I am a male converting in a month, and I really need help with my name, my mother wanted my name to be biblical (Caleb) so I’d like to keep it, but I’m confused on the translation because I see it could mean whole-hearted or dog. And my last name is Ward, so I’d like something close to that if possible. Please help ?

I have Jewish ancestors and was always interested if the surname is also Jewish

We would like to name our daughter in honor of a Phyllis (Hebrew name Sarah), but we’re struggling. Any ideas? Some additional info:

1. We favor traditional names. Our other kids are Abigail and Benjamin.
2. Our last name ends with an “a” so we are trying to avoid a name that ends with and “ah” sounds like Sarah, which would be too sing-songly with our last name.

So I am wondering if any Israelis/native Hebrew speakers can comment on this.. I have seen lots of girls named Ezra (עזרא) recently. Would that be seen as super weird in Israel?

Are there any traditionally masculine names that are now cool/trendy for girls? Especially ones with an older/more biblical origin?

Thanks in advance 🙏🏼

Rare TV is looking for expectant parents across the UK with a baby naming dilemma to take part in a funny factual comedian-led series for a major broadcaster. 

If you’re interested in applying, please email: casting@rare-tv.com with your name, age, location and a contact number. 

I'm curious if anyone knows of any common Jewish names in Barbados?

My husband and I feel very strongly about using a Hebrew first name for our baby girl, which isn't common practice in our extended family. Because we're naming her after a person who had a C name, we'd thought we'd use a similar meaning for the first name and then an anglo C name for a middle name, as we don't love any of the Hebrew names we've found transliterated to a C in English (Chaya, Chava, etc. are far too religious for us, and Carmel/Carmela remind me of a professor I had with a big personality while studying in Israel).

Since our family doesn't believe it counts as naming for someone unless the first initial is the same as the person you're naming for, I just want to make sure we're covering our bases. Any C names we're missing? Ideally, it would be something distinctly Hebrew but that would lean secular/nonreligious in Israel.

This post is on behalf of a friend

My friend is pregnant with a baby girl and would like to name her after her father (the baby’s grandfather), Ronald. I believe he was known my Ronny/Ron by his friends. The good news: My friend loves Roni on a girl The bad news: She doesn’t like it as a stand-alone name and hasn’t yet come across a longer version she likes

Names we’ve come across and vetoed:

Ronit Yarona Ronia Roniel(la) Shirona Sharon Ronalee Ronelle Ronah

I know it’s a bit of a stretch but if there are any more but all suggestions are appreciated!

PS: She’s not opposed or ‘made up’ names as long as all components are Hebrew. ie Roniana (She dislikes this but just an example) Although it’s not a really heard name ‘My song has been answered’ is a meaning she is fine with.

I’m converting to Judaism in a month and am still looking for a Hebrew name. My legal name is Zoe, which means life, and I’m hoping to have a name that shares the meaning. I’ve thought of Chava, the Hebrew form of Eve, but it just doesn’t feel right to me. The name could also mean free or noble, which are the meanings of my grandmothers names, who are very important to me. The more feminine and short, the better!

My OG name was Pearl and my mother was really attached to it. I often went by Margalit (I know old fashioned I've heard it a million times) which morphed into Mathias/Matisyahu as I transitioned (over half a decade ago now). I'm getting round to legally changing my name and I'm left with the question of what do I want to change my middle name to (OG middle name also super feminine with Sylvia Mae).

I'd like to preserve the meaning somewhere but that's a challenge (something about languages don't associate shellfish, pearls especially with masculinity. Shocker /s). My family is more Israeli than American Jew but I was wondering if anyone had suggestions?

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Hello, I'm wondering about Hebrew name.

I know that Hevel means vapor or breath, so would “Hevelel” mean Vapor of God?

My husband and I love the meaning behind Nili (netzach yisrael lo yishaker) and I knew a girl whose Hebrew name was שרלת Charlotte and her name was an acronym for shalom rav leohavei toratecha.

Are there any other Jewish names that are acronyms?

Thinking of Rivka, but I'm not completely sure. Thoughts?

We are an Israeli-American family, looking for a middle name that works well in Hebrew and in English and both in Israel and the US. So far, we’ve liked Eylon, Shai, Zev, Naveh and Nativ. Sharing thanks in advance!

Expecting my second girl in the next month. Her name is an honor name after my grandfather. I think his Hebrew name was Yisrael or Moishe but none of us are sure. He never had a Yiddish name.

For context one of my great grandfathers went to Jamaica (British colony) during the time of slavery as a slave owner and apparently he changed his surname from Hebel to Abel being the anglicised version, I know my family are Jewish because that hasn’t changed I just wanted to know if that was the correct Hebrew version

A simple, if strange, question:

Aesthetically, meaning-wise, or which sounds more normal/cool or whatever, do you like Dror or Gershon better for George? George had no Hebrew name, of this we are sure.

Dror definitely has enough assonance with my accent, Drorge sounds almost interchangeable in a weird way. The meaning being half nature and half virtue is kinda nice.

Gershon however would initial match. Family name on my side, not on spouse's.

