Is Bernstein a Hebrew surname?

[thedaffodils]

Hello! The surname of Bernstein reminds me of Einstein.

Is it possible that most people whose surnames have the surfix of "stein" have Hebrew ancestry? Thanks!

[SUDHKAMP]

Originally Posted by thedaffodils

Hello! The surname of Bernstein reminds me of Einstein.

Is it possible that most people whose surnames have the surfix of "stein" have Hebrew ancestry? Thanks!

It is not a Hebrew term but rather a German term.
As per etymology, bernstein has derived as follows:
bern>brennen(to burn, to put on fire, to have a light) + Stein(something hard, stone, kernel, rock), thus the word collectively means amber
The above term is of Old High German.

Einstein is also a german term and it has nothing to do with Hebrew.

Hebrew is more similar to Arabic.

B.T.W. thedaffodils, I always recommend learners of English to learn dictionary reading, which includes etymology, orthography, pronounciation gazzetteer and usages of each word.

[Barb_D]

And that said, in the US, where Jews immigrated from Germany and other places and more often than not took new names I would expect someone named Bernstein, Goldstein, Silverstein, Goldman, Silverman, Goldberg, or Greenberg to be Jewish. Yes, the "stein" ending, particularly when pronounced as "steen" tends to be Jewish.

Note that Einstein's name is said as though both syllables rhymed with wine. That's the German pronunciation. Americans have trouble with the ei, ie thing in German names.

{not a teacher, but of Greenberg lineage}

[thedaffodils]

Hi SUDHKAMP,

Thank you for your answer and suggestion.

[thedaffodils]

Hello Barb_D,

Thank you for your answer.

{not a teacher, but of Greenberg lineage}

I run into an expert of Hebrew surnames.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Barb_D

And that said, in the US, where Jews immigrated from Germany and other places and more often than not took new names I would expect someone named Bernstein, Goldstein, Silverstein, Goldman, Silverman, Goldberg, or Greenberg to be Jewish. Yes, the "stein" ending, particularly when pronounced as "steen" tends to be Jewish.

Note that Einstein's name is said as though both syllables rhymed with wine. That's the German pronunciation. Americans have trouble with the ei, ie thing in German names.

{not a teacher, but of Greenberg lineage}

Ouisch had something interesting to say about this in another thread - about a year ago, I think. Try searching for 'Bernstein'.

b

[thedaffodils]

Originally Posted by BobK

Ouisch had something interesting to say about this in another thread - about a year ago, I think. Try searching for 'Bernstein'.

b

Hello BobK,

Thank you very much. I got it.

Here's the URL link.

http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/as...bernstein.html

[BobK]

Originally Posted by thedaffodils

Hello BobK,

Thank you very much. I got it.

Here's the URL link.

http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/as...bernstein.html

There's lots of good stuff there, but the post I remember linked the /sti:n/ pronunciation in a lot of films/TV with the predominance of actors in LA with a Yiddish background.

b