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Feeling stifled by only Jewish names



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amother
Ivory


 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 10:01 am
Anyone else like names that are not Jewish and wish there were more name options? It seems like there is such a limited list of names to choose from.
I don't believe in giving "English names" on a birth certificate, so the Hebrew name IS the name. I would consider a nickname that sounds more secular-friendly, but only if it is clearly related to the actual name. I guess this is kind of a vent, but if someone else has made peace with these same concerns then please tell me what helped you do that.
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iammom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 10:09 am
I'm not so familiar but don't a lot of Sephardim (please forgive me if I'm generalizing too much) have "not Jewish names" like Monica, Alice etc? Or do they have Jewish names as well?
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water_bear88




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 10:24 am
I hear you. Have you considered expanding your range of what you consider Jewish names? Traditional names in Yiddish or Ladino, or modern Israeli-Hebrew names?
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agreer




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 10:54 am
No. I don't get your question at all.

The option of an English name is so simple. The fact that you don't believe in it means you are stifling yourself.

The name you give at the bris/aliyah l'torah is the Jewish name and REAL name which will IY"H go on the kesuba. It does not matter what you put on the birth certificate.
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cheeseblintz




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 11:14 am
OP, what name would you want to give if you could?
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amother
Mistyrose


 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 11:21 am
iammom wrote:
I'm not so familiar but don't a lot of Sephardim (please forgive me if I'm generalizing too much) have "not Jewish names" like Monica, Alice etc? Or do they have Jewish names as well?

Usually there is a hebrew name to back it. Its like the Hungarians they give a secular name and they have a hebrew name as well (that's because they needed to legally back in Hungary but usually they are caled in the business world their secular name and at home and between their friends its their hebrew name.
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amother
Forestgreen


 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 11:28 am
Daniella/Ariella/Gabriella-->Ella
Gabriella-->Gabby
Mindy
Leah--Lea (pronounced Lee-ah)
Avigail-->Abby
Elisheva-->Ellie
Penina--Penny
Kayla--Kelly or Kaylee
Rachel-->Kelly
Raizy-->Rosie or Rose
Baila-->Bella or Belle
Atara--> Tara

What are English names that you like, to get a feel for your taste?
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 11:31 am
amother wrote:
Usually there is a hebrew name to back it. Its like the Hungarians they give a secular name and they have a hebrew name as well (that's because they needed to legally back in Hungary but usually they are caled in the business world their secular name and at home and between their friends its their hebrew name.


A lot of sephardim when you say tehillim for them their name is actually Victoria bas Jenny for example. Just saying.
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 11:32 am
B'H, we live in a time when we don't need to hide behind names that non Jews find "acceptable" anymore. Our heritage is rich with names, you just have to do some searching until you find one that resonates with you.

Avigail - Abby
Yehoshua - Josh
Eliezer - Eli
Miriam - Miri

I could go on and on. Sure, there's a few names that are tricky to anglicize (like Yocheved and Tzipporah), but for the most part it's pretty easy. The hard part is narrowing it down.

As we enter into Pesach, remember that one of the merits of the Jewish people, is that they didn't change their names. Smile
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amother
Silver


 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 11:33 am
amother wrote:
Anyone else like names that are not Jewish and wish there were more name options? It seems like there is such a limited list of names to choose from.
I don't believe in giving "English names" on a birth certificate, so the Hebrew name IS the name. I would consider a nickname that sounds more secular-friendly, but only if it is clearly related to the actual name. I guess this is kind of a vent, but if someone else has made peace with these same concerns then please tell me what helped you do that.


my baby's name is Dovid and his birth certificate says David - that's an easy one but I would have done it with any other name
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Seas




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 12:08 pm
One of the things the zechus of which Yidden were redeemed from Mitzrayim is that they didn't use g0yshe names.
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gold21




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 12:11 pm
There are a lot of Jewish name options that work well in the world at large, so no, I don't feel stifled.
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spring13




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 4:46 pm
I know what you mean, there are plenty of secular names that I like but wouldn't use. I do give my kids "English names" on the birth certificate, things just worked out that way, but I wouldn't want to deviate too far from the Hebrew names that they go by on a day-to-day basis. So as much as I like Jocelyn, I'm not going to put that down on, say, Adina's birth certificate just because I want to use it.

