Using a name similar to a parents

amother

Tue, Jul 09 2013, 12:20 pm

Is it ok to use a name that is similar to a parent/grandparent? ex: dh is Dovid, naming child Dov. or my father is Nachum, naming child Nachman or Nechama. Yael/Ayelet. (these are just examples, not real names).

busydev

Tue, Jul 09 2013, 3:02 pm

If they are totally different names then its fine, but if you are uncomfortable with it then dont.

Dovid and Dov are not the same name and do not have the same shoresh and are spelled very different (in hebrew) so it would be fine. (I have cousins that are brothers named Dovid and Dov)

So are Nachman and Nechama different then Nachum (tho they do have a similar root), so again its technically fine, but if you are not comfortable with it then find another name, add a name, call by a different sounding nickname (Chumie for Nechama for instance).

PinkFridge

Tue, Jul 09 2013, 3:03 pm

Yes.
A lot does depend on comfort level. We didn't use a name that my MIL felt was too close to hers, but we did use a name (from the other side) close to my father's; he had no problem with it.

Also, some names are simply not related, like Dov and Dovid.