames that fit squarely into any of the categories above, but stand out either for their uniqueness or unflattering nature.
Acronyms are a class of surnames believed to be entirely unique to the Hebrew language. This is because vowels are not needed for consonants to sound sensible, for the most part, when strung together. The name Katz is actually an acronym of "kohen tzedek" (righteous priest), requiring only the letters kuf and tzadi for full pronunciation.
The names Bril (Ben Reb Yehuda Leib - son of Reb Yehuda Leib) and Shalit (sheyichyeh leorech yomim tovim - may he live many long, good days) are further examples of this naming convention.
Unflattering names are the most entertaining for me, and it is no coincidence that I have saved the best for last. This category includes the last three mentioned in my "physical feature" category above, to which can be added Kennedy (Irish, misshapen head), Caporaso (Italian, bald head), Schiller (German, cross-eyed), Potvin (French, a region in France, but also believed to describe a bribe-taker) and Trognon (French, apple core, but slang for something unmentionable).
Two particular names that have always piqued my interest are Ausfresser and Lustbader.
I can't figure out a way to make Ausfresser flattering. The direct translation from German seems to be "thorough pigouter". If we break up (what might be) the compound surname into two words, we'll have the common "Aus" prefix which usually denotes an Austrian lineage and "pigouter". He's a pig all right, the only question is if he's Austrian or thorough (the stereotype would tell you those are synonymous anyway).
Lustbader is a fascinating compound as well. "Bader" means "bath attendant" in German, a job not usually associated with glamour. It seems though, that a descendant of the original Bader was not satisfied with his "job description" but perhaps wanted to keep the name intact for genealogical consistency, so he added "lust" - which is German for "happy" - to the name and wound up surnamed "happy bath attendant."
Riotous.
So without further ado, please e-mail your last name, and as much family history as possible, to onsurnames@gmail.com. I in turn pledge to do my best research and to publish my findings here. If your inquiry does not appear in a future column, it is probably because of a backlog or because your name requires extensive research.
Remember please, that I am merely a fledgling in this field and should be regarded as having intern status. I will make errors, but I will endeavor to publish the researched corrections and improve my craft.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading."
Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Martin Bodek is not a professional surname onomastician, but he plays one for this column (and hopes to parlay it into a career). He is still researching the actual origins of his own last name. It is either Hebrew for "search" and implies an introspective sort, or occupational for "ritual slaughter inspector." It might also be from the German surname "Bodeker" which means a cooper, or barrel maker.
© 2009, Martin M. Bodek
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