The Kalt family is from the area of Lviv (formerly known as Lvov, and prior to that Lemberg), in what is now in western Ukraine. Lviv was within in the region of Galicia, which covered an area of what is now southeastern Poland and western Ukraine. From the 1700's through 1919, Lviv was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and was known as Lemberg. After World War I, most of Galicia (including Lemberg) became part of Poland, and the city name was changed to Lvov. After World War II, the city became part of Ukraine (which was in turn part of the Soviet Union) and the name of the city was changed to Lviv.
Several branches of the family (including ours), came from Grodek Jagiellonski, which is about 20 miles west of Lvov. Based on the records available and the proximity of Grodek Jagiellonski and Lvov, it appears that the family started out in Lvov, and branches of it moved to Grodek Jagiellonski.
Location of Lvov and Grodek Jagiellonski |
The word "Kalt" is German for "cold". For the most part, Jews did not take last names until the late 1700's, and when they did, their last name often reflected the town they were from, their occupation, or some personal attribute. So, it's possible that the first Kalt either came from a cold location, sold ice, or was thought of as a "cold" person. The last name Kalt was used by Germans as far back as the 1100's, so it could be that our line of Kalts took their name from an existing (non-Jewish) German family.
Records for the Kalt family in Europe come from a variety of sources, including:
Based on the records, several branches (or segments) can be identified. My guess is, that given the fact that Kalt is not a very common name, and there is a large group of Kalts from the Lvov/Grodek area, that all of the people from that area are somehow connected. The branches and segments that I have identified are:
Go to Main Kalt Page
This page last updated on 30DEC2002