Alter is both a surname and a given name. German and Jewish (

Ashkenazic Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

): distinguishing epithet for the older of two bearers of the same personal name. For the Ashkenazim: from the

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

personal name Alter, an inflected form of (‘old’). This was in part an omen name, expressing the parents’ hope that the child would live a long life; in part an

apotropaic name Apotropaic magic (from Greek "to ward off") or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superst ...

, given to a child born after the death of a sibling, but also said to have sometimes been assumed by someone who was seriously ill. The purpose is supposed to have been to confuse the Angel of Death into thinking that the person was old and thus not worth claiming as a victim. Notable people with the name include:

Surname

Avraham Mordechai Alter Avraham Mordechai Alter ( pl, Abraham Mordekhaj Alter, he, אברהם מרדכי אלתר; 25 December 1865 – 3 June 1948), also known as the ''Imrei Emes'' after the works he authored, was the fourth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a po ...

(1866–1948), Hasidic rabbi *

David Alter David Alter (December 3, 1807 – September 18, 1881) was a prominent American inventor and scientist of the 19th century. He was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Reformed Medical School in New York City. He had Ger ...

(1807–1881), American inventor *

Dinsmore Alter Dinsmore Alter (March 28, 1888 – September 20, 1968) was an American astronomer, meteorologist, and United States Army officer. He is known for his work with the Griffith Observatory and his creation of a lunar atlas. Early life He was born in ...

(1888–1968), American astronomer and meteorologist *

Gary Alter Gary J. Alter is an American plastic surgeon. His specialties include sex reassignment surgery, genital reconstruction surgery and facial feminization surgery. He appeared in two episodes of the reality television series, ''Dr. 90210''. ''PRNews ...

, American plastic surgeon *

Harvey Alter Harvey James Alter (born September 12, 1935) is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the i ...

, American virologist *

Hobart Alter Hobart "Hobie" Alter (October 31, 1933 – March 29, 2014) was an American surf and sailing entrepreneur and pioneer, creator of the Hobie Cat catamarans, and founder of the Hobie company. Biography Hobie Alter will be remembered for creati ...

(1933–2014), American businessman *

Israel Alter Israel Alter (also: ''Yisraʾel Alter'',See Integrated Authority File of German National Library born September 23, 1901 in Lemberg, died November 16, 1979, in New York City) was an Austrian-Hungarian Claudia Maurer Zenck, Peter Petersen (ed.) ...

(also: Yisraʾel Alter, 1901–1979), Jewish composer and last chief cantor in Hanover, Germany *

Jonathan Alter Jonathan H. Alter (born October 6, 1957) is a liberal American journalist, best-selling author, Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and television producer who was a columnist and senior editor for ''Newsweek'' magazine from 1983 until 2011. Alte ...

, American journalist *

Karl Joseph Alter Karl Joseph Alter (August 18, 1885 – August 23, 1977) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Toledo in Ohio (1931–1950) and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in Ohio (1950� ...

, American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church *

Louis Alter Louis Alter (June 18, 1902 – November 5, 1980) was an American pianist, songwriter and composer. At 13, he began playing piano in theaters showing silent films. He studied at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Stuar ...

, American composer *

Michael Alter Michael Alter is an American businessman who is the president and owner of the Alter Group, a commercial real estate developer. Career Alter's company has developed nearly of commercial real estate. The group won the Beyond the Box: Exceptional ...

, American businessman * Moshe Jacob Alter, Yiddish poet *

Pinchas Menachem Alter Pinchas Menachem Alter ( he, פינחס מנחם אלתר, June 9, 1926 – March 7, 1996), also known as the ''Pnei Menachem'' (), after the works he authored, was the seventh Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1992 un ...

, Hassidic rabbi *

Robert Alter Robert Bernard Alter (born 1935) is an American professor of Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught since 1967. He published his translation of the Hebrew Bible in 2018. Biography Rober ...

, Biblical scholar *

Stephen Alter Stephen Alter (born 1956) is an author of non-fiction and fiction, who was born and raised in India, where he grew up as the son of American missionaries. He lives in Littleton, Colorado, Littleton, Colorado, United States and Landour, Uttarakhan ...

, American author *

Simchah Bunim Alter Simcha Bunim Alter ( he, שמחה בונים אלתר; April 6, 1898 – August 6, 1992), also known as the ''Lev Simcha'' (), after the works he authored, was the sixth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1977 until his ...

, Hassidic rabbi *

Tom Alter Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. Early life Born in Mussoorie i ...

, Indian actor *

Yaakov Aryeh Alter Yaakov Aryeh Alter ( pl, Jakub Arie Alter, he, יעקב אריה אלתר, born 18 May 1939) is the eighth, and current, Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he has held since 1996. He lives in Israel, and has followers there and in ...

, Hassidic rabbi *

Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter ( he, יהודה אריה ליב אלתר, 15 April 1847 – 11 January 1905), also known by the title of his main work, the ''Sfas Emes'' (Ashkenazic Pronunciation) or ''Sefat Emet'' (Modern Hebrew), was a Hasidic rabbi ...

, Hassidic rabbi *

Yisrael Alter Yisrael Alter ( pl, Izrael Alter, Hebrew: ; October 1895 – 20 February 1977), also known as the ''Beit Yisrael'', after the works he authored, was the fifth Rebbe of the Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic dynasty of Ger (Hasidic dynasty), Ger, a position ...

, Hassidic rabbi *

Yitzchak Meir Alter Yitzchak Meir Rotenberg-Alter ( yi, יצחק מאיר אלטער, pl, Icchak Meir Rothenberg Alter, he, יצחק מאיר אלתר) (1799 – 10 March 1866), was the first Rebbe of the Ger Hasidic dynasty, which he founded in the town of G� ...

(c. 1798 – 1866), Hassidic rabbi

Given name

Alter Kacyzne Alter Kacyzne ( yi, אַלטער קאַציזנע, ''Alter Kacizne''; 31 May 1885 in Vilnius, Russian Empire – 7 July 1941 in Ternopil, General Government for the Occupied Polish Territories) was a Jewish (Yiddish) writer, poet and photograph ...

(1885–1941), Yiddish writer *

Alter Levin Alter Isaac Levin (; 4 January 1883 – 4 October 1933), also known by the pen name Asaph ha-Levi (), was a Hebrew-language writer and poet. Born in Minsk, he immigrated to Ottoman Jerusalem (later Mandatory Palestine) in 1891, studying there ...

(1883–1933), Hebrew writer and poet *

Alter Tepliker Alter Tepliker was the sobriquet of Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Bezhilianski ( 1919), a learned scholar and leading Breslover Hasid in Uman, Ukraine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Biography Born in Teplik, Ukraine, he became active in the Bre ...

(died 1919), Breslover Hasid and author *

Alter Tsypkin Alter Lvovich Tsypkin (; 16 February 1891 – 5 March 1985) was a Soviet legal scholar, lawyer, Doctor of Law, professor and founder of the Department of Criminal Procedure Law of Saratov State Academy of Law. In 1947 during the anti-cosmopoli ...

(1891–1985), Soviet legal scholar

Surname

Given name

See also