10.07.2026 18:01
It has been revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son, Yair Netanyahu, has shed his famous surname and legally changed his name to 'Yonatan Hon.' Although no official reason has been given, the change, reflected in official tax records, is understood to be a tribute to his uncle Yonatan Netanyahu, who died in 1976, and a return to his mother's family name from the past.
It has emerged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's eldest son, Yair Netanyahu, has changed his legal name to "Yonatan Hon." According to a report by Haaretz, one of Israel's leading newspapers, the name change was revealed through official tax records.
The report stated that Yair Netanyahu changed his name within the last year and a half, and that tax documents from 2026 now list the name "Yonatan Hon" with the same identification number and address information. It was noted that no official explanation was provided for the name change.
CHOSEN IN HONOR OF HIS UNCLE
The first part of the new name, "Yonatan," is reportedly chosen in honor of his uncle, Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu, who died during the Entebbe Operation in 1976, while "Hon/Han" comes from the old surname used by the family of his mother Sara Netanyahu's father. The family of Sara Netanyahu's father, Shmuel Ben-Artzi, once used this surname.
NOT THE FIRST NAME CHANGE IN THE NETANYAHU FAMILY
Haaretz's report also highlighted the Netanyahu family's history of surname changes. Accordingly, the father of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, historian Benzion Netanyahu, changed the family's Polish-origin surname "Mileikowsky" to the Hebrew "Netanyahu" after immigrating to Mandatory Palestine in the 1920s. This change is considered part of the practice of Hebraizing surnames seen among many Jewish immigrant families of the time.
Yair was born in 1991 as the son of Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu.
THE OTHER SON ALSO USED A DIFFERENT NAME FOR A TIME
Netanyahu's other son, Avner Netanyahu, had previously used a different name as well. It had emerged that Avner used the name "Avi Avner Segal" in official records while studying in England and when purchasing a residence. Avner Netanyahu later stated that this was done for security reasons.
According to Israeli law, after an official name change, the same person must wait seven years before changing their name again.