Names are confusing! Jewish people used many personal names, Hebrew, Yiddish, secular, nicknames…. the list goes on and on. An ancestor may have been known by and documented with any one or a combination of names. He or she may have changed their name.
We constantly wonder, are we dealing with one person with multiple names or two different people? Is there some way to know? The answer is yes!
This session surveyed basic name conventions and presented strategies for recognizing name changes and variations, with real case studies that illustrate the confusion and the solution.
Avrohom Krauss is an educator, genealogist and speaker specializing in Jewish resources. He is the creator of the CAHJP Landsmanshaftn Inventory (2015) and the Philadelphia Landsmanshaftn Inventory (2024). He has written for Avotaynu (print) and Avotaynu Online and for Dorot (JGSNY) on a wide range of topics that include landsmanshaftn, relief organizations, immigration, vital records, the Hebrew calendar and name changes.
He serves as a presenter and mentor at IAJGS conferences, has participated in the JewishGen Webinar series and is a frequent speaker at JGS societies in Israel and across the U.S. His recent three-part (two part and bonus) series entitled: “Cemeteries of the honorable, forgotten and unknown” appeared on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemeteries podcast.
A native of Elizabeth, NJ, Avrohom resides in Telz-Stone, Israel.
We constantly wonder, are we dealing with one person with multiple names or two different people? Is there some way to know? The answer is yes!
This session surveyed basic name conventions and presented strategies for recognizing name changes and variations, with real case studies that illustrate the confusion and the solution.
Avrohom Krauss is an educator, genealogist and speaker specializing in Jewish resources. He is the creator of the CAHJP Landsmanshaftn Inventory (2015) and the Philadelphia Landsmanshaftn Inventory (2024). He has written for Avotaynu (print) and Avotaynu Online and for Dorot (JGSNY) on a wide range of topics that include landsmanshaftn, relief organizations, immigration, vital records, the Hebrew calendar and name changes.
He serves as a presenter and mentor at IAJGS conferences, has participated in the JewishGen Webinar series and is a frequent speaker at JGS societies in Israel and across the U.S. His recent three-part (two part and bonus) series entitled: “Cemeteries of the honorable, forgotten and unknown” appeared on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemeteries podcast.
A native of Elizabeth, NJ, Avrohom resides in Telz-Stone, Israel.
The handout
| Avrohom Krauss - Given Name Changes handout |
The recorded presentation
| Part 1 Part 3 | Part 2 |
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