About Leo Expertise I was born in the form. USSR. I`m a native Russian speaker and have a first-hand experience in Russian language, culture, and customs.
Russian Culture - ORIGIN AND MEANING OF SURNAME YUDOF AND YUDOFSKY
Expert: Leo - 12/6/2005
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Followup To
Question -
Dear Leo,
I am the higher education reporter for The Arizona Republic in Phoenix.
I have searched many databases to find the origin and meaning of the surnames Yudof and Yudofsky. But, I've had no luck.
Can you help me out?
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mike Cronin
Answer -
Hi, Mike. Thanks for your question.
I cannot guarantee that my answer is 100% accurate, but, based on my knowledge of Russian language and culture, I think that the origin of this name is a word "Jew" in its German pronounciation...
Thanks,
Leo.
Hello again, Leo. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. To ensure I understand your answer:
Yudofsky, which was shortened to Yudof in America, is the Russian word for "Jew"? I don't understand what you mean when you say "in its German pronunciation." Does that mean the name is German? Or, that when the name is translated into German, that is how it is spelled and it means "Jew"? Do you know where it comes from in Russia or Germany?
Thanks again,
Mike
Answer Hi, Mike.
I said that the origin of the ROOT of this word is in German pronounciation of the word "Jew" which is "UDA"(that is how it's sounds... There're many words in Russian which derived from this root German word, like "UDOPHOB"=someone who dislikes Jews, or "UDOPHIL"=someone who likes them...
Again it's not Youdov/Youdovsky(in its original Russian spelling), but YOUDA=UDA=Jew, the root of this surname is derived from that word...
