Netanyahu (surname)

Template:Infobox nameNetanyahu (Template:Langx) is a Hebrew-language Jewish surname. The name means "given by Yahweh, or God" in Hebrew, from the Hebrew natan (Template:Langx) and Yah (Template:Langx).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Though its use as a surname is a modern one and affiliated with the family of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the name itself can be traced back to Ancient Israel and Judah. Netanyahu, also spelled Nethaniah in English-language texts, appears three times in the Hebrew Bible, given to minor Biblical characters in the First Book of Chronicles, the Second Book of Kings, and the Book of Jeremiah. Because yahu and el are used interchangeably in Hebrew as names for God in Judaism, the name has the same meaning as Nathanael and Nathan is a short form of both names.

The Netanyahu family's use of the name dates back to the early 1920s, when Benjamin Netanyahu's father, Benzion Mileikowsky, immigrated from Congress Poland to Mandatory Palestine with his family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the time, the Hebraization of surnames was a popular practice among Ashkenazi Jews amidst Zionist efforts to revive the Hebrew language. Benzion began using Netanyahu as his surname instead of Mileikowsky, to honor his father, rabbi Nathan Mileikowsky.

Notable people with the name include:

Benjamin Netanyahu (born 1949), Prime Minister of Israel 1996–1999, 2009–2021, and 2022–present
Benzion Netanyahu (Template:Né; 1910–2012), Israeli historian
Elisha Netanyahu (1912–1986), Israeli mathematician
Iddo Netanyahu (born 1952), Israeli physician and author
Nathan Netanyahu (born 1951), Israeli computer scientist
Sara Netanyahu (Template:Née; born 1958), current spouse of the prime minister of Israel
Shoshana Netanyahu (Template:Née; 1923–2022), Israeli Supreme Court justice
Yair Netanyahu (born 1991), Israeli podcaster
Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu (1946–1976), Israeli special forces commander

References