Finkelstein

F4I1N1K5E1L1S1T1E1I1N1
US/ˈfɪŋ.kəlˌstaɪn/US/ˈfɪŋ.kəlˌstin/

proper noun

A surname from Yiddish.

OriginYiddish פֿינקעלשטיין ← Old High German funko →
Less commonScrabble 18
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Meanings

proper nounFinkelstein (plural Finkelsteins)

plural Finkelsteins

  1. A surname from Yiddish.First known use 19th c.

Origin

  1. Old High Germanfunko“spark”
  2. Yiddishפֿינקעלשטיין
  3. EnglishFinkelstein

Borrowed from Yiddish פֿינקעלשטיין (finkelshteyn), from Old High German funko (“spark”) with stein (“stone”).

More words from Yiddish, Old High German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Finkelstein. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Finkelstein

MLA

“Finkelstein.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Finkelstein. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Finkelstein,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Finkelstein.

Source: Finkelstein on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.