Kaplan (surname)
Encyclopedia
Kaplan or Caplan is a family name
common among Ashkenazi Jews
, usually indicating descent from the priestly lineage (the kohanim), similar to the etymological origin of the common Hebrew surname Cohen
. Etymologically, the word originates from the Latin term, capellanus or cappellanus, an office given to persons appointed to watch over the sacred cloak (cappa or capella) of St Martin of Tours.. In German
the term kaplan means chaplain or curate. The word is extant in other languages as well, for example in Polish
where the term kapłan translates as priest,, or in Norwegian
where it also has the meaning of priest
while retaining the original, elongated form. Additionally, Kaplan can be a Turkish
surname meaning tiger
.
One of the earliest modern records of Kaplan as a family name is that of Abraham Kaplan in 1698. Distinguished bearers of the name include the Polish preacher and philanthropist Nachum ben Usiel Kaplan (1811-1879), the Latvia
n-born Hebrew poet Seeb Wolf Kaplan (1826-1887) and the Russia
n-born Zionist workers' leader Eliezer Kaplan
(1891–1952), the first minister of finance of the state of Israel
.
The name "Kaplan" is an English transliteration. Alternative spellings include Caplan, Caplin, Koplen, Koplin
, Kaploun, Kaplun and Copland
.
In the United States
, immigrants of Jewish origin arriving at the port of Baltimore
received a "C" - Caplan, whereas those who arrived at the port of New York City
(Ellis Island
) received a "K" - Kaplan.
, members of the Kaplan lineage left ancient Israel during the Jewish diaspora
, found roots in Europe
(mainly Germany
, Austria
and England
), and struck their own coat of arms as was popular during Christian times .
is similar to other Germanic coats of arms derived from Jewish names (such as "Mendelson") where no images of any living creatures were used, and only colors to represent the family name. The tradition of not using living creatures (human or animal) as symbols is consistent with the Jewish position on idolatry
. It was also popular for families to borrow colors from their nation's monarch's crest in their own family crests to simply distinguish the home of that family . This is evident in that Jewish family crests in Germanic Europe (such as those belonging to Kaplan, Mendelson, et al.) are similar in color and pattern to what has evolved into the modern flag of Germany
and flag of Austria
.
to England
, the Kaplan coat of arms took on more of an ornate form similar to other British families of the late Middle Ages. Symbols such as lions and dragons had become popular and eventually found their way too into the Kaplan family coat of arms.
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
common among Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
, usually indicating descent from the priestly lineage (the kohanim), similar to the etymological origin of the common Hebrew surname Cohen
Cohen (surname)
Cohen is a Jewish surname of biblical origins . It is a very common Jewish surname, comparable to 'Smith' in an English-language context....
. Etymologically, the word originates from the Latin term, capellanus or cappellanus, an office given to persons appointed to watch over the sacred cloak (cappa or capella) of St Martin of Tours.. In German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
the term kaplan means chaplain or curate. The word is extant in other languages as well, for example in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
where the term kapłan translates as priest,, or in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
where it also has the meaning of priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
while retaining the original, elongated form. Additionally, Kaplan can be a Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
surname meaning tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
.
One of the earliest modern records of Kaplan as a family name is that of Abraham Kaplan in 1698. Distinguished bearers of the name include the Polish preacher and philanthropist Nachum ben Usiel Kaplan (1811-1879), the Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n-born Hebrew poet Seeb Wolf Kaplan (1826-1887) and the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born Zionist workers' leader Eliezer Kaplan
Eliezer Kaplan
Eliezer Kaplan was a Zionist activist, Israeli politician, one of the signatories of the Israeli declaration of independence and the country's first Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister.-Biography:...
(1891–1952), the first minister of finance of the state of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
The name "Kaplan" is an English transliteration. Alternative spellings include Caplan, Caplin, Koplen, Koplin
Koplin
Koplin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Choszczno, within Choszczno County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Choszczno and south-east of the regional capital Szczecin .Before 1945 the area was part of Germany...
, Kaploun, Kaplun and Copland
Copland (disambiguation)
-Surname:* Aaron Copland , American composer* Henry Copland, British furniture designer and ornamentalist* Jackie Copland , Scottish footballer* Marc Copland , US-American jazz pianist and saxophonist...
.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, immigrants of Jewish origin arriving at the port of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
received a "C" - Caplan, whereas those who arrived at the port of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
) received a "K" - Kaplan.
Motto
The Kaplan motto is "labor omnia vincit" in latin or "perseverance overcomes all difficulties."Coat of arms
As the origin of the Kaplan surname suggests, the name predates the medieval usage of coats of arms. But according to scholars of heraldryHeraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, members of the Kaplan lineage left ancient Israel during the Jewish diaspora
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora is the English term used to describe the Galut גלות , or 'exile', of the Jews from the region of the Kingdom of Judah and Roman Iudaea and later emigration from wider Eretz Israel....
, found roots in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(mainly Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), and struck their own coat of arms as was popular during Christian times .
Germanic Coat of Arms
As "Kaplan" is Germanic in spelling and still found spelled this way throughout Europe, it is assumed by many historians that high priests from Ancient Israel took root in Germanic Europe (modern Austria and Germany) during the Jewish diaspora and struck the first Kaplan coat of arms. This blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
is similar to other Germanic coats of arms derived from Jewish names (such as "Mendelson") where no images of any living creatures were used, and only colors to represent the family name. The tradition of not using living creatures (human or animal) as symbols is consistent with the Jewish position on idolatry
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
. It was also popular for families to borrow colors from their nation's monarch's crest in their own family crests to simply distinguish the home of that family . This is evident in that Jewish family crests in Germanic Europe (such as those belonging to Kaplan, Mendelson, et al.) are similar in color and pattern to what has evolved into the modern flag of Germany
Flag of Germany
The flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold....
and flag of Austria
Flag of Austria
The flag of Austria has three equal horizontal bands of red , white, and red.The Austrian triband is the second-oldest flag in use at least since 1230, after the Danish flag .- Origins :...
.
English Coat of Arms
As Kaplans migrated throughout EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the Kaplan coat of arms took on more of an ornate form similar to other British families of the late Middle Ages. Symbols such as lions and dragons had become popular and eventually found their way too into the Kaplan family coat of arms.