Huguenots and the Ashkenazi Jewish Connection

There may be Huguenots of Ashkenazic Jewish Ancestry 

When Louis the XIV gave the French Protestants the option of converting to the Catholic faith, or leaving France, many left. They became refugees and made new homes in Germany, England, Ireland, and the Americas. They established French Protestant or Huguenot churches in their new countries. 

The curious thing is this. If you look at the records of French Church in London, you will find many members that were not French. The London Church French Church records indicate Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch nationals joined the French Church between 1500 and 1700. In London. They became "Huguenot" outside of France. 

The Huguenot Genealogical Society of Germany has extensive records of “French Church” membership in Germany. The lists of names include people from France, but also people from around Europe. In Germany, like London, many non-French people joined that French Church. 

Indeed, in my own family, my Sephardic Jewish 11th great grandfather, Lorent Massa, BECAME a French Protestant in Otterberg, Germany. 

When I was scanning the German Huguenot Societies archives of refugees, I found many German last names. This made me wonder, who were they? Did they have French names and changed them to German names once living in Germany? Or were they Germans who chose to join the French Church in Germany? I found the super abundance of German surnames in the Huguenot Church records very odd. 

My previous research into the Huguenot refugees revealed this. Many Sephardic Jews found their way to the French Protestant Church in France and then into the Huguenot Diaspora. They also joined the French Church outside of France. 

Reviewing the numerous German surnames on the German Huguenot Societies list of Huguenots, one thing stood out. Many of these German names were known German Jewish surnames. I decided to compare my database of over 100,000 Huguenot refugee surnames with Lars Menk’s “Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames” to see how many “French Huguenots” living in Germany, with German last names, carried German Jewish last names. This is a large amount of data so to make a start, I decided to compare Huguenots in Germany and German Jews with a last name starting with the letter "S". Just to run an experiment. 

The result was astonishing. Over 600 “French Protestants” living in Germany carried German Jewish surnames. You will find the result of my search below. 

Considering how many Sephardic Jews found their way into the French Protestant church, in and outside of France,  it seems quite probable German Jews also made their way into the French Protestant Church. Accept in this case, in Germany. 

Here is the list of German members of the French Protestant Church who lived in Germany and carried uniquely German Jewish last names. 

