Falkenstein History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Germany
• Israel

Etymology of Falkenstein

The family name of a Jew was typically left to the individual person up until the end of the 18th century. Majority, especially in Germany and eastern Europe, still followed the custom having their father’s name included in their name. Whereas, Jews in Spain, Portugal, and Italy had already adopted the practice of using fixed family names. 1

In Frankfurt, in the Middle Ages, the Jews lived in a ghetto called the Jedengasse, where the families were registered according to the houses they occupied. The houses were categorized with symbols, long before they were numbered, and many of these house signs found their way into Jewish surnames. Some of the name Falkenstein, then, are descended from occupants of house 62, which bore the sign of a falcon, or "falke" in Yiddish. Others were Jews named Joshua (Yehoshua), who adopted Falk as a "kinnui," or a secular name. For such a case the name Falkenstein should be considered as a patronymic surname: that is, a hereditary surname that is derived from the name of a male personage. Also for this scenario, it has been suggested that there is some connection between the biblical figure of Joshua and a falcon. Although that is certainly a possibility, such a scenario is by no means clear.

Falkenstein Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Falkenstein, Falkenstine and others. and others.