Name Lenny for a boy - your opinion and advice

amother

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 11:32 am

my husband decided he really likes the name lenny. I'm ok with it but just wondering about it's meaning and whereabouts.
Do you many Jewish lenny's? Is it even a Jewish/Yiddish/Israeli name?
what does it mean?
Is it an abbrevation of a different name and can we call someone Lenny not just as a nickname?
Thanks1

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 11:40 am

amother wrote:

It is english, not jewish or yiddish or israeli. Just plain enlish. Its origin is english and / or german.

It means brave lion.

Scrabble123

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 11:52 am

I did not answer all of your questions.

I believe that it is a nickname for Leonard. I know people named Leonard and called Lenny. I'm sure that you could use the name Lenny without Leonard, as a person can use any name this day. It's a plain English name. There are Jewish people who have the name Lenny/Leonard as their English names and a different Hebrew name. I think it is considered a classier English name v. some of the more Modern ones.

debsey

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 11:54 am

amother wrote:

How about having his English name be Lenny and have his Hebrew name be Aryeh? So the names coincide? Lion and Lion.....

zigi

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 12:03 pm

bil is leonard and called leon. there is also guy from shlock rock lenny soloman

rosenbal

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 12:07 pm

To me it sounds old. I think there are lots of Jews named Lenny/Leonard but a generation or two back. It's not Hebrew or Yiddish.

amother

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 12:10 pm

Old is back in style. My daughter has three boys in her bunk in camp - Max, Caleb, and Ely (pronounced Ee-Lye). My other daughter had an Alan in her class last year. It's all the rage.

Scrabble123

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 12:12 pm

amother wrote:

Old is back in style. My daughter has three boys in her bunk in camp - Max, Caleb, and Ely (pronounced Ee-Lye). My other daughter had an Alan in her class last year. It's all the rage.

Those are not old names at all!! The names you listed never went "out of style."
Old would be:
Boys: Ira, Seymour, Irving, etc.
Girls: Gertrude, Ethel, Frieda, Alma, etc.

PinkFridge

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 12:34 pm

The reason Lenny seems like a Jewish name is that back in the day when everyone had a legal name, and many used it, Aryehs were often Leonards. If I heard of a young kid named Lenny I'd assume that he was named after his grandfather Aryeh/Leib who was known by all as Lenny. My opinion is, I'd then think, that's sweet.

CatLady

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 12:36 pm

For me, Lenny is associated with Lenny Kravitz and Leonard on Big Bang Theory, as well as Lenny and Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley.

If your DH has the vibe for the name, go with it. It's kinda cool in a hipster-y way. My cousin named her baby Oscar. *shrug*

Dolly Welsh

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 12:45 pm

It's in Ghostbusters, the movie.

"Lenny.
...

If I'm right.

...

You will have saved the lives of ... millions of registered voters."

Undefined

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 12:45 pm

I think that you have to love your child's name, unless they're named after someone else which is a different story. I personally feel like Lenny is old and a bit nerdy, but it's you who has to feel good about it. It helps for the name to have a meaningful meaning.

ElTam

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 4:15 pm

I don't care for it. If you do you use it, I would have the legal name be Leonard or Leo or Leon. Lenny isn't a name that sounds serious; it sounds like a nickname, which it is.

bigsis144

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 6:40 pm

Scrabble123 wrote:

Those are not old names at all!! The names you listed never went "out of style."
Old would be:
Boys: Ira, Seymour, Irving, etc.
Girls: Gertrude, Ethel, Frieda, Alma, etc.

My sister used to babysit for kids named Max and Felix, and we knew kids at the park named Maisie, Sadie and Mabel. All born within the past 5 years or so.

Mommy3.5

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 7:08 pm

My son has a friend named Leo, he is Yehuda in hebrew. Syrian family Lenny is short for leonard, there are other derivitaves.

amother

Wed, Jul 30 2014, 7:57 pm

My grandfather is Lenny, short for Leonard. His Hebrew name is Aryeh Leib, which I believe is common for Leonard because it has to do with lions. The name makes me think of my grandfather, which is good because I love him, but bad because he's old and I just can't imagine that name on a baby nowadays. But if you like it, why not.

DrMom

Thu, Jul 31 2014, 1:15 am

CatLady wrote:

That's what I thought of too.

Yes there are (were) Jewish Lennies. Lenny Bruce, for example... Leonard Bernstein (although I can't picture anyone calling him Lenny Bernstein), Leonard Cohen (same comment), etc.

I personally don't care much for the name, but it's not my baby.

Dina_B613

Thu, Jul 31 2014, 1:31 am

I think Lenny is an adorable name, but .. I wonder if it's such a nice thing to give a kid a 'nickname' as his real name? (Think resume) What about naming him Leonard or something else that's more official sounding?