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Forum -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> Baby Names
Do Ashkenazis name girls Simcha?
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amother
Turquoise


 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 1:33 pm
We're leaning towards this name for our daughter BE"H but were told it's mostly done in Sefardi circles. Is it cruel to her to have people ask if she's Sefardi all the time? We love the name and have a special connection to it, but it's not so common in Yeshivish circles. What would you do?
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thunderstorm




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 1:34 pm
I know a Chasidish girl named Simcha and they nicknamed her Simchi.
My DHs friend named his daughter Simcha and they are "heimish"
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Rachel Shira




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 1:40 pm
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Although all the Simchas I know that I can think of are Sefardi. But I wouldn’t think it was strange for an Ashkenazi girl to be named that. If you like it, do it.
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amother
Orange


 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 1:41 pm
I have only heard the name used for Sephardic girls and would not name an ashkenaz girl Simcha.
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bigsis144




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 2:03 pm
I had an Ashkenazi Simchi in my high school.

Definitely uncommon, but I’m personally not bothered by an ambiguous name? Especially if you have a -witz or -berg or -sky type last name, or use it together with an obviously female middle name, like Simcha Rina or Simcha Leah. (Lol, now I’m thinking of how Lubavitchers in my hometown avoid referring to Xtian saints by calling the city Simcha Monica instead of Santa Monica.)

My siblings and I have uncommon Tanachi names (yay BT parents), and I never minded if people asked “oh, are you S’fardi/Israeli?” It’s so easy to just say, “no, they just liked the name.” And then they’d smile and get on with the conversation.

But I lived in a (large, mixed) OOT community; maybe in a more insular community these things matter more.


Last edited by bigsis144 on Wed, Jul 25 2018, 2:24 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Reality




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 2:17 pm
No. Its a boys name.
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amother
Gray


 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 2:19 pm
Oh no... please don’t name her simcha ( unless you’re sefardi) I have a brother simcha ... save the name when you have a boy! Maybe you can use the name Aliza? It means joy.... so many other choices that elude to happiness. You want her to have the same name as a boy cousin or a boy neighbor down the block? This name is rarely given to girls in our circle.
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ora_43




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 2:27 pm
I wouldn't worry about people asking if she's sephardi. Davka the opposite - if you live in an area where sephardi customs are common enough that people would know that Simcha is a girl's name in that community, the name should be fine.

The problem would be if you live somewhere where people just assume Simcha is a boy's name. If that's the case, I'd go with a more obviously feminine name with a similar meaning (oshrat, aliza, gila, etc).
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amother
Pink


 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 2:27 pm
We are Ashkenazi. I grew up with more than one Ashkenazi Simcha in my school.
After I got married I met someone in her 40s named Simcha (Ashkenazi woman) and we just named our daughter's middle name Simcha.
We live in Israel and we are DL, if that makes a difference.
I always loved the name for a girl.
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amother
Maroon


 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 2:40 pm
My parents did!

Hope they do, otherwise I have no name.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 2:44 pm
We named our daughter Chedva. It is the only word used foe simcha in the Zohar.
Avos d'Rabi Nosson lists 10 words for simcha, each with a different nuance.
Simcha
Gila
Rina
Ditza
Chedva
Aliza
Alisa
Alima
Osher
Tzahala

There is a machlokes what’s included, so there are a couple more. They mostly would be beautiful as names.
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watergirl




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 2:45 pm
I know 2 ashkinazi girls named Simcha.
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Studious




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 4:00 pm
What would be bad about people assuming that she is sefardi? Would she be mistreated under that assumption?
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 4:42 pm
I know a 70 y.o. woman, American, European roots, named Simcha. I'm trying to think if I know anyone younger who's not Sefardi....
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 4:46 pm
There is always safta simcha Wink
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amother
Aqua


 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 5:00 pm
amother wrote:
We're leaning towards this name for our daughter BE"H but were told it's mostly done in Sefardi circles. Is it cruel to her to have people ask if she's Sefardi all the time? We love the name and have a special connection to it, but it's not so common in Yeshivish circles. What would you do?


I believe that the Chassam Sofer had a daughter Simcha
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happymom123




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 5:32 pm
I know Ashkenazi girls named Simcha though usually as a second name like Shaina Simcha or Simcha Leah
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amother
Babyblue


 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 5:55 pm
I would be more concerned that it’s a boys name than if it’s sefardi or ashkenazi.

I know way too many boys named Simcha to be comfortable naming my daughter that.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 7:47 pm
Shabbatiscoming, Savta Simcha is savta age ;-D
And of course, there was Rebbetzin Simcha Fraidel Stein a"h of Cleveland. I suspect there is now a new generation of Simchas....
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amother
Beige


 

Post Wed, Jul 25 2018, 8:01 pm
Are you trying to substitute it for fraidy or you can name the child Aliza? I have an aunt that went to very a Zionist school which is okay I'm also a Zionist but this goes back 50 years ago and that's what my great-grandparents named her simcha I don't think it's very acceptable in our community.
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