I’d like to honor my grandmother, Shirley, with my daughter’s Hebrew name and considered Shirli or Shira but also wanted something a bit more unique. Though not actual Hebrew names, I like Shirlanu (“our song” as opposed to “my song”) and Shirshana (“Rose song” which makes reference to a meaningful song to me and my husband).

I’d like your brutally honest feedback on these names since they’re made up and I also want to know if you think it defeats the purpose to give a kid a Hebrew name with a name that isn’t even a real Hebrew name.

Discuss.

I was reading Salem and in there it said "When he was told that his life would be easier with a short, thick American name, he legally changed it to Glick, not knowing that he was moving from one real minority to another disguised" (translated from portuguese then idk if it is the same in the original version)

I have seen in another medias people talking about surnames that others think that are jewish, like in better call to saul with the name "Saul Goodman" but I dont think this name sounds hebrew to me so what does that means?

Just what the title asks.

My first child’s middle name is after a great-grandparent and not in any way notably Jewish. We gave that child a lovely Hebrew name.

For our second child, my husband and I picked a very Hebrew middle name. I was kind of assuming that that would also be her Hebrew name, but was curious what others have done, as my husband asked if that meant that we got to pick a second Hebrew name to use for her naming.

We're a few weeks away from having our second daughter. Our first is named Talia Rose. I've loved Tova for the second but now I'm thinking Shira instead. Or even doing Shira Tova as the first and middle.

With Tova, I keep worrying that in the Jewish community and especially Jewish Israeli community, it's seen as too dated and not perceived as cute as I hear it. I also worry that mean kids will call her "toes" or something. I thought it would be a perfect name because I find it so cute and also my fathers side is Norse (which Tova is a popular name in Norse) and in Hebrew Tova means good, and my husbands mother's maiden name is "Goode". Plus then it brings in our Jewish heritage which is top priority for us. I also love how the girls names sounds together (Talia dna tova or tali and tovi). It just makes me so happy. But I don't want to accidentally give my second a name she will ultimately be unhappy with.

Shira I've come to like because it is also Hebrew and isn't super popular. Plus I love the meaning.

What are your experiences with "Tova"? Which do you like better? We're reform Jews and very active in our temple and Jewish community and plan to spend time in Israel and help our daughters build a love and relationship with Israel and Israeli culture.

Just found out we're having a girl so getting down to business ✍️🩷 My husband and I are both Jewish, and my family has Israeli roots whereas his is American. We adore the name Noa, but it's off the table for us (fam member used it.) Looking for other contemporary Israeli-adjascent names that aren't too difficult to pronounce, similar to Liv and Ori but perhaps more feminine sounding. We love a name that gives off a confident vibe.

Thank you!

I'm doing a spoken word reading of a book and one of the female character's names is SIMCHAH. I think that the "ch" would be pronounced like the soft "ch" in Channukkah. However, I can't see all the non-Jewish American kids in high school getting that right. What do you think would be the 'Murican way of saying it? SEEM-kah? SEEM-hah? I realize that the character herself and her Jewish family would say it correctly, but what about all the Americans around her? This video showed me the correct pronunciation of "simcha" but how would it be said, say, by her high school teacher who can't make that sound correctly? Thanks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lWLIelAQ14&ab_channel=TheHebrewSisters

Hello everyone!

My husband and I are pregnant with our first child - a boy - and we have always loved Hebrew names more than any others. We have quite a few on our list now, but one that we like has sort of opaque origins. We really care about giving our child a name that has a real historical and etymological meaning to create a strong personal foundation, so if this name is actually some kind of gibberish, we would definitely take it off the list!

The name (as you can see in the post title) is Arien, which sounds really lovely and dreamy in our opinions. In the online listings I've found, the name is said to mean "enchanting" in Hebrew and to be related somehow to the etymology for "lion". (The latter checks out - considering the meanings of Ari, Aryeh, Ariel...) However, I have never met or read of a Jewish person with this name...

Can any of you confirm that this name truly has a Hebrew meaning or any kind of tradition in the Jewish community? Thank you so much for any insight you can offer!

I posted this to namenerds as well, but also wanted to post it here for a more nuanced perspective from my fellow Jews:

This is hypothetical for now since I’m not actually pregnant, but possibly TTC soon.

We have one daughter already and if/when I get pregnant again, the second child would be our last. I’ve always loved the name Ari and it’s already on the list for a boy. But lately I’ve been wondering if it would work should we have a second girl.

