Legal name for Nesanel

amother

Tue, May 14 2019, 8:01 pm

What name can I use for Nesanel.
Thought of Nathan
Nathaniel
Natalie
Samuel

Which one should choose? Or other suggestion?

amother

Sienna

Tue, May 14 2019, 8:04 pm

My brothers legal name is Nathan. It shouldn't be such a major decision, it's no big deal which ever name you choose.

amother

Lemon

Tue, May 14 2019, 8:07 pm

Nethaniel is the closest. The Latin translation is Theodore (gift of God). But why can't you put a Hebrew name on his birth certificate? Plenty of ethnic groups use their own names.

Pelli

Tue, May 14 2019, 8:16 pm

I would choose Nathan. Simpler and shorter and it's the legal version just as much as the other options

Tue, May 14 2019, 8:18 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

What name can I use for Nesanel.
Thought of Nathan
Nathaniel
Natalie
Samuel

Which one should choose? Or other suggestion?

Nathaniel is the closest translation.
Natalie is a female name.

SixOfWands

Tue, May 14 2019, 8:46 pm

cm wrote:

Natalie is a female name.

Not only is it a female name, it means "x-mas Day" Its one of those names I don't really "get" being given to a Jewish baby.

amother

Beige

Tue, May 14 2019, 10:23 pm

Nathaniel might be closest but it's extremely old fashioned. I'd go with Nathan or Nate.

Moonlight

Tue, May 14 2019, 10:27 pm

amother [ Beige ] wrote:

Nathaniel might be closest but it's extremely old fashioned. I'd go with Nathan or Nate.

I have young hip cousin named Nathaniel

amother

Cerulean

Tue, May 14 2019, 10:28 pm

Nathaniel is back in vogue now, actually. I work in a public school with very trendy parents, and I can't keep track of how many kids I've worked with in the past 10+ years with that name. That said, Nathan is quite common, too.
Either would be fine, imo! Just not Natalie, that is definitely a girl's name!!!!!

amother

Coffee

Thu, May 16 2019, 2:59 am

SixOfWands wrote:

Not only is it a female name, it means "x-mas Day" Its one of those names I don't really "get" being given to a Jewish baby.

Because it sort of sound like נתן לי.

amother

Lawngreen

Thu, May 16 2019, 8:43 am

My son is Nesanel and registered as Nathaniel.

Iymnok

Thu, May 16 2019, 10:23 am

Why can’t Nesanel be a legal name? It’s way more pronounceable than names I’ve encountered from other cultures.

amother

Cerulean

Thu, May 16 2019, 11:56 am

I was reading Rabbi Ken Spiro's fascinating book on Jewish history last week. Evidently the "custom" of having a secular name goes back over 2,000 years ago. Jews in Bavel, Rome, etc.

tigerwife

Thu, May 16 2019, 12:17 pm

Nesanel reads easier to me than Nethaniel.
If I specifically wanted a secular name, I’d go with Nate or Nat.

amother

Mustard

Thu, May 16 2019, 12:32 pm

Who remember Nathaniel Archibald from gossip girl 🤣 this thread has me flashing back to HS

greenfire

Thu, May 16 2019, 12:37 pm

in this day & age just keep the name you gave him ...

but if you must

נתנאל = nathaniel
נתן = nathan

PinkFridge

Thu, May 16 2019, 3:57 pm

amother [ Cerulean ] wrote:

I was reading Rabbi Ken Spiro's fascinating book on Jewish history last week. Evidently the "custom" of having a secular name goes back over 2,000 years ago. Jews in Bavel, Rome, etc.

Does he mention Egypt?

Thu, May 16 2019, 4:21 pm

tigerwife wrote:

Nesanel reads easier to me than Nethaniel.
If I specifically wanted a secular name, I’d go with Nate or Nat.

I know that nicknames sometimes eventually become names in their own right, but Nate and Nat still sound like nicknames to me. If the purpose of the secular name is to make life easier, I would give a familiar name such as Nathan or Nathaniel, with its usual spelling, rather than provide yet another possibility for confusion.

amother

Cerulean

Thu, May 16 2019, 5:17 pm

PF, it sounded like the secular names started once Jews started interacting with other nations on a regular basis. It wasn't until the first churban that that really happened. They didn't become a nation until after leaving Egypt, then mostly kept to themselves. Until conquerors came. It is more of a diaspora (also a Greek word) thing. You really should read the book. It is fabulous.