Georgian Jewish Surnames

The term "Georgian Jews" became widely used in the 19th century, after Georgia was incorporated into the Russian Empire, although this designation had appeared in historical literature as early as the 11th century. The first Jews likely arrived in the territory of Georgia after the destruction of the First Temple. According to local tradition, Jews first settled in Georgia after the Babylonian exile, though historical records place the community’s presence firmly by the early medieval period. Over centuries, Georgian Jews developed a unique identity that combined Jewish religious traditions with elements of Georgian language and culture. Georgian Jews speak Georgian and refer to themselves as Ebraeli, Kartveli Ebraeli (Georgian Jew), or Israeli. The Georgian Orthodox Church did not persecute Jews, and for centuries, Jews in Georgia were able to preserve their traditions.

Starting in the second half of the 19th century, Jews began leaving the Caucasus region, and today the majority live in Israel. The total population of Georgian Jews today is approximately 200,000, with nearly 60% (around 120,000) residing in Israel.^[1]

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Surnames among Georgian Jews became common by the 18th century. By the time Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801, most Georgian Jews already had hereditary family names. Structurally, these surnames closely resemble Georgian ones, and in some cases, they are identical. Names like Jakobashvili and Davitashvili are shared by both ethnic Georgians and Georgian Jews.

The differences between ethnic Georgian surnames and those of Georgian Jews are often minor—sometimes nearly imperceptible. For example, the common East Georgian surnames Papishvili or Papashvili (which are equivalent in meaning to the Russian surname Popov, meaning "priest's son") appear in the Jewish community as Papiashvili. Similarly, the Georgian surname Kakashvili becomes Kakiashvili; and the princely Georgian surname Tsitsashvili takes the form Tsitsiashvili among Georgian Jews, and so on.^[2]

The vast majority of surnames among Georgian Jews end in -shvili, which means “child of” in Georgian. This suffix is typical of eastern Georgia and indicates the regional origin of many Jewish families. Another widespread Georgian surname ending, -dze (meaning “son of”), is extremely rare among Georgian Jews; it appears most notably in the surname Pichkhadze, derived from the Georgian word pichkhi (“twigs” or “brushwood”).

Surnames ending in -shvili were often formed from Hebrew or Jewish given names.

For instance:

Aronashvili from Aharon (Aaron)
Iskhakashvili from Yitzhak (Isaac)
Khananashvili from Hanan

Other surnames derive from nicknames, physical traits, or descriptive phrases:

Kosashvili from Georgian khosa (“bald”)
Dediashvili from deda (“mother”)
Sepiashvili from sephe (“royal,” “noble”)
Mamistsvalishvili, meaning “eye of the father” in Georgian

Some surnames closely resemble Georgian ones but are subtly different in form, often reflecting phonetic or stylistic distinctions. For example, Papashvili and Tsitsashvili are ethnic Georgian surnames, while Papiashvili and Tsitsiashvili are typically Jewish variants.

One particularly interesting case is the surname Krikheli, which appears to combine the Yiddish root krikhn (“to crawl”) with the Georgian suffix -eli. This likely reflects the Georgianization of a surname belonging to an Ashkenazi Jew who settled in Georgia.^[3]

In addition, some Georgian Jewish surnames have no relation to traditional Georgian anthroponymy—for example, Garkavi or Mesengiser. However, such anthroponyms among Georgian Jews are rare, and their origins likely lie in the genealogies of their bearers—most probably Ashkenazi Jews who were "Georgianized" within the Georgian Jewish community.

The appearance of surnames such as Leviev or Manasherov among Georgian Jews can also be seen as part of this "Georgianization" process. These surnames are more typical of Mountain Jewish communities, suggesting that their bearers may have come from those groups and integrated into the Georgian Jewish milieu.^[2]