I’d want to use it as a standalone name and not a nickname for Arielle/Arielle or Ariana/Arianna. I do like the name Arielle, but my husband doesn’t. I also know for a fact that where we live, we’d often hear it pronounced “Air-ee-ul” (like the Little Mermaid) which I don’t like. Objectively Ariella and Ariana/Arianna are pretty names, but not ones I like enough to use, plus my husband doesn’t like them.

Last night I pitched the name Ari for a girl, and my husband didn’t immediately veto it which is HUGE for us since we have very different (and very strong) opinions on girls names. But he did mention that he thought Ari was a guy’s name and wondered if it was weird on a girl.

So what do y’all think? Is Ari weird for a girl?

An acquaintance who isn’t Jewish (neither she nor her husband) just had a baby and named him Zion. I feel like in the current climate that is a risky/bold move especially after 10/7 when the climate is really rough with anything that even remotely could be perceived as pertaining to Zionism!

In the tri state area & California (aka largest US Jewish populations), Eden doesn’t crack the top 100.

But in states like New Mexico and North Dakota it does.

Is the name too bibilical Christian ? I want people in my areas (tri state) to assume she’s a Jew.

Given that the origin of this word is the Hebrew seraph, שרף - does anyone know why Jewish girls aren’t named this? Is it considered inappropriate because of the holy meaning/origin of the word? Or just isn’t a ‘thing’ for some reason? I find it a bit odd given that the names of angels like Michael, Gabriel, Rephael, are so popular/accepted ? Does anyone have context. Thanks in advance!! 🙏🏼

Is this the most common spelling of the name Hannah in Hebrew? Please let me know if there is another more common Hebrew spelling.

חַנָּה

Like the prime minister

So I’m Ashkenazi Jewish and pregnant with my first child. I don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet, but I would like to go with an M name in honor of my late grandfather.

There are a few names for girls my husband and I agree with, but not many for boys. We already have family members and close friends named Matthew and Michael. I like Marc or Miles but my husband isn’t thrilled with them.

The only M name my husband likes for a boy is Max, and while I like it too, Max also happens to be my dad’s middle name. My mom says I can’t name our baby Max for that reason as she feels the baby would be named after my dad instead of my grandfather.

However my middle name is Gabrielle and I have a nephew named Gabriel so wouldn’t that also be “taboo” based on this custom?

Would it be a bad idea to name our child’s first name the same name as my dad’s middle name?

Kind of a backwards question, but I'm looking to change my English name because I don't like it. I love my Hebrew name (Batya) but don't really want to go by it day to day, and since there's not really an English equivalent I'd like to choose something that at least sounds somewhat similar. My current everyday English name also starts with a B.

Any suggestions?

Masculine or gender-neutral.

My child’s Hebrew name is Chaya. I have a two-part Hebrew name (Chaya Malka) and I would like to add a second one to theirs as well.

They are non-binary so I’d love it if the middle name was gender-neutral or masculine, though if a feminine name would sound perfect I’m not opposed to hearing it. I’ll let them choose.

Their given name means “life” and so does Chaya. Their chosen non-binary name means “rain” so I’d like their second Hebrew name to have a similar meaning as well.

Torn between Anna or Ana spelling :

• Ana Leora
• Anna Leora

I come here respectfully looking for some help. I have traced back fairly far into my family tree, and I believe I’m getting closer to figuring out a mystery! I’m pretty sure I have Jewish roots that date back very far. Here’s where I need help from you, if you’re willing! I traced the first name origin of my second great grandmother, and it seems it possibly has an Hebrew origin. It’s Ruhamah. Now her mother’s first name is a mystery. I can’t find anything. Her name was Lowhamah. I haven’t yet discovered Ruhamah’s maiden name, so that doesn’t help! Does anyone have any familiarity with either of these names or derivatives? Keep in mind, these women lived in the late 1700’s to 1800’s, if that matters. Thank you for any help you may have! 💙💙💙

It's one of our top contenders for a baby name but have realised we both say it slightly differently.

NAY-omi (like a horse 'neighs')

NYE-omi (like 'night')

Which do you use? Is one more common in certain regional areas etc? Thanks!!

