Ella for a girl | Imamother

Mimisinger

Sat, Feb 19 2011, 7:40 pm

I know 2 4 yo Ella's. One is named Esther Leah, and they call her Ella. The other is my Rav's daughter whose greatgrandmother was named Ella in Europe. And the Yichus in that family on both sides, say that it is a Jewish name.

Sat, Feb 19 2011, 8:31 pm

To me it immediately brings to mind "All of A Kind Family!" It sounds old-fashioned in a good way; I'd have no problem using Ella for a baby, but would draw the line at "Gertie" or "Henny."

amother

Sun, Feb 20 2011, 6:42 am

Just because a name was used by Jews doesn't make it a Jewish name. I'm not commenting on whether Ella is Hebrew or not, I'm commenting on the logic that "my great grandmother was called Ella" doesn't mean much. There are plenty of names that were used by Jews which are really just names taken from the cultures they lived within and then they 'become' Jewish names 'because that was my great grandfather's name and I am naming after him'. In reality there are many names that are no more Jewish than Deshawn and Shaniqua except that through the passage of time and change of locations and cultures they are perpetuated through the generations and somehow take on some sort of religious status that really never existed.

Again, I repeat that I am not commenting on Ella specifically because I just don't know much about it.

amother

Sun, Feb 20 2011, 6:58 am

We wanted to call our daughter Ella and asked our Rav about it - he said to not call her Ella as a first name, but rather to use it as a nickname or as a second name because it is the feminine form of G-d, so basically G-ddess and he said that it would be better to not use it. We named her with a name that has "ella" in it and call her Ella. All that being said I know lots of girls whose proper names are Ella - everyone has different thoughts on it I guess. My friend wanted to call her son the same name as my son's name - her Rav told her it was better not to use the name where our Rav said it was totally fine.

Mimisinger

Sun, Feb 20 2011, 9:24 am

amother wrote:

I hear what you're saying, however, unless it's a torah name, that's how names evolve.
So many Jews were named Alexander (after the great). Is it Jewish? I don't know, but lots of Jews were named it, so therefore, it evolved into being a Jewish name, or at least a name of Jews...

amother

Sun, Feb 20 2011, 9:41 am

Yes it is a jewish name. My grandmother was Rebbitzen Ella Soloveichik A"H a very special and great woman, who came from a family of many generations of Rabbonim along with marrying my grandfather who himself was a great rav.
Ella does mean oak tree in hebrew. It come somewhere from tanach I cannot remember the exact quote. My daughter is named Ella, which no rabbanim had any rejections.
For a Rav to see say that Ella is not a real name and therefore should not be used as a first name seems kind of arrogant to me. WHo decides what is a "real" name. What makes Shaina a real name, or Goldie, they are all translations of hebrew name not even tanach name, so who is determain what is "Real".

Mommy3.5

Sun, Feb 20 2011, 11:38 am

amother wrote:

Ella is a yiddish name is spelled with an ayin, hashems name is with an alef, not the same at all.

amother

Sun, Feb 20 2011, 12:19 pm

I'm not 100% sure but I think there was a post about this topic before!!!!ella is an avoida zorah and that's why people/rabbonim say that you should not call your child this name UNLESS it's named after a grandmother/rebbetzin....I'm not going down the subject of why granparent yes and stum because I like it no? maybe because of zechus ovos????
but either way each person should ask their rov as opinions vary.

OOTBubby

Sun, Feb 20 2011, 1:19 pm

Mommy3.5 wrote:

amother wrote:

Ella is a yiddish name is spelled with an ayin, hashems name is with an alef, not the same at all.

Rebetzin Ella Soloveichik spelled it with an Aleph -- I've seen things she's written in Hebrew with her name signed.

amother

Sun, Feb 20 2011, 2:20 pm

Mommy3.5 wrote:

amother wrote:

Ella is a yiddish name is spelled with an ayin, hashems name is with an alef, not the same at all.

Not true it is not a yiddish name nor is it spelled that way. It is a machlokes on how it is spelled and on my grand parents Kesubah it is Alef Lamed Hey.

Isramom8

Sun, Feb 20 2011, 2:56 pm

Ella is a terebinth (pistachio tree). It is mentioned in Yeshayahu perek vav passuk yud gimmel.

Basically, the passuk states that while much of Klal Yisrael will be destroyed, there will remain a base, like the trunk of the ella and the alon remain after felling - the zera kodesh (holy descendents) are Klal Yisrael's remaining trunk.

I could find only non Jewish translations, and I used one to piece together the beautiful limud about this passuk that I learned from my Navi teacher Mrs. Marcy Stern. When studying one summer under scholar Mrs. Nehama Leibowitz, she heard a man relate this passuk to post Holocaust resurgance of Yiddishkeit. (They may have been visiting Holocaust sites.) Sorry I'm fuzzy on the details; I was told this when I was 17 or so.