Are you just looking for some fresh name ideas? Are you ok with being a little unusual in your community as long as the name is satisfying to you? If you want to share some examples of names you like (English or Hebrew), maybe we can help you dig up something you haven't considered yet.
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amother
Ivory


 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 6:58 pm
Thanks for the offers to help with name suggestions. Sometimes it's hard to find a name where I like both the sound and the meaning. My favorite names right now are Aliza for a girl and Levi for a boy. Both Jewish, both wonderful names. I also like Michaela/Kayla/Kaylie, Asher (pronounced AH-sher), David (pronounced DUH-vid), Talia/Tali and Eliana. It's very meaningful to me to give a Hebrew name only and to call the child by that name, and I agree with the comment about our names helping us merit yetziyas mitzrayim. So I don't want to venture too far out, especially when there are really great names to choose from. I don't mind choosing a name that's unusual in my community (which is a yeshivish community in the US) but my personal preferences tend to be more on the common side, nothing too complicated or unusual, no "ch" or "taf/saf" confusion... names that would sound normal in the US, nothing too Israeli sounding. Secular names/nicknames I like are names like Lori, Kai (for a boy), Megan, Cody, and Emma (which I loved a lot more before it became ultra popular).
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icebreaker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 7:07 pm
I wouldn't say stifled as much as I just really liked a name that happened to not be Jewish lol.
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amother
Forestgreen


 

Post Wed, Apr 05 2017, 7:50 pm
amother wrote:
Thanks for the offers to help with name suggestions. Sometimes it's hard to find a name where I like both the sound and the meaning. My favorite names right now are Aliza for a girl and Levi for a boy. Both Jewish, both wonderful names. I also like Michaela/Kayla/Kaylie, Asher (pronounced AH-sher), David (pronounced DUH-vid), Talia/Tali and Eliana. It's very meaningful to me to give a Hebrew name only and to call the child by that name, and I agree with the comment about our names helping us merit yetziyas mitzrayim. So I don't want to venture too far out, especially when there are really great names to choose from. I don't mind choosing a name that's unusual in my community (which is a yeshivish community in the US) but my personal preferences tend to be more on the common side, nothing too complicated or unusual, no "ch" or "taf/saf" confusion... names that would sound normal in the US, nothing too Israeli sounding. Secular names/nicknames I like are names like Lori, Kai (for a boy), Megan, Cody, and Emma (which I loved a lot more before it became ultra popular).

I just reread your OP and have no idea why I thought you wanted only girls names.
Levi, Asher, Kai, Talia, and Kayla are some of my favorite names too! And my neighbor's daughter is Aliza and she's called Ali, which is very cute.
Kai is a great nickname for Mordechai. Emma or Emmie could be for Emmanuella.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 06 2017, 3:20 am
Many Ashkenazim have civil names, especially older.

If you are opened to Yiddish and Ladino the choice is vast and original.
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saw50st8




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 06 2017, 4:41 am
I know a few Emmas from Emmuna. My son is Cody but it's his english name, but I know a few Koby/Kovi from Yaakov.
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spring13




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 06 2017, 6:31 pm
amother wrote:
Thanks for the offers to help with name suggestions. Sometimes it's hard to find a name where I like both the sound and the meaning. My favorite names right now are Aliza for a girl and Levi for a boy. Both Jewish, both wonderful names. I also like Michaela/Kayla/Kaylie, Asher (pronounced AH-sher), David (pronounced DUH-vid), Talia/Tali and Eliana. It's very meaningful to me to give a Hebrew name only and to call the child by that name, and I agree with the comment about our names helping us merit yetziyas mitzrayim. So I don't want to venture too far out, especially when there are really great names to choose from. I don't mind choosing a name that's unusual in my community (which is a yeshivish community in the US) but my personal preferences tend to be more on the common side, nothing too complicated or unusual, no "ch" or "taf/saf" confusion... names that would sound normal in the US, nothing too Israeli sounding. Secular names/nicknames I like are names like Lori, Kai (for a boy), Megan, Cody, and Emma (which I loved a lot more before it became ultra popular).


Maybe Amalia or Emuna for a girl? Temima could also be nicknamed Emma or Emmy. People are always calling my sister Liora, Lori - it could actually be cute as a deliberate nickname. Coby is a good suggestion for a boy (nn for Yaakov). What about Shai? It can be a nn for Yeshaya or by itself.
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lizard8




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 06 2017, 6:44 pm
We only give "english" names if the given hebrew name is hard to pronounce, for example a 'ch' sound.
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