Greenspan is a typically

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

surname. It is the

anglicized form The anglicisation of personal names is the change of non-English-language personal names to spellings nearer English sounds, or substitution of equivalent or similar English personal names in the place of non-English personal names. Anglicisati ...

of the German/

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 ...

surname

Grünspan Grünspan or Gruenspan is a Yiddish surname (from the German word meaning ''green swarf'', verdigris) spelled Grynszpan in Polish, in English speaking countries anglicized to Greenspan. It may refer to, alphabetically: * Herschel Grünspan (1 ...

("green

swarf Swarf, also known as chips or by other process-specific names (such as turnings, filings, or shavings), are pieces of metal, wood, or plastic that are the debris or waste resulting from machining, woodworking, or similar subtractive (material-r ...

", "green

patina Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals and metal alloys (tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes) or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen produced b ...

", " verdigris", " copper(II) acetate"). Cognate are the surnames Grynszpan, Grinszpan and Grinshpan (Poland, Romania, Hungary). Notable people with the surname include: * Alan Greenspan (born 1926), American economist, former Federal Reserve Chairman * Alison Greenspan (1972–2021), American film and television producer * Bennett Greenspan (born 1952), American entrepreneur, founder of Family Tree DNA * Brad Greenspan (born 20th century), American entrepreneur (MySpace) * Brian Greenspan (born 1947), Canadian lawyer *

Bud Greenspan Jonah J. "Bud" Greenspan (September 18, 1926December 25, 2010) was an American film director, writer, and producer known for his sports documentaries. His distinctive appearance in later years included wearing his large, dark-framed glasses atop ...

(1926–2010), American film director *

David Greenspan David Greenspan (born 1956) is an American actor and playwright. He is the recipient of six Obies, including an award in 2010 for Sustained Achievement. Life Greenspan was born in 1956 in Los Angeles, California. He holds a B.A. in Drama fro ...

(born 1956), American actor and playwright * Dorie Greenspan (born 20th century), American author of cookbooks * Edward Greenspon (born 1957), Canadian newspaper editor * Harvey P. Greenspan (born 1933), American mathematician * Herschel Grynszpan (1921-before 1945), Jewish assassin * Jason Scott Greenspan (born 1959), aka

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' Se ...

, American actor *

Jerry Greenspan Gerald Greenspan (November 22, 1941 – September 11, 2019) was an American basketball player. Greenspan, who was 6' 7", 275 lbs. played shooting guard. College Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, he played at the University of Maryland. Green ...

(born 1941), American basketball player * Marshall Greenspan, American engineer *

Mauro Cabral Grinspan Mauro Cabral Grinspan, also known as Mauro Cabral, is an Argentinian intersex and trans activist, who serves as the executive director of GATE. A signatory of the Yogyakarta Principles, his work focuses on the reform of medical protocols and law ...

, (born 1971), Argentinian intersex and trans activist * Melissa Greenspan (born 20th century), American actress *

Nachman Shlomo Greenspan Rabbi Nachman Shlomo Greenspan ( he, נחמן שלמה גרינשפן; 1878 – August 1961) was a Talmudic scholar, rosh yeshiva of Etz Chaim in London, and an author of a number of works about the Torah.__NOTOC__ Early years Greenspan was bo ...

(1878–1961), Polish-born UK rabbi and Talmudic scholar * Natan Grinszpan-Kikiel, birth name of

Roman Romkowski Roman Romkowski born Nasiek (Natan) Grinszpan-Kikiel, Tadeusz Piotrowski ''Poland's holocaust''. Page 60McFarland, 1998. . 437 pages. (February 16, 1907 – July 12, 1965) was a Polish communist official trained by Comintern in Moscow. After th ...

, state security official in Communist Poland * Ryan Greenspan (born 1982), American paintball player * Stanley Greenspan (born 1941), American psychiatrist

See also