It would be a name like Zachariah George / Zechariah Dror, Zechariah Gershon. I think the meaning of Zechariah softens Gershon a lot, makes it hopeful. ("G-d will remember" + "exile")

Whereas of course "G-d will remember" even the sparrow or freedom isn't bad either.

And pronunciation in English doesn't matter. He'd be Zachary/Zachariah/Zacarias, or nicknames Zach or Ziggy from Z.G.

What do you like though I'm just curious.

My son is named for my aunt. Her Hebrew name was Haya Syrah. We were wondering if anyone can help us determine what the male version would be. Thank you.

Looking for a Hebrew name for my daughter, would like it to start with an A or an H. I’m looking for a name that’s regarded as “modern” in Israel, as in, it doesn’t sound like a grandma name to an Israeli.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hello, I am looking for some neutral names in Hebrew or Yiddish. I have only found 2 so far, but I'm not sure I like either of them

UPDATE: Thank you all for your suggestions! This helped clarify so much for us, especially that we do want a Jewish name for our third. Love so many of the names on these lists.

Some of the names you suggested are my personal favorites, but my not my husband’s (Talia, Yael, and Liora, especially). Others I love but we can’t use with our last name (Ruth, particularly). And others are already names used in my family (Leah, Eve, Rebecca).

We are now looking at Amalia Miriam, Eliana Miriam, or maybe Celia Miriam (also a family name). Amalia would probably be “Millie”, Eliana I would love to be Eliana forever but I think she would inevitably be “Ellie,” which isn’t my personal favorite. Would it be too much to try to force “Lily” as a nickname for Eliana? Would welcome any thoughts or other suggestions!

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Hi all, about three weeks away from delivery and we are still not settled on a name for baby girl #3. My first two are Naomi and Maya. We like names that are identifiably Jewish, but not Israeli because even though so many Israeli names are beautiful, we are American Jews and want names that are more similar to that community. I would prefer to not have an M or N name because we already have kids with those initials.

We are considering Miriam, but that is an M name, so I think it may be better as a middle name so she doesn’t have the same initials as Maya.

For the first name we like Lucy, Lily, and Zoe. Obviously Miriam is a clearly Jewish name, but I worry that the other three aren’t. Lily is a family name (from my ashkenazi family) and Zoe at least is associated with the Greek Jewish community (FWIW we are not Greek). We just think Lucy is pretty but don’t have a family connection.

Any thoughts on those names or suggestions of other names we should consider?

Thanks in advance!

I'm trying to look everything up before I make a total ass of myself but when is the flower Hyacinth כדן and when יקינתון and is EITHER a name or do I sound stupid?

Is anyone ever actually named Yakiynton or is that like calling a kid Snowdrop in English - even people who know that's a flower think you did too many psychedelics?

Hyacinths have some family significance, and I kind of like the idea of using Hyacinth / Hyacinta in English for a Chaya (one of those).

רַקֶּפֶת is a name, right? Cyclamen flower.

I like Vered but my spouse doesn't.

Kalanit is pretty.

We both like Shoshana and it's on a longer list of options, and I like Hadassah, but I wanted to get some alternative floral/botanical names. Ideally ones that sound nice to English speakers

Tamar, Ilana, Sigalit, Lilach, Irit all definitely out.

Ketzia is in Tanakh and pretty and botanical but in modern Hebrew is it thought of more as Cinnamon, Cassia, or not at all, more "wtf is this?" I'm keeping it on my list if I magically have triplets anyway but I'm curious of impressions.

אִינדִיגוֹ being Indigo just means the whole word was taken into modern Hebrew right? It's not really a Hebrew word as such?

Give me your best rarer but not absurd Hebrew/Yiddish/Ladino flower names please.

Hi all, expecting a girl soon! Would love to find a Jewish/Hebrew name that is not that common. Our first is Oren, so another nature name would be cool, but not required.

Yes: Ayla - another tree name (husband loves it, I don't love that it's also Turkish and becoming popular)

Yara - I love this because it's also a Persian name (I'm Iranian) but my husband isn't sold on it

Raia - only one we both like. Means "friend" or "wife," which I'm not crazy about, but it sounds great with Oren and is also four letters.

Names we liked but rejected: Adaya Ellarah Aviyah Cyra Lielle Mina Aviva

Are there any others you all can think of that we might be missing? We like the more unique names, so no Shira, Arielle, Maya, Devorah, Esther, Hadassah, Sarah, Rachel, etc. Two syllables/four letters is ideal, but open to not!

The table consists of possible names my cousins and I want to name our children. We are a mix of Levantine Christians and Jews.

• Are the spellings and definitions for the Hebrew names correct? Any corrections needed?
• More importantly, as for the Aramaic and Arabic names, what would possibly be the Hebrew etymological equivalent? Or is there a similar equivalent used in Hebrew?
• Any help would be greatly appreciated, and feel free to leave your comments and tell me what you think about these names!

Name Lang Script Meaning

Sharbel Aramaic ܫܪܒܠ "Good news"

Maroun Aramaic ܡܪܘܢ "Little Lord"

Adam Hebrew אדם "Man"

Aram Hebrew ארם "Highland"

Canaan Hebrew כנען "Lowland"

Yaakob Hebrew יעקב "Supplanter"

Yohannan Hebrew יוחנן "God is gracious"

Mikhael Hebrew מיכאל "Who is like God?"

