Katznelson

Katznelson is a surname may refer to:

For a related spelling, Katzenelson:

Another spelling, Katsnelson, is used, although it is not as common as the other two.

It is unlikely that Jews carrying the German civil family name Katzenelson are descended from Jews carrying the German civil family name Katzenellenbogen in that Katzenelsons are widely said to be Cohanim (descendants of the priesthood through male lineage, part of the tribe of Levi). The designation "HaCohen" (the cohen) is engraved into the tombstone of Berl Katzenelson for example. Jews carrying the civil family name Katzenellenbogens are said to be Yisraelim (descendants of tribes other than Levi). However, the vast majority of Jews said to be of the lineage of Cohanim have unreliable ancestry, today. Thus the two families seem unlikely to share a paternal line, but the German civil family names may go back to one place of origin of more than one original Jewish family, the issue of convertants is not being raised. The castle and city Katzenelnbogen in south-western Germany is from the 11th century, family names are in relative ubiquitous use since the 15th century in German speaking regions.