Where does “Katz” come from?
Katz is an English surname derived from Hebrew כֹּהֵן צֶדֶק, meaning "priest of righteousness," abbreviated to כ"ץ in Hebrew.
Ancestry of “Katz”, step by step
Katz traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German katze
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | katze | house cat, Felis silvestris catus |
| 2 | Middle High German | katze | cat |
| 3 | Old High German | kazza | cat |
| 4 | Old High German | katta | — |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | kattā | cat |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *kattǭ | female cat |
| 7 | Latin | catta | a cat |
| 8 | Latin | cattus | a cat |
via Hebrew כ"ץ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hebrew | כ"ץ | — |
| 2 | Hebrew | כֹּהֵן צֶדֶק | — |