S/O are there really names that gedolim say not to use

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Forum -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> Baby Names

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amother

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 9:15 am

someone posted this recently?

amother

Tan

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 9:53 am

I wouldn't use Nimrod despite the fact that it's become somewhat popular among secular Israelis. Nor would I be likely to use a newly coined purely "nature"name like Tal or Rotem or a name of a month like Sivan, which just sounds silly, or something like Shirli or Lili which IMHO is just a Hebraicised Shirley or Lily.

But IMHO it's my child and I get to choose. I'm not asking a rabbi's permission, not even a gadol's. Nowhere in Chumash does it say "Thou shalt ask a gadol's opinion before naming thy child." Obviously I would do some research to see if a name I liked belonged to an evil person. But there are names that belonged to both! Yehudis, for example, was a Jewish heroine, but one of Esav's idolatrous wives had the same name. Leah Imenu seemed to have no problem naming a son Yehuda despite the fact that her sister-in-law Yehudis worshipped idols.

LovesHashem

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 10:30 am

Of course

AllThings

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 10:38 am

amother Tan wrote:

When people say a rav or gadol says not to give a name, I don't think they're saying that it's a halachik psak and you're not allowed, I think it's more a recommendation due to factors which we, as laymen, might not know or be aware of

amother

Cantaloupe

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 10:38 am

Yes, many gedolim were makpid.
Famously Rav Chaim disliked Shira and other "modern" names.
I know several Shiras who had their names changed to Sara.
Some of the sefardi Chachamim are makpid as well.

amother

Petunia

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 10:53 am

amother Cantaloupe wrote:

Yes, many gedolim were makpid.
Famously Rav Chaim disliked Shira and other "modern" names.
I know several Shiras who had their names changed to Sara.
Some of the sefardi Chachamim are makpid as well.

The Shira I know was told its a name of din
Nothing to do with modern

amother

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 9:47 pm

amother Petunia wrote:

The Shira I know was told its a name of din
Nothing to do with modern

why din, it means song?

realsilver

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 10:06 pm

amother Petunia wrote:

The Shira I know was told its a name of din
Nothing to do with modern

thats dina . I know people that were told not to give dina as its a name of din

Tao

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 10:25 pm

The only one I have heard of is Shira, from Rav Chaim Kanievsky. Having said that I know someone who asked Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky and was told Shira is totally fine.

amother

Leaf

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 10:27 pm

Rav Chaim quite famously didn't like the name Shira and told some shiras to change. I was in Rabbi Menachem Nissels class in E"Y and he said that he asked R Moshe Shapiro before naming his daughter Shira, and he said that it's minhag Yisrael to name girls after pretty things so Shira is fine.

I also once randomly went to a Rabbi for a bracha. He told me to change my veeeery common, veeeery mainstream name by adding a middle name. I asked two poskim, both of whom told me not to. Ironically, they each had a daughter with my name.

amother

Cantaloupe

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 11:46 pm

amother Leaf wrote:

I once spoke to someone who "sees things." Not officially a mekubal but someone who has this koach.. he also didnt like my daughter's name. Very common, mainstream Torah name. He also didnt like her middle name and especially didn't like the combination. He sounded almost scared and advised me to change it.
I later spoke to a friend who is a descendant of a famous sefardi mekubal and she said it's known that we don't use that name.
But I am not worried. I am Ashkenazi and this name is totally accepted.

Regarding Rav Chaim, I thought he dodnt lkke shora because it's modern. He also dodnt like Eliana and I think Arriela.

A few years ago, there was a famous story of baby Eliana who needed an expensive medication which wasn't covered by insurance. They raised over 1 million in a matter of days. Her name was Eliana. But they changed it to Chana on the advice of Rav Chaim. I know her personally.

amother

Hyacinth

Thu, Nov 16 2023, 11:50 pm

And my MIL went to rav chaim who told her to dafka name her daughter Shira. Cant believe everything you hear

amother

Foxglove

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 12:04 am

Heres a romantic story for you- I did a giyur l'chumra early in my marriage and later learned that I should have chosen a new name. So I chose the name Ester and when my DH went to call the new name (done when called to kriat hatorah), he also changed his own name by surprise to... Mordechai Smile

amother

Stone

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 12:08 am

amother Foxglove wrote:

How can he change his name?

amother

Daylily

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 12:12 am

I was going to name my daughter dina, we called to ask and the rav didnt answer. We spoke to someone else who told us not to use it. Then the first rabbi called back and said its not a problem.
We didnt do it once we were told no tho

amother

Mauve

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 12:19 am

Going anon for this one. My name is Shira and when Rav Chaim zt”l’s recommendation to change Shira to another name came out, several people ‘encouraged’ me to change it to Sora (my mother’s name), Susha (no thanks), Shifra (very not me), and so forth.

Apparently Shira, Tehila, etc are ruchni concepts and not names according to the derech Rav Chaim is said to have held by. Although a different amother posted that he told her MIL to name her daughter Shira, so who knows. Maybe it was a case-by-case situation.

One story I love that shows how gedolei Torah are also able to relate to the hamon am and have a sense of humor:

A man came to Rav Chaim saying his wife had given birth on Shabbos Shira and they therefore wanted to name their daughter Shira.

Rav Chaim replied, “And if she had been born Shabbos parshas parah, would you want to name her Parah?!”

amother

Petunia

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 12:32 am

amother Hyacinth wrote:

And my MIL went to rav chaim who told her to dafka name her daughter Shira. Cant believe everything you hear

are you serious? I know personally a Shira that changed her name on his advice

amother

Seafoam

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 12:34 am

When my brother was born he was originally going to be named Shalom. My parents called a Chassidish rav to sort of get his blessing. He called back to say that this child shouldn’t be named Shalom, they can use it for the next boy, but that this child needs to have a different name. It kind of took my parents by surprise because the Rav wasn’t known for doing that but they listened.

amother

Tanzanite

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 12:38 am

I am a Shira who was given a beautiful bracha by Rav Chaim. No mention of changing my name but I didn’t specifically ask

amother

Burntblack

Fri, Nov 17 2023, 12:38 am

Don’t name your daughters after Sara Ameinu. I am in my 50s and still menstruating after my DH and I are done with our family. Over 40 years of menstruation, still ovulating, and a never-ending supply of unneeded eggs. My DH jokes I will still be fertile in my 90s like my namesake. But at this point it is not funny. 😔

But seriously, this name thing is ridiculous and superstitious. I am sure there are people with my name struggling with fertility issues. 😔

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