How do I tell if I have a Jewish heritage? My last name is Solomon.?

I found this for you.


Surname: Solomon


Recorded in many forms as shown below, this ancient name, widespread in most European countries, is almost certainly of Ashkenazic origin. It derives from the Hebrew male given name "Shelomo", a derivative of "shalom", meaning peace. Salomon was the popular medieval form used in the Vulgate, the 4th Century version of the Bible. Solomon is the form used in the Geneva Bible and the Authorized Version. The personal name was widespread among Christians in the Middle Ages, and was also used as a nickname for a particularly wise man or for someone who had played the part of King Solomon in a miracle play. The surname can also be found in the forms Salaman, Salomon, Salman, Salmond, Sammon and Sammonds. The personal name appears as "Salomon" in Yorkshire, in the Domesday Book of 1086. Robert Salemon was listed in the Feet of Fines of Lancashire in 1212, and Hugo filius (son of) Salman appears in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. The Calendar of Early Mayor's Court Rolls lists Richard Salamon in 1301. Thomas Solomon was christened at the Church of St. Ann Blackfriars, London, on November 24th 1602. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Salmon, which was dated 1210, in the "Curia Rolls of Bedfordshire", during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.


Hope this helps.

How do I tell if I have a Jewish heritage? My last name is Solomon.?
Jewish, English, Scottish, Dutch, French, Swedish, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish (Solom贸n): vernacular form of the Biblical Hebrew male personal name Shelomo (a derivative of shalom 鈥榩eace鈥?. This was fairly widespread in the Middle Ages among Christians; it has for generations been a popular Jewish name. In the Bible it is the name of King David鈥檚 successor, noted for his wisdom. Among Christians it was also used as a nickname for a man who was considered wise. In North America it is also found as an Anglicized form of Salomon and Salamon.





To find your heritage, you will have to do the research.
Reply:Surnames themselves do not indicate Jewish ancestry. A lot of Christians gave Biblical names to their children. When surnames were take or assigned in many cases the father's given name became the surname of his sons.





Also consider this. Jews do not agree on the definition of what is a Jew.





Reform Jews define a Jew as someone who is of the Jewish faith. That is all.





Orthodox and Conservative Judaism defines a Jew by the mother alone. Not their religious faith or their father but only by the mother. They state they get the nation from the mother and the tribe from the father and if they don't have a Jewish father they belong to the tribe of the nearest male relative on the mother's side of the family. Whereas if the don't have a Jewish mother, they state they are not Jewish unless they convert to Judaism.





Anybody that says being a Jew is only a religion should be very careful not to say that around Jews. If they don't all come from the same branch of Judaism, they just might cause an argument.





I had a Jewish grandfather. However since my maternal grandmother's ancestry was southern American colonial, I have always stated I would not be considered Jewish by any of the 3 branches of Judaism. She was raised a Presbyterian and became Methodist when they moved to a small town in Texas that only had 2 churches. I felt she broke the female chain.





I took a Mitochondrial DNA test and to my surprise my Haplogroup is K1. Thirty two percent of Ashkenazi Jews belong to that Haplogroup. If it turns out my Mitochondrial line leads to a female Jewish ancestor, I would be considered Jewish by Orthodox and Conservative Judaism. I am Catholic. Madeliene Albright is Catholic but is considered Jewish because she had a Jewish mother. Her father might also have been Jewish but what is important is she had a Jewish mother according to Orthodox and Conservative Judaism.





Ashkenazi was a word used to defiine German Jews but they spread through Eastern Europe.


It has been said that the Jews of Europe have traits or appearances similar to Jews of other European countries and background, but still they have traits or appearances of the people within the country of which they came.





In my Autosomal DNA testing, the first 20 Match Likelihood Index had Poland for about 3 or 4 in the top 20. There is an old saying, "Where there's Masovian, there's Borsche." There had been so much intermarriage between Polish Jews and Christians, you probably couldn't define them by their DNA. Some have said that is why among all the Slavs, Hitler had a venousmous hatred for the Poles.
Reply:You don't say which Country you are in.


If the UK, there is a Jewish Historical Society which is concerned with Family History, there is also a Jewish Record searcher who has access to records which have probably not been published.


There is a very helpful guy in Birmingham - President of the Midlands Branch of the Jewish Historical Society who has records of many Jewish families.


Once you have made a start on your Tree, working your way up from yourself, your parents and grandparents, plus details of births, marriages and deaths, you may recognise even then if there are indications of a Jewish ancestry. You need some of this basic information (ask your relations before it is too late!) to really get started.