12 replies to this topic

[Cynthia]

I've always wondered what the Origin of "Winehouse" is. There are 2 words in it "Wine" and "House". But i'm not sure if the name really means a "house" full of "wine". That's just my simple interpretation and that was the same thing i thought when i first saw her on TV. It's actually a beautiful name, very unique and rare.

[Amysanchorcat]

Think it's actually German, my bro said, I'm a dim bitch at times, and didn't realize Amy was Jewish, til they said, n then i was like, duh, oh yeah, and her name is Jewish, same as Stacy solomon, didn't realize, but jus have to look at her, and fook me, Solomon, is as Jewish as you can get, lol. x

[northernsky]

You'd have to look at the country it originates from and then see how they derive their surnames. For instance, in England, I think I'm right in saying all surnames are either derived from:
-Place
-Relationship
-Occupation

[africanfusion]

i always assumed it was an anglicised version of something.

like how ronnie scott's surname is actually schatt.

not sure what that something is though.

[Cecilia]

I've come across the Jewish name "Weinhaus" before, I think Winehouse is an anglicised version of this.

Also, from Wikipedia:

"Wein means grape, vine, wine in German language and Yiddish language.

According to Nelly Weiss, Wein- style family names are originated from signboards (house sign, house shield, herald) like Jewish communities like Frankfurt/Main. Wein may also be related to the city Wien (Vienna), or the German verb "weinen" (to cry)."

[AMYstery]

i always assumed it was an anglicised version of something.

like how ronnie scott's surname is actually schatt.

not sure what that something is though.

Yes, a few years ago Mitch tweeted about this. Someone asked him what the origin of the name Winehouse was and he said he had done some research and that is was an anglicised name. Don't remember the original name it was something like : Weingoyts or Weinholtz.

On her mother's side she was descended from Russian/jewish immigrants :

It emerges that Ms Winehouse is descended from a fruit seller.
Her maternal ancestors emigrated from Russia in the 19th century and were living in Spitalfields, east London, in 1911.
Abraham Grandish, born in 1855, worked as a hawker selling fruit while his daughter Fanny, born in 1895, was employed as a waterproofer


1911 cencus record :

[JamaicaAndSpain]

Maybe it's just really simple and her ancestors owned a pub or whatever. There are several German surnames that lead back to professions.

Edit: Thanks, AMYstery, for your post!

[Amy Jenna Harper]

Wow..thanks..that's AN information ^^

[Amysanchorcat]

Yea, theres another too, but can't think of top of head. x

You'd have to look at the country it originates from and then see how they derive their surnames. For instance, in England, I think I'm right in saying all surnames are either derived from:
-Place
-Relationship
-Occupation

[SteveV]

I agree that the name is German (Yiddish). If the the family emigrated from Russia, it may be because many German Jews who settled in Russia in the late middle ages were driven out during the Czarist pogroms of more recent times

[AMYstery]

Yes,here is the original tweet from Mitch (november 2009) in a previous one he said that he knew his ancestors were Jews who emigrated from Russia. Then someone asked him if he knew the original name :

@shannonpearson I don't know our family name from Russia. No records. We think it might be Weingotz or Weingoyz.

[Juan19]

Yeah her name is very unique and rare just like her!

[W1nEh0use]

I've a book about name derivations and although the surname 'Winehouse' isn't actually listed , the closely related 'Wine' is and comes from an Old English term for "friend."