Is the name bender Jewish

Answer 1

The name Bender could be a Jewish surname, but it's hard to be sure with that information alone. Jews' names originally took the form of a given name followed by "son of" (ben) or "daughter of" (bat or bas) and then the father's or mother's given name. During the Middle Ages, government authorities in Europe compelled Jews to take family names so that they could be counted in a census for purposes of taxation. Depending on the country, different customs affected how the last name was chosen (or in some cases imposed). Many Jewish surnames, especially those that resemble Slavic or German names, could also belong to non-Jews. In addition, Jewish families who emigrated to Israel often changed their European names. Bender could have been a variation of some other name the family had before, such as Brodner.