Eliyahu Hebrew אליהו "My God is Yahweh"

Eliana Hebrew אליענה "My God has answered"

Shirel Hebrew שיראל "Shir" (song) and "El" (God)

Maryam Hebrew מרים "Beloved"

Rami Arabic رامي "Thrower"

Mona Arabic مُنى "Wish"

I would appreciate any suggestions for feminine Hebrew names that have something to do with the sea or Israel's coastline cities, To save some effort, here is a list of names I've already compiled:

Aviva (אביבה): meaning "springtime," this name pays tribute to Israel's beautiful coastal city of Tel Aviv, dubbed by some as "The Miami of the Middle East."  Aviva is a popular modern Hebrew name.

Bat-Yam (בת-ים): meaning "daughter of the sea" and also "mermaid." The name of a coastal city founded by Mizrachi Jews through land purchases in 1919.  "In the wake of the 1929 Arab riots, the residents were evacuated by the British army and their homes were turned into barracks.  The soldiers left at the end of 1931. In 1932, the residents began to return and were joined by others." (quoted from the Wikipedia article titled "Bat Yam").

Dara (דרה): from dar, meaning "mother-of-pearl," the pearly, iridescent substance forming the inner layer of some mollusks, particularly the abalone, and used to make decorative objects and jewelry.

Gal (גל): meaning "a wave."  A notable person with this name is Gal Gadot, Israeli actress and winner of the 2004 Miss Israel beauty pageant, who also served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a combat fitness instructor.

Haifa (חיפה): One of Israel's major ports. While there are various interpretations for the meaning of this name, some say that the name is derived from a combination of the Hebrew words for "shore" and "beautiful" (hof yafe).

Kohava/Kokhava (כוכבה): meaning "star" on its own, but here it is taken from the Hebrew word for "starfish" (kokhav yam).  A notable person with this name is Israeli singer-songwriter Kohava Levy.

Margalit (מרגלית): meaning "pearl."

Mayim (מים): meaning "water; a body of water." A notable person with this name is American actress and neuroscientist, Mayim Bialik,

Netanya (נתניה): a Mediterranean resort city and home to the largest concentration of Israel's Ethiopian Jews. The name means "gift of God" but can probably also suggest God's gifts from the sea.

Penina (פנינה): meaning "pearl." A notable person with this name is American aerospace engineer, Penina Axelrad.

Tzedefa (צדפה): from tzedef, meaning "seashell."

Zahava (זהבה): from zahav, meaning "gold." Can be a reference to the gold of sunken treasure.  A notable person with this name was philanthropist and community leader, Zahava Burack, a child survivor of the Holocaust whose family was hidden by a Polish Catholic family. 

I thank in advance anyone who can kindly add to this list!

Hello all. The name Shira roughly translates as poem or poetry. I like the name very much. Would it be possible to construct a name such as “Shira-el” or Shirael meaning God’s poem or God’s song?

שירת אלוהים or שירהאל

Any feedback would be helpful, especially with spelling it in Hebrew.

I am aware it’s not conventional

My husband and I found out we are expecting another baby. We plan to wait to find out the sex until he or she is born, just like we did for our first. My husband wants to honor his mom, who passed away a few years ago. She was Muriel Joyce, and her Hebrew name was Miriam. For a girl, we agreed on Miriam Beruria last time, which still stands.

For a boy, We like Betzalel for the first name. Betzalel was the great grandson of Miriam. For the middle name, my husband suggested some form of Jeremiah to go with Joyce. I like Yirmeyah because of Rabbi Yirmeyah from the Talmud. I also speak some Yiddish. According to my Yiddish name book, the Yiddish form of Yirmeyah is Irmiye. I’m not sure which to use. Is Betzalel Yirmeyah better, or is Betzalel Irmiye better?

For reference, we are conservative Jews, and my husband is in rabbinical school. Our extended family runs the gamut from Orthodox to secular to Israeli to Ashkenazi to Yemenite and everything in between. We have a wide range of naming customs in our community, including Israeli names, Anglicized Hebrew names, regular American names, and a few kids with Yiddish names. Our son is Shneur, which initially caused some backlash with our family because it is rare and they weren’t sure how to pronounce it.

Thoughts?

So my story is kind of complicated but the long and short is I’m detransitioning and I never liked my birth name so I’m picking a new guy name. I also converted a few years ago when I was living as a trans woman, so not growing up with Hebrew names I don’t feel like I have an ear for whether a name ‘works’.

Eli Alexander is my front runner and according to Google/my not great Hebrew understanding אלי אלכסנדר should be the correct Hebrew spelling.

(A) does that make sense as a name? (B) have I spelled it correctly?

In English I’d use the “ee-lie” pronunciation and in Hebrew the “eh-Lee” pronunciation

I’d like to honor my grandfather who was named Tzadok with my son’s Hebrew name. Any ideas on slight variations? Or the same root? I was hoping for something a bit more modern.