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Forum -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> Baby Names
Naming after Maran Hacham Ovadia Yosef zt"l
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:09 pm
We are sefardi if you couldnt guess Wink

I wanted to know if the name Ovadia is an accepted name in the mainstream yeshivish communities?
My husband would like to name our son after Maran Yosef- Ovadia Yosef. I dont know too many ovadias and I don't want to choose a name that wont be accepted in our community. My husband went to ashkenaz yeshivas and his rabbanim wanted me to cover with a sheital. So although we follow by rav ovadia, we are more intertwined in the ashkenaz community
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Success10




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:17 pm
Are you in America or Israel? I have to say, I have not seen the name used at all among the chareidi Sefardi population here in Israel. Among all our neighbors and classmates, I can't think of a single one. So I would assume in Chutz Laaretz it would probably be even less common.
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:22 pm
Forgot to add we live in chutz laaretz for now but hoping to go back to e"y shortly**
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amother
Pearl


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:25 pm
There are Ovadias but they are not young.

For some reason I don't think people are really naming after him. But if you want to, go ahead. Why not?

If you ask my kids, though, his name is Maran. So if you want to name after Rav Ovadia Yosef, you'd name your child Maran.
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amother
Pearl


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:26 pm
Another option your husband might like is Mordechai Tzemach, after Rav Mordechai Eliyahu.

Another great Sefardi rav (IMO greater than Rav Ovadia Yosef, by a lot), but Mordechai is a more common name and might go over better in your community.
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amother
Lime


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:26 pm
Naming your kid Ovadia is making it pretty obvious that he is sefardi. But I don't think that it's a problem in the American yeshivish community. I know someone named Ovadia plus another name. Let's say, Moshe Ovadia. From a very yeshivish sefardi family. He is called both names. He is very successful in all areas including socially. He is married to a typical ashkenazi girl from a chashuv rabbonish family.
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:28 pm
Thanks for the replies so far!

Interesting, I also haven't noticed many Ovadias. Is it because its more old fashioned, or because its a sefardi name by association? If so, why is it that the name Yosef Chaim after the ben Ish Chai is more accepted? Just curious. Also love those names, but theres already a YC in the family Sad
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eagle




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:28 pm
Recently I have seen it twice in young kids, I am assuming they were named after Rav Ovadia. I married Sephardic, in our circles I don't hear anyone just call him 'Maran'.
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:30 pm
amother [ Pearl ] wrote:
Another option your husband might like is Mordechai Tzemach, after Rav Mordechai Eliyahu.

Another great Sefardi rav (IMO greater than Rav Ovadia Yosef, by a lot), but Mordechai is a more common name and might go over better in your community.


We are also in between naming after Rav Eliyahu. My husband is very into his sefardi gedolim!!

I dont think its correct though to say that he was greater then Rav Ovadia, they are two different rabbanim and I dont want your message to be misconsrued as LH in any way (which Im sure was not your intention)
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banana123




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:31 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Thanks for the replies so far!

Interesting, I also haven't noticed many Ovadias. Is it because its more old fashioned, or because its a sefardi name by association? If so, why is it that the name Yosef Chaim after the ben Ish Chai is more accepted? Just curious. Also love those names, but theres already a YC in the family Sad

I think it's just that Ovadia is more old-fashioned.
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amother
Pearl


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:34 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
We are also in between naming after Rav Eliyahu. My husband is very into his sefardi gedolim!!

Laugh

Quote:
I dont think its correct though to say that he was greater then Rav Ovadia, they are two different rabbanim and I dont want your message to be misconsrued as LH in any way (which Im sure was not your intention)

I don't think it's a LH issue. Rav Mordechai Eliyahu was beloved by what seems like all Jewry, in Israel and abroad, religious and not religious, etc. etc.

From what I saw Rav Ovadia Yosef was more of a rav for the Sefardi community specifically.

