Show ContentsMargolin Surname History

Etymology of Margolin

What does the name Margolin mean?

Two of the most common types of Jewish family names are patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. In situations of oppression, such as those encountered under the corrupt regimes in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia in 1726, which restricted the number of Jewish marriages, by registering some marriages under the maiden name of one's mother or under the last name of bride, prosecution could be evaded. The mother's name has also been used to avoid conscription into armies: especially in Soviet Russia. The mother's name has also been used to avoid conscription into armies, especially in Russia. The surname Margolin is a matronymic name, as it is derived from the Hebrew word margola, which means "pearl." The surname Margolin holds a name of descendent of Pearl.

Margolin Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Margolin, Margola, Margonlinsky, Margolis, Margolies, Margolius and many more.


Contemporary Notables of the name Margolin (post 1700) +

  • Malcolm Margolin (1940-2025), American author, publisher and the onetime executive director of Heyday Books, an independent nonprofit publisher and cultural institution in Berkeley, California
  • Stuart Margolin (1940-2022), American two-time Emmy Award winning film, theater, and television actor and director, best known for playing Evelyn "Angel" Martin on the 1970s television series The Rockford Files
  • Shirley Margolin, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1972 1
  • Bruce Martin Margolin (b. 1942), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Governor of California, 2003 2


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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