Topol (surname) explained

Topol is a surname. Common in Central (Czech Republic, Poland) and Eastern Europe (Ukraine, and Russia), it originated as a place-related name for "someone who lived by a poplar tree".^[1] It is also found among Ashkenazic Jewish people speaking Eastern Yiddish and likewise refers to the poplar tree, having been borrowed from a Slavic language (Proto-Slavic

• topolь

). Related surnames include Topiol, Topolansky, Topoliansky, Topolski (common in Poland), and Topolsky.

Notable people who share this surname include:

• Brad Topol (born c. 1971), American computer scientist
• Chaim Topol (1935–2023), Israeli actor, often billed mononymously as Topol
• Edward Topol (born 1938), Russian writer
• Eric Topol (born 1954), American cardiologist
• Filip Topol (1965–2013), Czech singer and songwriter
• Jáchym Topol (born 1962), Czech poet
• Josef Topol (1935–2015), Czech playwright
• Sergei Topol (born 1985), Russian ice hockey player
• Sidney Topol (1924–2022), American innovator and entrepreneur

Notes and References

1. Book: Hanks, Patrick. A Dictionary of Surnames. Hodges. Flavia. Oxford University Press. Special consultant for Jewish Names: David L. Gold. 1988. 0-19-211592-8. 537. registration. Internet Archive.