But they were very different personalities, with a very different focus.
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amother
Tangerine


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:45 pm
I like the name.
I’m not from the sefardic community but I don’t think anyone would say anything derogatory.
I’m from the yeshivish community- and I think it would be fine to name your son ovadia Yosef. If there’s some issue with using the name itself, please discuss with a sefardic rav.
It doesn’t matter if ashkenaz people will realize you are sefardic... you didn’t do anything wrong!! It’s special to name for a big tzaddik. I guess you can call him Yosef if you aren’t comfortable with the full name.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:54 pm
Though people here are saying that Ovadia is old fashioned, I’d say use it, everyone will know who he is named for and love him because everyone loved Rav Ovadia.
(I have always loved that name. DH says that people will think that we are either sefardi or geirim if we use it.lol)
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Notsobusy




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 2:55 pm
I live in Lakewood and my kids have many clasmates and friends who are Sefardi with Sefardi names. No one cares. No one thinks differently about them.

I also know at least one Ovadiah living in Lakewood. Hes Sefardi and hes a respected member the Lakewood community.

And if anyone does have a problem with the name, thats on them. Its a beautiful name after a gadol that anyone should be proud to be named after!
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malki2




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 3:08 pm
We know a bunch of Ovadia’s. It’s a beautiful name. What’s the issue?
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malki2




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 3:21 pm
amother [ Pearl ] wrote:
I don't think it's a LH issue. Rav Mordechai Eliyahu was beloved by what seems like all Jewry, in Israel and abroad, religious and not religious, etc. etc.

From what I saw Rav Ovadia Yosef was more of a rav for the Sefardi community specifically.

But they were very different personalities, with a very different focus.


It may not be a LH issue, but being that you are making it a popularity issue, I would judge by the number of people by their funerals, in which case you would not be correct.
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keym




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 3:27 pm
I know 1 or 2 Ovadiahs in Lakewood.
I also know a boy in a very Litvishe circle, who's parents named him Yosef after R Ovadiah. Name is more common, though it's less traditional to choose to name after him that way.
Personally, my perspective is one of that it might not be a common name, but if my son had an Ovadiah in my class, my thoughts would be something along the lines of Hmm they are probably Sefardic or were touched by R Ovadiah in some way. That's nice.
I was raised in a Litvishe community with virtually no Chassidim. The name Yoel was quite rare, but upon occasion someone would be named after the Satmar Rav. No comments at all.
This is the same thing to me.
It's a zchus to name after gedolim.
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amother
Pearl


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 3:35 pm
malki2 wrote:
It may not be a LH issue, but being that you are making it a popularity issue, I would judge by the number of people by their funerals, in which case you would not be correct.

Who cares, seriously. Though there are disagreements regarding the number of people at Rav Ovadia's funeral, but yes he had more people than Rav Mordechai Eliyahu.

Again, though, who cares.

Like I said, the two were very different personalities and had a very different focus. It's less about numbers (I was trying to illustrate my point without saying it explicitly, so I guess I failed) but about focus and interactions.

Whatever, forget it.

Point is, Ovadia is a beautiful name and OP should not be concerned over giving it, but if she is she can name Mordechai Tzemach instead, that should make her husband happy and calm her fears about an uncommon name.
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amother
Pearl


 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 3:37 pm
keym wrote:
I know 1 or 2 Ovadiahs in Lakewood.
I also know a boy in a very Litvishe circle, who's parents named him Yosef after R Ovadiah. Name is more common, though it's less traditional to choose to name after him that way.
Personally, my perspective is one of that it might not be a common name, but if my son had an Ovadiah in my class, my thoughts would be something along the lines of Hmm they are probably Sefardic or were touched by R Ovadiah in some way. That's nice.
I was raised in a Litvishe community with virtually no Chassidim. The name Yoel was quite rare, but upon occasion someone would be named after the Satmar Rav. No comments at all.
This is the same thing to me.
It's a zchus to name after gedolim.

Yosef was his last name.

His son is Rav Yitzchak Yosef.

Naming a child Yosef after Rav Ovadia Yosef is like naming a child Auerbach after Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. LOL
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keym




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 10 2020, 3:42 pm
amother [ Pearl ] wrote:
Yosef was his last name.

His son is Rav Yitzchak Yosef.

Naming a child Yosef after Rav Ovadia Yosef is like naming a child Auerbach after Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. LOL


I know.
But hey, one of the most common pieces of advice we give mothers who ask about naming a name they're not thrilled about is to use a name that makes you think or remember the person you're naming after.
I thought this was a cute workaround.
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