The origins of my surname, Kalita, can be found in the Scriptures (Ezra 10:23 and Nehemiah 8:7, 10:10).

The 'literal' translation from Hebrew is Klita (meaning 'absorption' and is the name of the arm of the Israeli government that is 'absorbing' the scattered peoples back into Israel). Knowing the changes in the Hebrew language throughout history, the addition of the vowels is a small change in the overall spelling of my name. Many Hebrew names have gone through various changes throughout history. The form of Kalita is one of the most similar of many of these that I have found in Biblical texts.

The popular translation is to put an 'e' as the first vowel. In Ezra 10:23, "and Kelaiah--the same is Kelita". This has a duality of the name that is quite curious to me. Kelaiah (meaning "swift messenger of Jehovah" or "voice of the Lord") is found in the passage of Ezra in which Kelaiah (Kelita), a Levite, took a Gentile wife after the captivity and, later, divorced her. Then, in Nehemiah, only the name Kelita (meaning "dwarf / petite" or "gathering together") is used and, in those two passages, Kelita helps Ezra explain the Torah to the people and is one of the Levites who placed his seal on a new Covenant with God.

(As a footnote, there is a parallel entry found in the Greek Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Texts). The book of 1 Esdras, in which a "1 Esdras 9:23 - Colius, who was called Calitas," also has a Gentile wife. Then, in "1 Esdras 9:48 - and Calitas...taught the law of the Lord..." These may, or may not, be the same person, but the similarities are striking.)

Because of this, I understand my heritage to be that of Levite.