Feldman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

Etymology of Feldman

What does the name Feldman mean?

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

One of the most common traditions for adopting surnames in Medieval Europe was for a person to assume a name that clearly illustrated his occupation. The name Feldman can be considered an occupational name as its primary root 'feld' means 'field' or 'pasture'.

There are a number of common suffixes associated with this name that suggest it was a name used by agriculturists of various sorts: Feldman (field man), Feldbaum (field tree), feldberger, (field hill), Feldstern (field stone). Some Jews, who adopted this surname, however, were not directly associated with the occupation, and can be considered ornamental names. Ornamental names were often assumed by the minority Jewish population who wished to fit into the dominant culture of the area.

The names Felman or Fellerman have somewhat different origins: they are most probably derived from the root 'fell,' which holds a meaning of 'hide' or 'skin' in German and in Yiddish.

Feldman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Feld, Felder, Feldman, Feldmann, Feldbau, Feldbaum, Feldberger, Feldblum, Feldbrin, Feldfisher, Feldharker, Feldheim, Feldhorn, feldhuhn, Feldklein, Fledmark, Feldmeser, Feldmesser, Feldmus, Feldstein and many more.

Feldman Ranking

In the United States, the name Feldman is the 1,533^rd most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 2

Feldman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Feldman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joh Bern Feldman, aged 31, who arrived in America in 1842 3
Herman Feldman, who arrived in Mississippi in 1843 3
Mayer Feldman, who landed in Mississippi in 1850 3
Frank Feldman, age 25, settled in San Francisco in 1871
Frank Feldman, aged 25, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1871 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Feldman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Abram Feldman, aged 18, who landed in America from Kissinew, in 1903
Abraham Feldman, aged 20, who landed in America from London, in 1904
A.J. Feldman, aged 31, who landed in America, in 1907
Abram Feldman, aged 10, who settled in America from Niholajew, Russia, in 1910
Abram Feldman, aged 30, who landed in America from Opocznia, Russia, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Feldman (post 1700) +

Robert C. Feldman (1940-2023), American songwriter and record producer, best known for his songs "My Boyfriend's Back", "I Want Candy", and "Sorrow"
Trude Feldman (1924-2022), American reporter, columnist, and member of the White House Press Corps and State Department Press Corps who regularly wrote for McCall's magazine and for The New York Times Syndicate, she interviewed every U.S. president since Lyndon B. Johnson
Martin Leach-Cross Feldman (1934-2022), American jurist from St. Louis, Missouri, United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (2010-2017)
Margit Buchhalter Feldman (1929-2020), Hungarian-American public speaker, educator, activist, and Holocaust survivor; she died from COVID-19
Martin "Marty" Feldman (1922-2015), American head coach of the American Football League's Oakland Raiders in 1961
Major-General Herman Feldman (1889-1969), American Quartermaster-General, Department of the Army (1949-1951) 4
Louis Harry Feldman (b. 1926), American professor of classics and literature
Harvey Feldman (1931-2009), American diplomat
Eric Drew Feldman (b. 1955), American keyboard and bass guitar player
Corey Feldman (b. 1971), American actor
... (Another 35 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Kaganoff, Benzion C. A Dictionary of Jewish names and their history. Schocken Books, 1977. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Herman Feldman. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Feldman/Herman/USA.html

Feldman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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