Show ContentsHorowitz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The prestigious Jewish surname Horowitz comes from Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. In the Middle Ages, people were often known by only one name. As they began moving closer together, it became necessary to adopt surnames, in order to better distinguish themselves from one another. There are a wide variety of hereditary surnames, and the surname Horowitz is a habitational name. It is taken from the place called Horovice, in Bohemia which is derived from the Slavic element, gora, which means hill.

Horowitz Ranking

In the United States, the name Horowitz is the 4,049th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


Contemporary Notables of the name Horowitz (post 1700) +

  • Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (1903-1989), Russian-born, American classical pianist and composer, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • Richard Horowitz (1949-2024), American film composer, Golden Globe Award winner for Best Original Score for the film The Sheltering Sky
  • Frances Degen Horowitz (1932-2021), American developmental psychologist who served as president of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York from 1991 to 2005
  • David Charles Horowitz (1937-2019), American consumer reporter and journalist, known for his Emmy-winning TV program Fight Back!
  • James Arnold Horowitz (1925-2015), birth name of James Salter, an American novelist and short-story writer
  • Winona Horowitz (b. 1971), birth name of Winona Ryder, American Golden Globe Award winning actress, best known for her role in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988)
  • Scott Jay "Doc" Horowitz (b. 1957), retired American astronaut, veteran of four space shuttle missions 2
  • Israel Horowitz (1907-1973), American chess master
  • Adam Horowitz, American TV show writer
  • Myer Horowitz OC (1932-2022), Canadian academic, 9th President of the University of Alberta from 1979 to 1989
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Triangle Waist Company
  • Miss Pauline Horowitz (b. 1892), Russian Jewish garment worker who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she died in the fire 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Scott Horowitz. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/horowitz.html
  3. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire


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