Saal, Saale, SAALFELD, SAALFELDT, SAAR, Sabel, SABLON, SABLONNE, Sablonski, SACHS, SACHSE, SACHSIN, SÄCK, SAENGER, Safra, SAHM, SAHME, SALBACH, SALENDRE, SALENGRE, SALFELDT, Salheim, SALIER, Salin, SALING, SALINGER, SALINGRE, SALISCH, Sally, SALMON, Salomon, SALZMANN, SAMAYNE, SAMEL, SAMLER, Samson, SANDAU, SANDBERG, SANDBERGER, SANDE, SANDER, SANDHOFER, SANDMANN, SANFTLEBEN, Sartorius, SASS, SASSE, SASSÉ, SATTLER, SATTMAN, SAUER, SAUERBACH, SAWATZKY, SAX, SCHAAFHAUSEN, SCHAAK, SCHABER, SCHACH, SCHÄCHTEL, SCHACK, SCHADOW, SCHAECHER, SCHAEFER, SCHAEFFER, SCHAËFFER, SCHAFER, SCHAFF, SCHÄFFER, SCHÄFFLER, SCHAFFNER, SCHAFFSHAUSEN, SCHAFOUSE, SCHAFROTH, SCHAL, SCHALCK, SCHALL, SCHÄLL, SCHARDT, SCHARF, SCHARFF, SCHARLACH, SCHARLACK, SCHARRER, SCHART, SCHATTEN, SCHATZ, SCHÄTZKI, SCHAUL, SCHAUMANN, SCHAUMBOURG, SCHAUMBURG, SCHECHTERN, SCHEEL, SCHÉEL, Scheer, SCHEFF, SCHEFFEL, SCHEFFLER, SCHEIBE, SCHEIDE, SCHEIDEMANN, SCHEIDLING, SCHEIDT, SCHEIER, SCHEIN, Schellberg, SCHELLER, SCHENKEL, SCHERER, SCHEU, SCHEUER, SCHEUERLE, SCHEUERMANN, SCHEURER, SCHEY, SCHICK, SCHICKLER, Schiefer, SCHIEFERSTEIN, Schieler, SCHIEMANN, SCHIER, SCHIFFER, SCHIFFMANN, SCHILD, SCHILLING, SCHIMMEL, SCHINCK, SCHINDELER, Schindler, SCHINK, SCHIPP, SCHIRRMANN, SCHLANG, SCHLAPP, SCHLEGEL, SCHLEICH, SCHLEICHER, SCHLEIDEN, SCHLEMME, SCHLEMMER, SCHLENCKER, SCHLESING, SCHLESINGER de BAUDUN, SCHLESTEIN, SCHLESWIG, SCHLETTER, SCHLEUSSING, SCHLEŸER, SCHLICHTER, SCHLIMMER, SCHLITT, SCHLIWSKI, SCHLOESING , SCHLOESSER, Schlomm, SCHLOS, SCHLOSE, SCHLOß, SCHLOSS, SCHLOßER, SCHLOSSER, SCHLÖSSER, SCHLOSSMANN, SCHLOTTMANN, SCHLÜCKER, SCHLUETER, SCHLUMP, Schlumper, SCHLUMPF, SCHMAHL , SCHMAL, SCHMALBACH, SCHMALE, SCHMALZ, SCHMELZ, SCHMELZER, SCHMERLER, SCHMERTZ, Schmerz, SCHMETZER, SCHMEY, SCHMEYER, SCHMID, SCHMIDT, SCHMIEDER, SCHMITT, SCHMITZ, SCHMOLL, SCHMUCKER, SCHMUL, SCHMUTZ, SCHNABELIN, SCHNEBELIN, SCHNEBELY, SCHNÉE, Schneider, SCHNELL, SCHNELLE, SCHNELLENBERG, SCHNITZER, SCHNITZLER, SCHNORR, SCHOCH, SCHOCKEN, SCHOEN, SCHOENAURE, SCHOENAWER, Schoenberg, SCHOENDORF, SCHOENE, SCHOENEBERG, SCHOENECK, SCHOENEFELD, Schoeneman, SCHOENEWALD, SCHOENFELD, SCHOENFELDT, SCHOENHERR, SCHOENLING, SCHOFF, SCHÖL, SCHOLEN, SCHOLL, SCHOLLE, Scholler, Scholten, SCHOMBERG, SCHOMBOURG, SCHÖN, Schönauer, SCHONAWER, SCHÖNBERGER, SCHÖNBERGUER, SCHÖNBORN, SCHÖNBOURG, SCHÖNBURG, SCHONDORFF, SCHÖNE, Schöneberg, SCHÖNECK, SCHÖNEMAN, SCHÖNEMANN, SCHÖNENBERGER, SCHÖNEWALD, SCHÖNFELD, SCHÖNFELDT, SCHÖNHOLTZ, SCHÖNIG, SCHÖNING, SCHÖNLAND, SCHÖNLING, SCHÖNMANN, SCHÖNSTÄDT, SCHÖNWALD, SCHÖNWALDT, SCHOPP, SCHOPPE, SCHOR, SCHORR, SCHOTT, SCHOTTEN, SCHRADER, SCHRÄDER, SCHRAMM, SCHREIBER, SCHREIER, SCHREUER, SCHREYER, SCHRÖDER, SCHROEDER, SCHROTER, SCHRÖTER, SCHUBACH, SCHUBART, SCHUBERT, SCHUCH, SCHUCK, SCHÜCK, SCHUELEIN, SCHUELER, SCHUESSLER, SCHUETZ, SCHUH, SCHUHMACHER, Schuhmann, SCHULDT, SCHULER, SCHÜLL, Schüller, SCHULTZ, SCHULZ, SCHULZE, SCHUMACHER, SCHUMANN, SCHUMM, SCHUP, SCHUPP, SCHUR, SCHÜRER, SCHURGESIN, SCHÜSSLER, SCHUSTER, SCHUTZ, SCHÜTZ, SCHÜTZE, SCHÜTZER, SCHWAB, SCHWABE, SCHWALB, SCHWALBE, SCHWALM, SCHWAN, SCHWANFELD, SCHWANFELDER, SCHWARCK, SCHWARTZ , SCHWARZ, SCHWARZENBERG, SCHWARZKOPF, SCHWARZKOPFF, SCHWED, SCHWEDE, SCHWEDER, SCHWEDT, SCHWEIGER, SCHWEITZER, SCHWEIZER, SCHWERIN, SCHWINK, Schwob, SCOTTE, SCRIBA, SEE, SEEBACH, SEEBACHER, SEEFELD, SEELENBINDER, SEELER, SEELIG, SEELIGER, SEELIGMANN, SEELINGER, Seelmann, SEEMANN, SEEWALD, Segen, SEIBOLD, SEIDEL, SEIDELER, SEIDLER, SEILER, SEITZ, SELENKA, SELIG, SELIGER, Seligman, SELINGH, SELLE, SELLER, SELLING, SELLO, SELMER, Selmes, SELOSSE, SELTEN, Selyn, SELZER, SEMBACH, SENEL, Seneor, SENF, SENFF, SENFT, SENGER, Senius, SERF, SETTEGAST, SEYDEL, SEYLER, SIBURG, SICHER, SICHLER, SICKEL, SIEFERT, SIEGEL, SIEGER, SIEGFRIED, Siegler, SIEGMAN, SIEGMANN, SIEGMUND, SIEMON, SIEVERT, SIEWERT, SIGALIN, SIGEL, SIGISMUND, SIGMAN, SIGMONT, Signiour, SILBERBERG, Silberman, SILBERNAGEL, SIMCHEN, SIMMERHAUSEN, SIMONET, SIMONETY, SIMONI, SIMONIS, Simons, SIMONY, Simpson, SINGER, SINN, SKOPP, SNOEK, SOBER, SOHN, SOKOLL, SOLDE, SOLING, SOLL, SOLLING, SOLMS, Solon, SOMMER, SOMMERFELD, SOMMERFELDT, SONDERMANN, SONNA, Sonnborn, SONNEBORN, SONNTAG, SONTAG, SORAU, Sorgenfrei, SOULIANS, SPANJER, SPÄTH, SPATZ, SPEIER, SPERBER, Sperling, SPEYER, SPICKER, SPIECKER, SPIEGEL, SPIEGELL, SPIEGLER, SPIELBERGE, SPIELBERGER, Spielmann, SPIES, SPIÉS, SPIESS, SPINA, SPITTELER, Spitz, SPITZBARTH, SPITZER, SPRENGER, SPRINGAR, SPRINGER, STACHELI, STADE, STAHL, STALBERG, STAMFORD, STANG, STARCK, STARK, STARKE, STAUB, STAUFENBERG, STECKEL, STEEG, STEFFENS, Steger, STEIDEL, STEIN, STEINACKER, STEINBACH, STEINBERG, STEINBOCH, STEINBRECHER, STEINBRING, STEINER, STEINERT, STEINFELD, STEINFELS, STEINFELTZ, STEINFELZ, STEINGÖTTER, STEINHAUSEN, STEINHAUSER, STEINHÄUSER, STEINHOFF, STEINITZ, STEINLEIN, STEINMAHR, STEINMANN, STEINMETZ, STEINMEYER, STEINN, STEINWEG, STEMPEL, STENDEL, STENGEL, STENGER, STEPHANI, STERCK, Stern, STERNBACH, STERNBERG, STERNE, STETTEN, STEUDLER, STEUER, STIBLER, STICH, STIEFEL, STIEHL, STIEL, STIER, STILLER, STOCK, STÖCKEL, STOESSEL, STOHMANN, STOLLE, STOLTZ, STOLTZE, STOLTZENBERG, STOLZ, STOLZENBERG, Stone, STOPCKE, STORCK, STORI, STORM, STORY, STRAHLIN, STRANTZ, STRAS, STRASBOURG, STRASS, STRASSER, STRAUB, STRAUCH, STRAUS, STRAUß, STRAUSS, STREICH, STREIT, STRELITZ, STRENG, STRENGE, Strick, STRICKER, STROH, STROUX, STRUCK, STRUMPF, STRUPP, STÜBECK, STUBEL, STUCKERT, STUHL, STUMP, STUMPF, STURM, STURZBECHER, SUART, SUES, SUEß, SULTZBERGER, SULZ, SUNDHEIMER, SUS, SÜSS, SÜSSEN, SÜSSMANN, SÜTER, Suttie, SWARTI, SYBORG, SYBOURG, SYBURG, SYDOW.

Thus, if you have German ancestors who joined the French Protestant church, in Germany, there is a good chance you have German Jewish ancestry. In due course, I will find matches for the rest of the alphabet! It's a big project and I will get to it. 

 But, in the meantime, if you want to check your German /French Huguenot Ancestors to see if they might have been German Jews, look for the last name in question on Menk’s list of German Jewish Surnames. They are made available by following the following link. You can also buy the book. I have it in my library and could not live without it. Follow the link below to the avotaynu shop and you can get your own copy.