Surname Kasztner - Meaning and Origin
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Kasztner: What does the surname Kasztner mean?
The last name Kasztner is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, derived from the Polish word, 'Koszyce,' meaning 'from Koszyce.' The origin of the name is believed to be a geographical reference to the small town of Koszyce, which is located in central Poland.
In addition to being a family name, Kasztner is also a historical name. It is most commonly associated with Carl Lutz, and Rezsö Kasztner, two Holocaust-era activists who saved Jewish lives in Hungary during World War II. Lutz and Kasztner are widely revered for their courageous efforts, which went largely unrecognized for decades.
The major legacy of the Kasztner family is one of empathy and heroism. Rezsö Kasztner's heroic efforts made a huge impact not only on the lives of individuals and families he helped save but also by inspiring others to act courageously and selflessly in the face of injustice and horrific circumstances.
Today, the name Kasztner is recognized as representing not only a family name, but also an admirable and heroic legacy of inspiration and courage. With each generation, the Kasztner family carries their legacy forward, living their lives by striving to embody all that the name represents.
Order DNA origin analysisKasztner: Where does the name Kasztner come from?
The name Kasztner is primarily associated with Jews who originate from the Hungarian town of Cluj in Transylvania. Today, the name is primarily found in places where a significant part of the Jewish population of Cluj was relocated during and after World War II. These places include Israel, the United States, Canada, and France.
The Kasztners were a prominent Jewish family of Cluj, which was part of Hungary until 1940 and is now part of Romania. The Kasztner family was involved in the business of selling textiles, and were respected members of the Jewish community.
The family was targeted by the Nazis during World War II, and the last of their line, Rezső, was sent to a ghetto. Rezső organised a plan to save more than 1,500 Jews from certain death in the concentration camps. This became known as the ‘Kasztner Train’, and helped to save many families from the Holocaust.
After the war, most of the remaining members of the Kasztner family were scattered around the world, settling in Israel, the United States, Canada, and France. As such, the name Kasztner is most commonly found in these countries.
Today, the name is closely associated with Rezső Kasztner’s heroic actions, although the family was not immune to the tragedy of the Holocaust. Along with so many other Jewish families across the world, the Kasztner's suffered great loss.
Variations of the surname Kasztner
Variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for Kasztner include Caszner, Kastner, Kaszner, Kasznerski, Kastner-Szemes, Kashner, Kiszner, Koszner, and Kasztnerowski. Kasztner is the Hungarian spelling, which was originally adopted by the religious Jewish minority living in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The name is derived from the Old German word "kasten" meaning a chest or cupboard.
Kastner is the German spelling of the surname, which is used mainly in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The spelling was changed to Caszner when the family immigrated to the United States, and was adopted by many Jews coming from European countries.
Kaszner is the Polish spelling, which was adopted by the Ashkenazi Jews who settled in Poland during the Middle Ages. In the Yiddish language, the name is spelled as "Kesnter" or "Keszner".
Kasznerski is a variation of Kaszner which was adopted by Jewish families who settled in Ukraine during the 19th century. The name is derived from the word "keszner" which means a chest or cupboard.
Kastner-Szemes is a variation of the original name Kasztner for Hungarian Jews. It is derived from the patronymic Jewish name Szemes, which was given to the fathers of those families. This surname is mostly found in Hungary and Romania.
Kashner is an Americanized spelling of the original Kasztner name, which was adopted by Jewish immigrants who settled in the United States in the 19th century. This spelling has been used by a number of prominent Jewish families in the US.
Kiszner is a variant of Kaszner which was adopted by Jewish families in Slovakia. The original spelling was changed to Kiszner when the family immigrated to North America.
Koszner is another variant of Kaszner which is found mainly in Hungary and Romania. This variation was adopted by some Jewish families during the 19th century when they were migrating from Europe to North America.
Kasztnerowski is an even newer variation which was adopted by Jewish families who settled in Poland in the 20th century. This surname is a combination of Kaszner and the patronymic Jewish nameowski, which was given to the fathers of those families.
Famous people with the name Kasztner
- Rudolf Kasztner: Hungarian journalist, writer, barrister and pro-Nazi negotiator during World War II. He is famous for having negotiated with Adolf Eichmann for the freedom of some 1,600 Jews from Hungary in exchange for money and goods.
- Rezső Kasztner: Hungarian lawyer and journalist who helped organize the rescue of Jews in Europe during World War II. He is famous for his work as part of the Kasztner train, a rescue mission in which many Jews were saved from the Holocaust.
- George Kasztner: Hungarian-born Israeli politician and activist. He was one of the founders of the extremist Zionist group Lehi, also known as the Stern Gang.
- Imre Kasztner: Hungarian rabbi and Zionist activist. He is famous for having conducted the so-called Kasztner negotiations of 1944, a fruitless attempt to save Jews of Hungary from deportation to Nazi concentration camps.
- Zsuzsa Kasztner: Hungarian actor and stage director. She is most well known for staging Mozart’s The Magic Flute to international acclaim in 2004.
- Dov Kasztner: Israeli journalist and attorney. He is best known for his involvement in negotiations with the Nazis, particularly those associated with the Kasztner train.
- Yitzhak Kasztner: Romanian-born Israeli Zionist activist. He is best remembered as the leader of the Kamor movement, one of the first Zionist groups in Romania.
- Bluma Kramer Kasztner: Canadian-born pediatrician. She is best known for her work helping Jewish refugees in Europe during World War II.