Show ContentsFeldmann History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Feldmann

What does the name Feldmann mean?

The family name of a Jew was typically left to the individual person up until the end of the 18th century. Majority, especially in Germany and eastern Europe, still followed the custom having their father's name included in their name. Whereas, Jews in Spain, Portugal, and Italy had already adopted the practice of using fixed family names. 1

One of the most common traditions for adopting surnames in Medieval Europe was for a person to assume a name that clearly illustrated his occupation. The name Feldman can be considered an occupational name as its primary root 'feld' means 'field' or 'pasture'.

There are a number of common suffixes associated with this name that suggest it was a name used by agriculturists of various sorts: Feldman (field man), Feldbaum (field tree), feldberger, (field hill), Feldstern (field stone). Some Jews, who adopted this surname, however, were not directly associated with the occupation, and can be considered ornamental names. Ornamental names were often assumed by the minority Jewish population who wished to fit into the dominant culture of the area.

The names Felman or Fellerman have somewhat different origins: they are most probably derived from the root 'fell,' which holds a meaning of 'hide' or 'skin' in German and in Yiddish.

Feldmann Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Feld, Felder, Feldman, Feldmann, Feldbau, Feldbaum, Feldberger, Feldblum, Feldbrin, Feldfisher, Feldharker, Feldheim, Feldhorn, feldhuhn, Feldklein, Fledmark, Feldmeser, Feldmesser, Feldmus, Feldstein and many more.

Feldmann Ranking

the United States, the name Feldmann is the 10,634th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


Feldmann migration to the United States +



Feldmann Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Meta Feldmann, who landed in North America in 1832 3
  • Franz Feldmann, who arrived in America in 1836 3
  • Gerh Heinr Feldmann, who arrived in America in 1837 3
  • A Feldmann, who arrived in New York in 1839 3
  • Gallus Feldmann, aged 23, who landed in Missouri in 1840 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Feldmann (post 1700) +

  • George Edward Feldmann (b. 1930), prominent pharmaceutical chemist and was chosen "Man of the Year" by the American Pharmaceutical industry in 1976
  • John Feldmann (b. 1967), American musician and producer, member of band Goldfinger
  • Markus Feldmann (b. 1897), Swiss Minister of Justice before becoming President of Switzerland
  • Rötger Feldmann (b. 1950), German comic book artist also known as Brösel
  • Else Feldmann (1884-1942), Austrian writer and journalist


  1. Kaganoff, Benzion C. A Dictionary of Jewish names and their history. Schocken Books, 1977. Digital
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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