Frequency: (663)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a gatherer or seller of beeswax, from Middle High German wahs, German Wachs ‘wax’. Wax was important in former times, being used for example to make candles and for sealing letters.
GIVEN NAMES: Jewish 4%. Abbe (2), Moshe (2), Aviva, Chaim, Eliezer, Hirsh, Hyman.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