I am jewish but was not given a hebrew name. My synagogue is encouraging me to get a hebrew name just to use for some events and stuff and I agree. I want something noticeably hebrew and pretty unique. I have done lots of scavenging online but I do not understand the pronunciation of a lot of them. I do not know that much hebrew so if you could include the pronunciation in your recommendations that would be greatly appreciate. Thank you!!!

Which do you prefer? Origin from Elisheva

My name isn’t an actual Hebrew name, but my Hebrew name is אהבה (Ahavah). Before my mother passed away, it was very important to her that her children had "Hebrew names," so she assigned one to each of us.

I don’t typically use this name and rarely go by it, except occasionally in synagogue. However, when I mention it to Hebrew speakers, they often laugh at me. I understand it literally means "love," but because of the reactions I’ve received, I’ve considered changing it for synagogue purposes—or even for potential Aliyah in the future, as I’ve heard Hebrew names can be part of the paperwork process.

At the same time, I feel conflicted because my mom chose this name for me. She thought it suited me and felt it was similar to my actual name.

I’m curious: Is Ahavah an actual name? Have you ever met anyone with this name?

Chaya is one option

Are there others?

She will likely have a different name in English.

Hi all! First time posting here; just found this sub as my partner and I were talking last night about names for our future children… that’s a ways off, I just like names lol, but browsing here has reminded me…

I don’t like my Hebrew name. I chose it myself when I was 12. I was a very lonely and depressed kid, and I picked Rachael because I wanted to fit in. It doesn’t feel like me and I can’t help but associate it with the circumstances that led me to choose it. My parents chose my middle name in Hebrew: Yaakova, after my grandfather. I quite like that one.

Do people ever change their Hebrew names? I’d like to change my first name to honor another ancestor but I have no idea if that is allowed or what it entails. Can I just drop the Rachael and be Yaakova?

Some context: I am reform, my family is not religious but we do observe some customs, I am a bit more observant than my parents and I plan to raise my kids Jewish. My dad is Jewish by birth but did not become bar mitzvah until shortly before I did. His family just liked to keep religion private, I think because of great grandparents’ history fleeing pogroms, and we decided to change that with my generation. My mom converted around the time of my dad’s and my b’nai mitzvot, and I decided to go through the process as well in case I ever wanted to make Aliyah.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate any insight :)

Side note: my grandfather’s middle name was Inez. I love it! But where did it come from? Anybody with Inez in their family? His parents came from Volynsk and had Hebrew names.

We are discussing baby boy names (we are expecting a boy) and we both agree on a Jewish name but also it should not be too obvious for concern of safety, since we live in a not so very safe place for Jews (Europe) and so it has to blend in. I thought of David Ariel as first and second name, because I think they are beautiful and also they doesn’t scream Jewish, but instead more of a “mixed bag”. My husband disagrees and think they sound way too revealing. What do you think about the names?

Hi all! We are expecting our 2nd child, a girl, in 2025. I would love to use the letter D to honor my late grandmother. We have 4yr old boy with a Hebrew name (think Jonah or David) and would like to follow suit with our daughter. Thank you!

We’re expecting our third in a few days and I think we’ve settled on the first name Esther or Esti. My husband is Israeli. I am not Jewish though both of our kids have Jewish names (Orli & Oz).

We’re trying to decide if we should go with just Esti as the first name, as I think that is what we will only ever call her. Or if we should give her the more formal Esther to give a bit more flexibility. I love Esti but don’t love Esther but can see it from both sides.

WWYD? Is it ok to name a kid a formal name you don’t love, knowing you will only ever call them by their nick name? Or should you just name then what you will actually call them?

In short: Esti vs Esther?

Hi! My partner and I are brainstorming baby girl names, and it’s important to me I try to find Hebrew names. I have heard Aliyah (or Alia, or Aliya, or Aaliya, etc) as a girls name before, but it seems more common for Muslim girls.

Which is interesting, considering Aliyah’s meaning for Torah and Israel.

Could this be an appropriate name for a Jewish girl? Would it be weird? I haven’t really seen it used but it seems it would be a very pretty name to me

I converted to Judaism about 15 years ago. We do not have a Jewish last name, so it was important to me to have strong Jewish/Hebrew names for my kids first names.

My son is Ezra, 17months. He will be just shy of 2 years when his baby sibling arrives.

I would love some suggestions of names for a sibling that "sound good" with Ezra.

My current list:

Boys - Micah, Ari, Avi, Seth, Adler

Girls - Maya, Talia, Tova

Would love suggestions from the Jewish community.