- Source: Harkavy
Harkavy is a Jewish surname. Variants in Russian language include Garkavy/Garkavyi (ru:Гаркавый), ru:Гарькавый) and Gorkavy (ru:Горькавый). The Dictionary of American Family Names suggests that the surname is derived from the Belarusian word 'harkavyj' for a person who pronounces uvular R (see wikt:burr, Etymology 2) instead of voiced alveolar trill R (thus hinting at Jewish accent) In fact a derogatory epithet for a Jew is "гаркавы" (Russian "картавый"), or "burry". Another meaning of the Belarusian word "гаркавы" is "slightly bitter" (in taste).
Notable people with the surname include:
Abraham Harkavy (1839–1919), Russian Jewish historian and orientalist
Alexander Harkavy (1863–1939), Russian Jewish writer and lexicographer, known for his Jewish-English Dictionary
Harold Harkavy (1915–1965), American bridge player
Ilya Garkavyi (1888-1397), Soviet Red Army commander
Juliana Harkavy (born 1985), American Jewish actress
Yehoshafat Harkabi (1921–1994), head of Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate (1955-59), military historian, and recipient of the first Israel Prize for political science (1993)
Shlomo Harkavy (c. 1870–c. 1942), Orthodox rabbi in Belarus
See also
All pages with titles containing Harkavy
All pages with titles containing Harkavi
All pages with titles containing Harkabi
Harkavy, a gang-controlled neighborhood in Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union
References
Further reading
Elhanan Harkavy, Dor yesharim. Kolel seder ha-yaḥaś le-mishpaḥat Harḳaṿi ..., a genealogical account of the Harkavy family, New York, 1903 (Google Books, free, in Hebrew)