If Yitzchak is your husband/son's name

Ani

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 10:01 am

What name do they use when they are among non jews? Do they change the pronunciation of "Yitzchak" in any way? Do they use "Isaac" at all?

My son's name is Yitzchak. I often wonder whether it would be alright (even halachically/hashkafically) to use "Isaac" for him when we are among non-Jews, which happens a lot due to the nature of our current work. Do others do it at all?

TIA

Ruchel

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 10:06 am

I don't know any eda forbidding a civil name.

That said I know both cases.

amother

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 10:11 am

My husband is not Yitzchak but has a name with a chet/chof sound in it. He does use the English version of his name at work. Non-Jews have a very difficult time pronouncing the Hebrew, and as much as dh is proud of his very Jewish name, he hates hearing it butchered.

Lady Godiva

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 10:11 am

Most Yitzchaks I know go by Isaac or Ike.

ra_mom

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 10:12 am

Ani wrote:

One Yitzchok I know is Isaac. The other is Ike.

amother

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 10:16 am

When I tell people my son's name is Yitzchak they give me a blank stare. I tell them to call him Yitz which seems to be a mild improvement.

amother

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 10:19 am

My BIL's name is Yaakov. He's Israeli and everyone calls him KooKoo. They moved to America and he quickly understood that he couldn't find a job with a name like Kookoo. Now he's Jacob at work.

amother

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 2:26 pm

I put Yitzchok on my sons birth certificate and regret it. Should have put Isaac. When speaking to non-jews I pronounce it Yitchak (ch- as in Charles).

amother

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 2:35 pm

Lol!
My mother in law insisted on putting DH's name on the birth certificate as Yitzchok Issac just in case he want's to run for president!

Ironically, he works in klei kodesh, but it's kiruv. So he still runs into the same issue with the ch sound. He generally goes by Yitz.
Short, sweet and to the point.

greenfire

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 2:39 pm

amother wrote:

I put Yitzchok on my sons birth certificate and regret it. Should have put Isaac. When speaking to non-jews I pronounce it Yitchak (ch- as in Charles).

I was just about to type we call him charlie ... Wink

amother

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 3:13 pm

My sons name is Yitzchok. I put Isaac on his birth certificate so he doesnt have a hard time later on (jobs...) We call him Yitzy now.

elisheva25

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 4:06 pm

My son's English name is Isaac. At home we cal him yitzy.

teddyb

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 4:12 pm

he can be called Yitz or Yitzy at work.

I know a Yitzchok who pronounces his name Yitz Chok (like chop) when speaking to people that wont be able to pronounce his name.

OOTBubby

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 4:22 pm

It seems to me that since the days of Yitzhak Rabin, the world was familiar with the name (though with that pronunciation -- H rather than CH). Maybe it is now too far past that time.

OMG!

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 4:33 pm

My uncle is Isaac at work and my baby nephew is often called Yitzy wich is cute. My son is mordche and I put on his birth certificate Mendel. Was a great idea since I've heard the doctor calling a patient mordka and didn't like it

amother

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 6:26 pm

My husband is Yitzchak (and I am Rivka Very Happy

) and what he does is, he introduces himself as Yitzchak but then if it seems way too hard for people to say, he offers his English name (which is not Isaac. Long story.) Something like "Yitzy" might be easier to let people say if you don't want an English name, but DH refuses to be called that.

malksters

Thu, Nov 27 2014, 10:24 pm

My son's name is Yitzchak and we put Isaac Yitzchak on his birth certificate to deal with this problem. We call him Yitzchak, but use Isaac at the doctor's office, etc.

amother

Fri, Nov 28 2014, 1:04 am

My son is Yitzchak but on his birth certificate and to non Jews he is Zac (from iSAAC) I have always happened to love that name and even though technically it's short for Zacary I figured that these days anything goes...