Frank Gehry changed his surname from Goldberg to Gehry mainly to avoid antisemitism, a decision closely tied to prejudice he and his family experienced as Jews in North America in the mid‑20th century.

Quick Scoop

  • Gehry was born Ephraim Owen Goldberg in Toronto, Canada, in 1929.
  • In the 1950s, he changed his last name to Gehry , a move connected to concerns that a recognizably Jewish name like “Goldberg” could expose him to discrimination in life and career.
  • Accounts note that his then‑wife Anita was worried about antisemitism and encouraged the change, reflecting real hostility the family had already encountered.

Why he changed his name

  • Biographical sources state directly that he changed his surname “to avoid antisemitism,” summarizing his own later explanation of the decision.
  • Earlier in his life, his family had moved within Canada and later to the United States and faced antisemitic attitudes, which helped make a name change feel like a kind of protective step.

A bit of personal context

  • Gehry kept his first name “Frank” and middle initial “O.” but replaced Goldberg with Gehry , a less identifiably Jewish name that seemed safer in the social and professional climate of the time.
  • Some later profiles and public discussions frame this as both a pragmatic move to reduce barriers in architecture and a painful reminder of the bias that pushed many Jewish families to alter or anglicize their names.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.