Find out how popular the last name Eskenazi is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Eskenazi.

Eskenazi, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Eskenazi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eskenazi in America

Eskenazi is the 42455th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eskenazi surname appeared 511 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Eskenazi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eskenazi to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Eskenazi

The surname Eskenazi is of Turkish-Jewish origin, originating in the Ottoman Empire during the late 15th century. It is derived from the Turkish word "Iskenderun," which was the historical name for the city of Alexandretta, now known as Iskenderun, located in the Hatay province of southern Turkey. This name itself is derived from the ancient Greek name "Alexandreia" or "Alexandria," which was a common name given to cities founded by or named after Alexander the Great.

The Eskenazi surname was likely adopted by Jewish families who settled in or around the city of Iskenderun after being expelled from Spain in 1492 during the Spanish Inquisition. Many Sephardic Jews sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire, which welcomed them, and they often adopted surnames based on the places they settled.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Eskenazi surname can be found in the "Responsa" of Rabbi Moshe Alshekh, a renowned scholar who lived in the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. In his writings, he mentions a certain "Hayyim Eskenazi" from the city of Iskenderun.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Eskenazi surname. These include Rabbi Hayim Eskenazi (1720-1790), a prominent Talmudic scholar and rabbi in Izmir, Turkey; Salomon Eskenazi (1822-1889), a wealthy banker and philanthropist from Istanbul; and Levi Eskenazi (1770-1841), a renowned calligrapher and scribe from Salonika, Greece.

Another prominent figure was Refael Eskenazi (1847-1924), a teacher and author from Izmir, who wrote several books on Jewish history and culture. Additionally, there was Avram Eskenazi (1878-1941), a businessman and philanthropist from Thessaloniki, who was involved in various charitable initiatives and was recognized for his contributions to the Jewish community.

The Eskenazi surname has also been closely associated with the city of Izmir (formerly known as Smyrna) in Turkey, where a significant Jewish community existed for centuries. Many prominent Eskenazi families emerged from this city, contributing to its cultural and economic life.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eskenazi

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Eskenazi.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Eskenazi was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Eskenazi has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Eskenazi was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Eskenazi, please contact us.

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