Is Kish a Jewish surname

Answer 1

The answer is yes, it is. Uniquely Jewish:

"Then the Levites arose Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of

Azariah of the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of Merari Kish the son

of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehalelel and of the Gershonites Joah the son

of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah"

2 Chronicles 29:12 Hebrew Study Bible (Apostolic / Interlinear)

וַיָּקֻ֣מוּ הַ֠לְוִיִּם מַ֣חַת בֶּן־ עֲמָשַׂ֞י וְיֹואֵ֣ל בֶּן־ עֲזַרְיָהוּ֮ מִן־ בְּנֵ֣י הַקְּהָתִי֒ וּמִן־ בְּנֵ֣י מְרָרִ֔י קִ֚ישׁ

בֶּן־ עַבְדִּ֔י וַעֲזַרְיָ֖הוּ בֶּן־ יְהַלֶּלְאֵ֑ל וּמִן־ הַגֵּ֣רְשֻׁנִּ֔י יֹואָח֙ בֶּן־ זִמָּ֔ה וְעֵ֖דֶן בֶּן־ יֹואָֽח׃

קִ֚ישׁ

The name Kish occurs five times in The Bible. The most famous Kish is the

Benjaminite father of Saul, the first king of Israel. A great-uncle of Saul is

also named Kish (1 Chronicles 8:30) and so is the great-grandfather of

Mordecai, the cousin and caretaker of Esther (Est 2:5). In the Merari

branch of the Levites are also two men named Kish, one in David's time (1

Chronicles 23:21) and one in Hezekiah's time (2 Chronicles 29:12).

The name Kish comes from the verb qush (qosh 2006) meaning lay bait, or

lure. Klein's Etymological dictionary of the Hebrew Language reads for the

verb to lay snares (Isaiah 29:21). Fuerst's Hebrew & Chaldee lexicon to the

Old Testament reports origin of to be bent, crooked, hence a bow, to wind,

interwoven, hence a snare, snared, to be caught.