Katz Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Katz last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Katz last name
Meaning of the Katz last name: priest of righteousness. Katz is a Jewish surname formed from the initials of the Hebrew words kohen tsedek, "priest of righteousness", used by families with a tradition of descent from the priestly line of Aaron. It sounds like German Katze, "cat", and among other Germans the last name can be a nickname or a house-sign name. A curious detail of this family name meaning: one short word hides a whole Hebrew phrase.
Arms associated with the Katz name
Jewish heraldry is a later tradition, and coats of arms associated with the Katz name sometimes use symbols such as blessing hands, linked with the priestly line, each set out in a blazon.
Get your full Katz family history
This is only a glimpse of the Katz story. The full Katz history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Katz coat of arms. Get the full Katz report.
Katz name FAQ
What does the Katz name mean?
Priest of righteousness. Common variants include Kac.
Where does the Katz surname come from?
It originates in Germany, and is also found in the United States, Israel and Poland.
Is there a Katz coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Katz coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames (Oxford University Press, 1988); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).