Rotkowitz Family History & Genealogy

History

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Name Origin

The ending -owitz means "son of". The majority of Rotkowitzes (but not all) lived in Mikhaliskis in the Russian Empire during the 19th century (now known as Smolzavod, Grodno, Belarus). In the case of the Mikhaliskis Rotkowitzes, the name can be traced back to a matriarch named Roda (wife of Hirsh) who was born around 1771. In those days, it was not unusual for Eastern European Jewish women to be better known than their husbands because the women were in the marketplace and were more visible. So when last names became a requirement in the first decade of the 1800s, her children chose to be known as "son of Rode", i.e. Rodkovich, which morphed into Rotkowitz and Rothkowitz.

Spellings & Pronunciations

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Nationality & Ethnicity

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Famous People named Rotkowitz

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Early Rotkowitzes

These are the earliest records we have of the Rotkowitz family.