Claim: Jewish surnames, family names used by people of Jewish origin, such as Cohen and Sofer were first used during the Middle Ages, with the majority developed in the past three hundred years.
Evidence: Some traditional surnames relate to Jewish history or roles within the religion, such as Cohen ("priest"), Levi, Shulman ("synagogue-man"), Sofer ("scribe"), or Kantor ("cantor"), while many others relate to a secular occupation or place names. Jewish surnames are family names used by Jews and of Jewish origin. Jewish surnames are thought to be of comparatively recent origin; the first known Jewish family names date to the middle ages, in the 10th and 11th centuries CE. The majority of Jewish surnames used today developed in the past three hundred years.