What's in a Name?
Plenty! For Jews, names have a special significance, both traditionally and religiously.
Although there are no formal rules dictating the choosing of names, deciding on a name for your new baby can be a complicated process, particularly if you are following customary practice and giving your child both a Hebrew and an English name.
The following are a few tips on naming Jewish children to guide you on your quest. Then use our baby name finder to choose the perfect name for your little one.
Two Names
It's been common since the Middle Ages for Jews to give their children both a secular and a Hebrew name. The secular name is used in day-to-day life, while the Hebrew name is reserved for religious purposes, such as calls to the Torah and memorial prayers, and for legal documents, such as the ketubah (or marriage contract). Generally, American Jews give their children both an English and a Hebrew name—although some names, such as Aaron, can be used for both.
Picking Your Child's Names
Some people believe that a child's name can have a great influence on who he or she becomes in later life. Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah teach that a person's name expresses their inner essence. Certainly, names can evoke particular meanings and images, often highly personal, which can influence the way a child is regarded. Choose your child's name with care, considering both your personal reactions to a name, as well as more universal associations.
Similar English & Hebrew Names
Many parents pick Hebrew and English names that compliment each other. The names may:
- Sound alike or start with the same letter
- Be variations or equivalencies of the same name
- Have the same meaning
Different English & Hebrew Names
Other parents pick unrelated English and Hebrew names, deciding instead on a Hebrew name that evokes special meaning or significance for them. Biblical names and names of relatives are the most common Hebrew names, but names are also chosen to reflect:
- A holiday, season or month
- An animal, plant or flower
- Place names of special meaning, especially places in Israel
- A name that appears in the parashah, the weekly Torah portion, around the time of the child's birth (popular among Orthodox Jews)
- Jewish or Israeli celebrities
- Jewish or Israeli historical figures
Special Note on Naming a Child After a Relative
One of the most common practices is to name a child to honor a relative. Sephardic Jews name their children freely after both living and deceased relatives. However, Ashkenazim rarely name children after living relatives, based on the belief that this will bring bad luck to both the child and the relative. Traditional superstition held that the Angel of Death may take the child instead of the older family member. For this reason, it's very uncommon to name a child after his living father. You won't find many Juniors among Ashkenazic Jews!
Naming Ceremonies
In Judaism, it is traditional to give boys their Hebrew names during the ceremony of brit milah, or bris, the ritual circumcision that takes place on the baby's eighth day of life. Traditionally, girl's names are given in the synagogue on a day when the Torah is read. However, in recent times many parents have begun to hold naming ceremonies for their daughters, called simhat bat, which take place at the same time as would a brit milah. For both boys and girls, naming ceremonies are beautiful, often highly emotional ceremonies for welcoming a child into the world. For more on brit milah and simchat bat, see our series of articles in Lifecycle Events.
Ready to start looking? Try our baby name finder to find the perfect name for your new baby!
Still need more names?
Try these baby name books.
- The New Jewish Baby Book: Names, Ceremonies, Customs—A Guide for Today's Families by Anita Diamant
- Best Baby Names for Jewish Children by Alfred J. Kolatch
- Beyond Sarah and Sam: An Enlightened Guide to Jewish Baby Naming by Linda Rosenkrantz
- The Complete Book of Hebrew Baby Names by Smadar Shir Sidi
- Complete Dictionary of English and Hebrew First Names by Alfred J. Kolatch