Kaplan or Caplan is a family name common among Ashkenazi Jews, usually indicating descent from the priestly lineage (the kohanim) or a Turkish surname, where it means tiger. It is important to note, however, that "Kaplan" is not an exclusively Jewish surname (see origins)
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Origin
The Jewish family name Kaplan derives from the Latin word "cappella", meaning a small Christian prayer house, which in turn produced the term "chaplain", the person who conducts the prayers. Jews took the name Kaplan, particularly in Eastern Europe, as a vernacular equivalent of the name Cohen. In Polish, for example, the term "kaplan" (spelled Kapłan) translates as "priest"[1], which is equivalent to the English translation for the Hebrew word "Cohen". It is therefore suggested that Kaplan is one of the oldest European/Middle Eastern surnames still in use today as those who have the name Kaplan are considered to be the descendants of the high priests of Jewish biblical times. One of the earliest modern records of Kaplan as a family name is that of Abraham Kaplan in 1698. Distinguished bearers of the name include the Polish preacher and philanthropist, Nachum ben Usiel Kaplan (1811-1879), the Latvian-born Hebrew poet Seeb Wolf Kaplan (1826-1887) and the Russian-born Zionist workers' leader Eliezer Kaplan (1891-1952), the first minister of finance of the state of Israel.[2][3] The name "Kaplan" is an English transliteration. There are alternative spellings. Some are: Caplan, Caplin, Koplen, Koplin, Copland, and Chaplain. There are others. In the United States, immigrants of Jewish origin arriving at the port of Baltimore received a "C" - Caplan, whereas those who arrived at the port of New York City (Ellis Island), received a "K" - Kaplan[4].
Coat of Arms
As the origin of the Kaplan surname suggests, the name out-dates the medieval usage of a coat of arms. However, many modern students of heraldry do suggest that as members of the Kaplan lineage left ancient Israel during the Jewish diaspora and found roots in Europe (mainly Germany, Austria and England), Kaplans had struck their own coat of arms as was considered popular during Christian times .
 Germanic Coat of Arms |
 English Coat of Arms |
Germanic Coat of Arms
As "Kaplan" is Germanic in spelling and still found spelled this way throughout Europe, it is assumed by many historians that high priests from Ancient Israel took root in Germanic Europe (modern Austria and Germany) during the Jewish diaspora and struck the first Kaplan coat of arms. This blazon is similar to other Germanic coats of arms derived from Jewish names (such as "Mendelson") where no images of any living creatures were used, and only colors to represent the family name. The tradition of not using living creatures (human or animal) as symbols is consistent with the Jewish position on idolatry. It was also popular for families to borrow colors from their nation's monarch's crest in their own family crests to simply distinguish the home of that family . This is evident in that Jewish family crests in Germanic Europe (such as those belonging to Kaplan, Mendelson, et al.) are similar in color and pattern to what has evolved into the modern flag of Germany and flag of Austria.
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Kaplan Coat of Arms |
 Mendelson Coat of Arms |
 German Flag |
 Austrian Flag |
English Coat of Arms
As Kaplans migrated throughout Europe to England, the Kaplan coat of arms took on more of an ornate form similar to other British families of the late middle ages . Symbols such as lions and dragons had become popular and eventually found their way too into the Kaplan family coat of arms .
See also
References
- ^ http://www.poltran.com/
- ^ Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora
- ^ http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Scadryn/names.html
- ^ http://www.avotaynu.com/jagenealogy.htm
