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Forum -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> Baby Names
Name after 2 people, one already named after the other?



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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Nov 21 2022, 2:20 pm
Is it strange to name after two people, one of whom was already named after the other.

Example: my grandmother was Miriam and her grandmother was Miriam. I want to name after both Miriams. It just seems strange to me because Grandmother Miriam was named after Great-Great-Grandmother Miriam.

Is this actually strange or is it just me?
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amother
Molasses


 

Post Mon, Nov 21 2022, 2:21 pm
People do it all the time.
Give a child a name that 2 grandparents had from 2 different sides of the family even.
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amother
Mauve


 

Post Mon, Nov 21 2022, 2:22 pm
I think that's beautiful! It's very much a family name!

My family is sefardi and there are a few names that literally go back generations. I think it's a really special thing.
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amother
Thistle


 

Post Mon, Nov 21 2022, 2:44 pm
amother OP wrote:
Is it strange to name after two people, one of whom was already named after the other.

Example: my grandmother was Miriam and her grandmother was Miriam. I want to name after both Miriams. It just seems strange to me because Grandmother Miriam was named after Great-Great-Grandmother Miriam.

Is this actually strange or is it just me?


There’s a Sefer about naming babies and it says when one names after 2 people it’s like the child isn’t named after either one.
It has to be the exact name of the person they’re named after to be considered as if they’re named after that person
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amother
Amaranthus


 

Post Mon, Nov 21 2022, 3:36 pm
amother Thistle wrote:
There’s a Sefer about naming babies and it says when one names after 2 people it’s like the child isn’t named after either one.
It has to be the exact name of the person they’re named after to be considered as if they’re named after that person

Many many people don't hold this way
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amother
Navy


 

Post Mon, Nov 21 2022, 5:30 pm
amother OP wrote:
Is it strange to name after two people, one of whom was already named after the other.

Example: my grandmother was Miriam and her grandmother was Miriam. I want to name after both Miriams. It just seems strange to me because Grandmother Miriam was named after Great-Great-Grandmother Miriam.

Is this actually strange or is it just me?


Why do you want to name after your great-great-grandmother? Did you know her?

It sounds like you are basically naming after your grandmother, who happens to be named for hers. You aren't actually naming for both.

My first daughter was named after my grandmother, who I knew and loved deeply. She was named for her grandmother, whom she never knew. I named for my grandmother; the fact that she was named for hers is not very relevant.

For example... tons of people name after the Lubavitcher Rebbe. But he was named after someone else (who was probably named...after the Tzemach Tzeddek). Is everyone naming their son Menachem Mendel also naming after the person he was named for? No. Of course not.

If you name your daughter Miriam, you're naming it after your grandmother.
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Nov 21 2022, 6:27 pm
amother Navy wrote:
Why do you want to name after your great-great-grandmother? Did you know her?

It sounds like you are basically naming after your grandmother, who happens to be named for hers. You aren't actually naming for both.

My first daughter was named after my grandmother, who I knew and loved deeply. She was named for her grandmother, whom she never knew. I named for my grandmother; the fact that she was named for hers is not very relevant.

For example... tons of people name after the Lubavitcher Rebbe. But he was named after someone else (who was probably named...after the Tzemach Tzeddek). Is everyone naming their son Menachem Mendel also naming after the person he was named for? No. Of course not.

If you name your daughter Miriam, you're naming it after your grandmother.


In your case, it sounds like you had a great connection with your grandmother and therefore intentionally named for just her, which is really lovely. We did that with our first daughter and love that we were able to name after a grandmother we were close with.

For my case here this time however, grandmother Miriam lived in a different country from me and died when I was very young, I barely ever saw her or even spoke to her, and I only have one tiny memory of her. I don't really have any really good associations with her, just the family taking her death very badly for years, which is actually a negative association far outweighing the barest memory I have of her. I haven't heard many positive stories about her, she was quite a stubborn woman (though nothing bad about her, she was just a personality). I actually don't feel the need to name after her at all (and have avoided using her name for my daughters until now), but it means a lot to the family and I think it is a nice thing to do as almost no one else has named after her though many years have passed since her death (plus we don't really have anyone else to name after, we have only girls and are running out of names, but I would still really like to use family names).

Obviously, I didn't know great great grandmother Miriam either, as she was also from another country and died long before I was born, but she was a great woman who saved many Jews from the Holocaust and was very dedicated to Judaism and ensured that her family stayed frum even when it was very difficult. I have heard many amazing stories about her from the family and think it would be really meaningful to name after her.

So my intention would be to actually name after both because they are meaningful in different ways. Which circles back to my original question about whether that counts Smile
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amother
Latte


 

Post Mon, Nov 21 2022, 6:56 pm
People will name after a Sarah they didnt especially like and have in mind that they are really naming after Sarah imeinu. This seems like a similar idea. Maybe discuss with a rav.
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