Why name after someone?

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Forum -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> Baby Names

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amother

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 8:05 am

Why do you name after people?
As an aliya for their neshamas?
Because you want your children to have the same middos as their namesake, and know that a name influences middos?
To please family?
So names arent "lost"?
Because it warms your heart to name your child after a loved one?

PinkFridge

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 9:39 am

All of the above ;-)
Primarily because it was DH's family minhag and I was happy to follow. B"H we knew the names, not everyone does. though sadly some names were available far too early.

AlwaysGrateful

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 9:44 am

An aliyah for their neshamos. And yes, to please family.

The middos thing isn't true, from what I've heard. I mean, yes, your name influences your middos. But that doesn't mean you should only name after a person who had stellar middos. Each middah can be used for good or bad.

pecan

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 9:48 am

To perpetuate their legacy. All the reasons given.

manhattanmom

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 4:17 pm

Another vote for all of the above!

DS1 is named for my grandfather--he was born on his shloshim!

DS2 is named for my husband's grandfather. We were the first people to use his name (it's been 26 years!)

Last edited by manhattanmom on Tue, Jul 21 2009, 9:56 pm; edited 1 time in total

ora_43

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 4:31 pm

Yes to reasons #1, 3, and 4. No to #2 and 5 -- I didn't know any of the people on our "to name after" list or what their middot were, and I wouldn't really describe them as my or dh's loved ones. (With one notable exception -- in that case, I think it would warm dh's heart to use the name. We'll see if/when the time comes).

To add to reasons #1 and #4 (aliya for the neshamot/ so names aren't lost), a lot of dh's side of the family was wiped out in the Holocaust, and I think there's a feeling that it's not just the names being lost, but a whole part of the family tree that "should have been" (cousins, etc) was lost... giving those names feels like maybe one teeny-tiny step towards rebuilding that. It's hard to describe.

geemum

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 4:44 pm

All of the above reasons!

mommalah

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 4:57 pm

All of the reasons except for pleasing family. Wink

Tova

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 9:38 pm

My husband feels strongly that at least one of a baby's name should be named for SOMEONE (relative, tzaddik, imahos, etc.) so that the child can feel connected to someone to emulate. That is virtually his only opinion in terms of naming, and as long as it fits those criteria he has let me choose the name each time!

My son is named for the Chofetz Chaim.
My daughter's first name is a beautiful name I picked out because I really loved it. Her second name is after my husband's grandmother. [My first choice would have been to name after my grandmother who I was so close to and she was niftar a month after my wedding. She attended my wedding w/ her last bit of stregnth. But, it's my MIL's name...]

flowerpower

Tue, Jul 21 2009, 10:51 pm

An aliyah for the neshama. I am happy that my kids are named after special people-I think it has something to do with the name.

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