The son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly legally changed his name to “Yonatan Hun” over the past year and a half.
Documents from the Israel Tax Authority showed the name change while retaining the same identification number, reported Israeli daily Haaretz.
Tax records reviewed by the newspaper indicate that deduction certificates issued in December 2024 were under the name ‘Yair Netanyahu’. Similar documents issued this year carried the name ‘Yonatan Hun’ but listed the same identifying details, including the same tax identification number and address information.
Under Israeli regulations, an official name change recorded on a national identity card cannot be reversed for seven years.
Tax and business records
Yair Netanyahu is listed by the Israel Tax Authority and Israel’s National Insurance Institute as self-employed in the advertising sector, Haaretz reported.
The Israeli daily’s report also said that while residing in Florida, he registered a company in Connecticut whose stated purpose is delivering lectures.
It further noted that photographs shared by him on social media last week appeared to show cosmetic procedures carried out over the past year.
Family connection to the Hun surname
Yair Netanyahu had previously used the surname Hun on social media, identifying himself as “Yair Hun”. The surname has family roots: Hun was the original family name of his grandfather, Shmuel, before it was changed to Ben-Artzi, according to the report.
The newspaper also drew parallels with earlier name changes within the Netanyahu family. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously used the name “Ben Nitai” during his time in the United States in the 1980s.
According to Netanyahu, he adopted the name because he intended to settle in the US and wanted a name that was easier to pronounce and more marketable, the report added.
Brother too changed surname
Yair Netanyahu’s younger brother, Avner Netanyahu, also changed his name several years ago, adopting “Avi Segal”.
The report said Avner purchased an apartment in Oxford, England, for £502,000 under the name Avi Segal. The property was later put up for sale.
Segal was reportedly the original surname of Tzila, Benjamin Netanyahu’s mother and the brothers’ grandmother, before her marriage to Benzion Netanyahu.
After details of the Oxford property purchase emerged, Avner Netanyahu said the name change was motivated by security concerns linked to his studies in England.
He argued that the change was intended to provide anonymity and reduce public attention while living abroad.
The report noted that authorities in Western countries have become increasingly cautious about the use of alternative names by relatives of high-profile public figures, particularly because of anti-money laundering regulations introduced in recent decades.
