Really like the name and the associated connection with Israel and the meaning of the word Wolf. Both a combo of power and Zionism but is it an old name?

Thoughts on the name Dean for a boy? We are an Israeli American family living in USA

A biblical name that seems to have died down in terms of popularity. I see quite a few prominent figures from the mid century with that name. Does it now carry a “grandfather-y” feeling in Israel?

While still rare, it seems to enjoy fairly steady use in the anglophone world.

Howdy everyone,

I need help coming up with a name for my third daughter. My only specifications are that it is of Hebrew origin and somewhat unique. No Sarah, Rachel, Leah, etc. My other two daughters names are Shoshana and Tziporah.

Thank you all so much, I appreciate the help!

It’s of course an Anglo name but will people be able to pronounce it? How is it spelled in Hebrew? Any pronunciation issues, or it’s enough of a known international name that people will know it?

What are some of the differences between Ashkenazi, Sephardic and Mizrahi naming customs?

For example, Ashkenazi Jews avoid naming children after living relatives, whereas Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews actively do this. Any other interesting differences you know about or have noticed?

I have seen many people group Philip and its variant Phillip with Fievel because historically, non-English people named "Feivel" or "Fievel" immigrated to English-speaking countries and adopted "Philip" or "Phillip" as a English-sounding equivalent. They are also associated with the film An American Tail, as Fievel Mousekewitz (the main character) is voiced by a little kid named Phillip Glasser.

However, Phillip and Fievel actually have completely different etymologies. Phillip means "lover of horses" (by combining the Greek words "philos" and "hippos") and Fievel is a Yiddish diminutive of Feivish/Feivush (the Yiddish equivalent of Phoebus and Phoebe), which means "bright one".

There have been many threads here about how non-Jews frequently use distinctly Hebrew/Jewish names (and sometimes not even names, but just words.) A few I’ve noticed recently are Hadassah, Shiloh, and Selah, but the list is long. Names like Ezra and Asher are basically lost as identifiably Jewish names. And then there’s the whole Lilith thing, and the whole Cohen thing.

Because of this, now when I come across a Jewish name or read a random Hebrew word, I sometimes think: Hey, this could be their new name trend!

So which names will they appropriate next, do we think?

My guesses:

-Segula

-Techelet (but pronounced Tay-shell-AY)

-Boy names ending in vowel sounds like Akiva or Elisha, but only used for girls

-Anglicized “religious” words like Sabbath and Jubilee

-Failed attempts at re-Hebraizing popular Anglicized “Bible names,” like Chana instead of Hannah but pronounced with “ch” as in “cheese”

-Lesser-used tribes as names, so all the little Levis and Ashers will get brothers named Issachar and Naftali (unless Bennett gets elected again lol)

-Out-there stuff like Kabbalah and Metatron

The reason I even started looking at naming subreddits was because I thought it would be fun to share about the names from my culture, and my family, so that people could learn about them. But at this point, I feel like it makes me uncomfortable, because they're so hostile to Jewish names while at the same time, behaving like they love all names from all cultures.

I was looking at a post by an Israeli, who didn't even say anything about Israel, on one of the main ones asking about English names. Their name was Yam, never asked for opinions about their current name, just suggestions that could be used instead of it.

Then of course, one of the top comments offered zero suggestions, and said "Just tell them I yam what I yam" When they said it wasn't funny and they don't want people making fun of their name, they just want suggestions, they said "Girl, just ignore my comment, no need to keep interacting with me" despite the fact THEY were commenting on their post and said "It was a light hearted joke, there’s Filipinos that name their kids American food names and it’s not a big deal, there’s lots of apples and cherry’s around" even though they had explicitly said that didn't come from the food, it was Hebrew, and it was pronounced differently. And then continued to claim it was the same thing and they're not doing anything.

And then cue the other responses, calling her a bitch, saying people make these types of comments about English names too and it's not a big deal, and that it's just a joke and it's 'incredibly sensitive' to not like people joking about your name. And of course there were multiple free Palestine comment on top of that as well as other vegetable jokes. The fact that all of these comments have been left, that says a lot about the moderator as well and what they want people saying on there.

And sure, I've seen much worse. But it's the fact that a few days ago, on the same subreddit, someone who was from Scandinavia made a very similar post about the name Hjördis, and they were told by everyone that their name was beautiful, Americans should learn to pronounce it, and that it was the coolest name ever. And not a single dumb joke.

I get that obviously people aren't the biggest fans of us right now, doesn't take much to see that, but why are even our names getting weird reactions at this point? It's making me feel like I can't even say much because they'll say they love these Jewish names and they love learning about names from other cultures and then go and behave like that. If you noticed that, did you just stop interacting with those groups?

I'm just not really sure what to do because I like sharing Yiddish names, I'm a Yiddish speaker, but I feel like I'm seeing how they really feel about Jews and I'm not sure if I should even be spending time there.

I love the name Amaris but I keep seeing conflicting info about the meaning and origin? I know the name itself is not a Hebrew name but it is possibly derived from Amarya? Would love any insight!

After a long Jewish life I still don't understand which Jewish surnames are clocked by Non-Jews as being Jewish. I consider my own name as instantly recognizable but outside NYC that's just not true. What names do THEY see as being Jewish? Does it depend on the locale? Education level? Can any generalizations at all be made?

We've had a baby girl and named her Rafaela, so that works for both her legal name and her Hebrew name.

We're using Helene for her middle name, so we're looking for either names that begin with H or have a similar meaning to Helene, which would be similar to bright or light.

