Follow
My research of the surname Gerchman established this surname as Jewish. This surname was found in Central Europe among the Jewish-Ashkenazi-Levite. Gerchman spelled as Gerchman, Gercman, Gershman: Belarus, in the villages of Babruysak, Barysaw, Borisov, Brest, Brezese, Gluck,Kobryn, Lepel, Maloryto, Minsk, Ostrvna, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Zembin: Bessarabia,in the villages of Ataki, Beltsy, Kaments, Krasnyany, Kishinev, Spichinets, Zalslavak: Moldavi in the villages of Orhei, Yedinitz, Calarsi, Luplov: Estonia, in the village of Klooga: Latvia: Lithuania, in the villages o fDisna, Jonava, Jurbarkas, Kowno, Linkuva, Lipovka, Raseiniai, Vilijampole, Smolesk, Vilnius: Urkaine, in the villages of Bershad, Berdichev, Bucovina, Korsun, Chernivsti, Odessa, Rivne, Skumskove, Tomaschopel: Russia, in the villages of Moscow and Kupiel: Poland, in the villages of Annopol, Bilgoraj, Chelm, Czestochowa, Jozefow Ordynecki, Lodz, Lublin, Miedzyrzec, Nadarzyn, Warsaw
Dictionary of Surnames: Source - The Nahum Goldmann: Museum of the Jewish Disapora - Israel: Gerčman, Gerchman, Gerschman (Gerschmann, Gershman, Gershmann) This Jewish family name could be based on the Hebrew Gerschon or be a derived from Hirsch, which becomes Girsch in Slavonic countries. Gershon was the name of the eldest son of Moses and Zipporah, born in Midan, from whom the levitic clan if the Gershsonites (Gershuni) traced their descent. The meaning of this popular given name is explained in Exodus 2:22. Moses called his first-born Gershon. For he said, "I have been a stranger in a strange land." The bibical name appears in several spellings, preserving its phonetic identity, but in the course of Jewish migration and the impact of different languages spoken by the ethnic majorities in whose countries Jews were living in the Diaspora. Gershon/Gerschon has produced many family names which look and sound quite unlike the original and seem to be far removed from its initial significance. Abbreviated to Gersh/Gersch, and combining with the Greek Gersh/Gertz, derived both from Gerschon and from the Slavonic variant of the German Herz (heart and hart in German, a kinnuni or secular equivalent, of Naftali) which becomes Hirsch in German-YIddish, fathered names like Gerschmann and Gershovitz. Merging with place names, real and imaginary, it formed grops of family names comprising the german terms for barley (gerste), cherry (kirsche) and even church (kirche). In the 20th century Gerschon looks like the russian Gershuni, the german Gerson, the english Gershwin, and the 13th century french Garsonnet. The surname Gerschon is mentioned as early as 960 with Ben Yehunda Gerschon from Metz. It appears to have been a popular name among Jewish spiritual leaders living in the Diaspora.
Dictionary of Surnames: Alexander Beider, A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire: The surname Gershman, a derived of Girsh, found in the cities of Polotsk, Vitebsk, Zhitmoir, Ostrog, Vinnitsa, Balta. The surname Gershon (Kershon) from the given name of Gershon (Ershon, Arshan) pronounced 'geyrshoym' produced variants as Gershenman. Girsh from the given name of Girsh ('hirsh' in Yiddish meaning 'stag') derived variants of Girshman, Girzman (Hirschman in Yiddish), Gersh (Hersh in Yiddish), Gershman. Gershman (Hershman' in Yiddish) variant used iat the beginning of the 20th century.