Is leipert a jewish name?

I have little evidence to support it, but did run across something that indicated it might be a Romanian Jewish name belonging to my grandmother.

Is leipert a jewish name?
Many names can have Jewish as well as non-Jewish origins. A good example is the popular name Miller. Ancestry.com now features Jewish record search. You might also look up Jewish Surnames to see if it fits.


http://www.avotaynu.com/csi/csi-home.htm has consolidated Jewish Surnames where you can do a search.


Typically, ancient Jews did not use surnames but rather a combination name which identified their parentage (as Abraham, Ben (son of) Joshua)


These were called patronymics. It wasn't until the Middle ages that Jews typically began to use surnames. Good luck in your fascinating search.
Reply:The first poster is correct. Any name can be Jewish. Surnames were not taken in Europe until the last millennium and frequently Jews and non Jews wound up with the same surname. They were usually based on a)being the son of someone b)their occupation c)where they lived d)some characteristic about them. When they got through, it wasn't impossible for legitimate sons of the same man to have different surnames and still they could have each shared their surname with others with whom they were not related.





Also, Jews do not agree on what a Jew is.





Reform Judaism defines a Jew by the religion alone.





Conservative and Orthodox Jews define a Jew by the mother alone. They state they get the nation from the mother and the tribe from the father. 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. If they don't have a Jewish mother, Reform and Orthodox Judaism state they are not Jewish.





A lot of names in the U.S. are identified as Jewish since a large portion of immigrants to this country had certain names. However, back in their country of origin the same name was used by Jews and non Jews alike. For instance the name Stein or names ending with Stein is German and is used by Jews and Christian alike.