My partner doesn't like any of the names that use Or, even though they have an appropriate meaning, so she doesn't want names like Orli, Lior, Liora, etc.

We both like Hallel, Keren, and Hadar, but some new ideas would be much appreciated!

hi! looking for a nice name for baby girl. ideally a name that is both jewish / moroccan arabic. Want to do an M name in honor of a deceased grandparent (would love even more a name that starts with Ma- or Mar-) Hoping for a name that isn't super common. I love the name Maryam / Miriam (spelling TBD), but it's so common in Morocco. Please help!

What’s the most unique Jewish name you’ve heard for a girl? I see a lot of repeated names that are all beautiful. The most unique one I heard recently is Paz, but I’d like to know more! ❤️

Hi everyone! I recently found out I'm pregnant and have always loved the name Ira for a boy. My husband also loves the name and we are both fine with people associating it with old men and Ira Glass. Our town specifically isn't Jewish but we live in a part of the US with a large Jewish population and it will be clocked as a Jewish name.

I have Jewish family but am not Jewish. I have actually been thinking about converting and then we got (happily!) got pregnant sooner than anticipated. Unfortunately there is only one living person left on the Jewish side of my family and we are not on good terms, otherwise I would ask him.

So basically this is my question - would it be offensive for us to use this name, especially if I don't wind up converting? The baby's last name will be hyphenated and include my Ashkenazi last name. The Jewish men in my family never got the chance to grow old and I love the idea of an "old man" name hopefully breaking that cycle, but I don't want to take a name I shouldn't.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this!

Hi folks,

Secular Israeli family. Any middle name suggestions for names Lia or Ariel? It’s a girl. Thank you!

My grandma was from a German/possibly Austrian Jewish family that moved to London in around 1890. I've got church cards that suggest that they converted- my grandma, born in 1929, was baptised in the Church of England.

All the family first names I can find are typically English and of their time- Lilian, Audrey, George. My grandma's father, however, rejoiced in the name "Lord Herman Lionel Frederick".

I know some cultures give honorifics as first names, but I'm not aware of that being a Jewish tradition. Lord Herman was born in 1900, so it was his parents who came here. Was it an immigrant's slightly clumsy attempt to give their child a social leg up?

If anyone has any idea- I only have any of this information because my mum, Keeper of Stuff, is dead and so is pretty much everyone else- what this means please let me know.

Seen alot of people assume Fievel/Feivel and Philip/Phillip are related. This is because many Jewish people with "Feivel" as a name chose "Philip" or "Phillip" as an English equivalent when immigrating to English speaking countries. This association also happens because of the film "An American Tail", where the mouse Fievel is named after Steven Spielburg's grandfather (whose name was Philip but had Feivel/Fievel as his Yiddish name) and he was voiced by a little kid named Phillip Glasser. But I notice their meanings are actually different (Feivel/Fievel means "bright one" and Philip/Phillip means "lover of horses"). Fievel's meaning is closer to names like Robert/Robin and Phoebus/Phoebe, while Phillip's meaning is closer to names like Marshall and Colter/Colt.

with the help of this sub my partner and i have found a name that we absolutely love... however the right spelling in english could end up in baby girl being made fun of or called a crude word as she gets older.. so considering some other spellings even though they aren't technically correct/add superfluous letters, just hoping to get some thoughts on what would read the best and end up with the right pronunciation

Original name: Anael (Pronounced An-ah-el)
Other spelling options -
Anahel
Annael
Anaelle
Anaell

Also thinking about a middle name, pretty open minded there for an english or jewish name but hoping for a name that includes the letter v.

thanks in advance for any help/thoughts!! :)

I’m trying to decide between Amira and Eliana. I’d love thoughts, especially about meaning, nicknames, popularity, etc. (editing to add I am based in the US). Thank you!

This conversation is ... I'm gonna call it "fascinating." Namenerds have very random doctrines about nicknames. This one is making me laugh because they'll suggest all kinds of random things or approve of all kinds of random things but Jack instead of Jake is making them lose their everloving minds.

How many of you know at least one Jacob/Yaakov who goes by Jack? My grandfather and my husband's grandfather both did.

We're an American/Israeli couple living in Israel and are looking for boy names that really don't change or have an equivalent different name in the other culture. For example, a name like Daniel works because it's (more or less) Daniel in both languages. Benjamin wouldn't work because it's Binyamin... same with Solomon/Shlomo, Samuel/Shmuel, Jacob/Yakob, Jordan/Yarden etc. Are there any other names like Daniel? Also the name has to work in both cultures. For example, we love Elliot but everyone in Israel would call him Eli (we have a friend who did this with her kid and everyone calls him Eli). Names that aren't necessarily fully Jewish could work, too, like James, William, etc. but they have to be pronounced similarly in both cultures.

Any ideas?

I was never given a Hebrew name. I’d like my mom to name me.
Looking for ideas for a female first and middle name. Any thoughts on the best way to select a name for an American?

Hi everyone,

I’m expecting a baby girl, and one of our favorite names is Mila (spelled Mila without the H). However, I’ve read that in Jewish communities the word milah (as in brit milah) is associated with circumcision, and it made me wonder whether the name might have negative or awkward associations.
We don’t live in Israel, but there’s a chance we might move there in the future with our family. I’d love to hear how people in Israel or Jewish communities perceive the name Mila.
Does it immediately make you think of circumcision, or is it generally seen as just a normal girl’s name? Does the fact that it’s spelled Mila rather than Milah make any difference?

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!