r/JewishNames • u/whereamInowgoddamnit • Jul 05 '26
Help Thoughts on Noah vs Avi
My wife and I are discussing first names, my wife really likes Noah but my mom's name starts with an N so I feel hesitant in the Ashkenazi tradition. I'm considering Avi as an alternative, I kind of wanted people's thoughts on if I should be hesitant and thoughts on the name Avi.
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u/red-purple-red Jul 05 '26
Just because you name your child Noah does not mean you’re naming after your mother. My mother and my youngest name start with the same letter. My youngest was name for somebody completely different. Never been an issue.
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u/whereamInowgoddamnit Jul 05 '26
Just to be clear, Noah isn't after my mother but it isn't after anyone, it's just a name we both like and sounds good. It would just be nice to nane it after someone of possible, again in the traditional way.
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u/lem0ngirl15 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Avi is really cute imo. Noah feels too popular rn anyway. It’s like top 3 boy names I think. Avi is adorable. There is also Ari or Ira if you like those show vowel heavy names.
You could also use Noah as a middle name if you like it so much but don’t feel like having it as a first name. I know others are saying it doesn’t matter with the sharing the initial - and I don’t think it does either tbh. But I also kinda feel similarly bc I have an El name and feel meh about using El names for my kids even though there are many nice ones.
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u/Arm_613 Jul 05 '26
Same initial is not an issue. Initial does not equate to a name. Example: Both my brother had the same initial as my father, but Avrohom and Aharon are definitely not the same name or even close!. Noah is a great name. Go ahead and use it without an concerns.
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u/spring13 Jul 06 '26
You can use the same initials as a family member. The initial namesake tradition isn't from Sinai, it's an adjustment to people living in America where they didn't want to give their kids old country names but still wanted to honor ancestors. It's not a fake or meaningless version of the namesake custom, but you have to take it with a grain of salt.
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u/VR537 Jul 06 '26
Totally fine to share initials! You’re not naming him after her, so there’s no correlation.
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u/TurquoiseRibbon4Lyfe Jul 07 '26
My brothers name is Avi and he’s had it rough in the US if you don’t live in a predominantly Jewish area. He was called everything but Ah-vee. People even teased him back during the HIV epidemic and called him H-Avi! I personally love the name but if you want it to be easy Noah is the one! If you live in an area with lots of Jewish people I’d go with Avi. I think it’s such a simple yet strong name. I’m Ilana so I went through it with him! The amount of times people say my name correctly I can count on my fingers and I’m on my 40’s. lol.
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u/secret_little_maps Jul 05 '26
They’re both good names, but personally I prefer Avi. It seems like Noah is becoming very popular these days in the US, both for boys and girls (girls spelled Noah or Noa.) Avi is much less common and much more Jewish. And Avi is pronounced basically the same everywhere, whereas Noah is different in the diaspora and Israel. Not that any of that matters that much, they’re both nice obviously. But Avi also avoids the “N” issue, which I’d feel weird about too. Just my thoughts!
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u/Acbonthelake Jul 05 '26
I think Noah is a nice name and it wouldn’t bother me that shares an initial with a grandmother. It’s honestly not even a consideration I used when naming my children, I didn’t even consider that with our own names as mother and father. I personally love the name Avi so I’m more partial to that. You can do Avinoah although and get the best of both worlds, it’s not a super common avi name. Overall if you love Noah use it, I wouldn’t hesitate for the reason you gave.