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Forum -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> Baby Names
S/o putting english names on birth certificates
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happy chick




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 11:19 am
I can't understand why people feel they need to put english names on birth certificates. Why can't you just put the child's given name? It's difficult for non-jews to pronounce? That's their problem. And what about when they can't pronounce a Jewish last name? All my own document say my Jewish name given at birth. Same for my husband all our children. The yidden got rewarded for keeping their jewish names and language in times of galus. And now, when we have freedom of religion, we're choosing to use english names so that others would be able to pronounce it? We should be using our Jewish names proudly!
JMHO
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 11:20 am
Preach!!!!! I have been saying this forever.
I dont understand it either.
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allthingsblue




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 11:21 am
Great if that works for you.
We personally choose Hebrew names that aren't complicated to spell or pronounce. But if we had to name after a Chana, let's say for example, it would be a pain in the neck to constantly have to spell it out on the phone. I might want to save myself the aggravation.
Some of our children have more than one name but we only put the first name, easy to pronounce, on the birth certificate.
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amother
Ivory


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 11:22 am
We want our children to have every opportunity. We don’t want anyone to not even offer them a job interview because of a name on a resume. My husband is European and has only a Hebrew name and felt it held him back. Also my children have a very ‘neutral’ (not Jewish sounding’ last name which also works in their favor. I say you do you. We’ll do what works for us
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happy chick




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 11:27 am
Absolutely! Everyone is f'sure entitled to do what works for them. Nobody has to do anything they're not comfortable with. I'm generally not a judgemental person and I don't usually mind other people's business (except when it affects me). I'm just trying to understand.
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groovy1224




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 11:29 am
I'm not in any way embarrassed by my children's Jewish names. I gave them a legal name simply to make it easier on them if they eventually go work/live in a secular area. Is it an issue to try and explain how Mordechai or Zecharia is pronouced? No, but it can get annoying after a while.

I have just my Jewish name and it's fine, but my husband has a very easy to pronounce legal name (think along the lines of "John") and he has such an easy time calling the electric company, the bank, the doctors office.. it DOES make things easier.
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amother
Blush


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 11:37 am
I have 2 kids and both have hard names to pronounce.
The oldest is named for my husband’s grandfather who died 2 years before my son was born. We decided to give him both his Jewish and legal names as a sentiment. I was going to give him a different name in his birth certificate, one that’s more trendy and not the same name as a 100 yr old Hungarian. But once I’m giving a different name, I’ll go all the way and give the original.
My other son has a name that’s hard to read, plus I don’t like the name to begin with, so it made me feel better to give a different name on his birth certificate.
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amother
Mistyrose


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 11:38 am
That’s how I was brought up. My siblings and I only have hebrew names. My husband, on the other hand was brought up that you need to have a familiar name when you work in the secular world. I don’t agree that you need it, but I guess it can make things easier. Our compromise was for easy to pronounce names we would just use the Hebrew but for confusing ones we would use English. So far we only have one kid, so we’ll see what happens.
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Frumme




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 11:55 am
happy chick wrote:
I can't understand why people feel they need to put english names on birth certificates. Why can't you just put the child's given name? It's difficult for non-jews to pronounce? That's their problem. And what about when they can't pronounce a Jewish last name? All my own document say my Jewish name given at birth. Same for my husband all our children. The yidden got rewarded for keeping their jewish names and language in times of galus. And now, when we have freedom of religion, we're choosing to use english names so that others would be able to pronounce it? We should be using our Jewish names proudly!
JMHO


My in-laws (not observant) are very pro having "normal" legal names. They're very worried about antisemitism and making things "normal" in the "normal" world.

Personally, I find it a little silly. You can name your son "Kevin" and if they decide to move to Germany as an adult-- well, Kevin is not a good name to have in Germany! It's just not a good argument because "normal" is relative.

They constantly beg DH and I to not name our children anything Yiddish or anything with a "ch." Honestly it's our children so we'll name them as we like, but it is annoying to have those sorts of comments. I remember when my first was born and I told them their name was (making this up) Daniella Tikvah. Their first response was, "oh but it's Daniella Hope on her birth certificate, right?" Can't Believe It (the answer was "no")

DH and I personally try to avoid first names with a "ch" just for simplicity's sake, but it's not a rule.
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silverlining3




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 12:06 pm
Agree with you op. My first and last name is very easy to pronounce, yet still have to spell it out over the phone. D as in done and not B. Z as in zebra and not S. B as in boy and not V, etc etc

Each to their own and guess I for one will just stay wondering.
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amother
Taupe


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 12:11 pm
I would only do it if I don't love the Hebrew name, and may call the child by their English name.
My daughter's name is an English name, we just gave her an equivalent Hebrew name in shul but we don't use it. I'm expecting my second one now and debating going with a Hebrew name, I just can't decide if I really want to do it. In today's political climate I'm just not always comfortable yelling " I'm a Jew!", especially after getting harassed for wearing a Magen David on the subway.
I'm really undecided. My husband wants to just go with the Hebrew name, I may do that.
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Lovemy5




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 12:12 pm
If you’re never or rarely going to use the legal name, I don’t see the point. Just confuses things later in life when getting legal documents. I’ve heard stories of people having problems because they used the name they’re used to instead of the legal one (think airline tickets etc).
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amother
Black


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 3:07 pm
happy chick wrote:
I can't understand why people feel they need to put english names on birth certificates. Why can't you just put the child's given name? It's difficult for non-jews to pronounce? That's their problem. And what about when they can't pronounce a Jewish last name? All my own document say my Jewish name given at birth. Same for my husband all our children. The yidden got rewarded for keeping their jewish names and language in times of galus. And now, when we have freedom of religion, we're choosing to use english names so that others would be able to pronounce it? We should be using our Jewish names proudly!
JMHO


that's how I grew up.
DH's family has secular names for generations, and its just how it is.
who cares?
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acemom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 3:47 pm
Lovemy5 wrote:
If you’re never or rarely going to use the legal name, I don’t see the point. Just confuses things later in life when getting legal documents. I’ve heard stories of people having problems because they used the name they’re used to instead of the legal one (think airline tickets etc).


Legal name is used for anything official.
That's why it's the "legal name"

All the celebrities with weird nicknames or stage names still have a legal name.
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amother
Vermilion


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 4:31 pm
Anglicized names are still Jewish names. In Egypt they had Jewish names but you can be sure that they were pronounced differently than we do today in NY
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Reality




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 4:43 pm
I agree. Me and my husband have only Jewish names and it never entered our minds to give our kids an "english" name.
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amother
Emerald


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 4:53 pm
My name has a Tz sound and it has been a nightmare. The butchered pronunciation, difficulties in explaining it, spelling over the phone etc made me decide to give my daughter, who also has a Tz sound in her name, a legal name without that sound.

I totally get legal names.

If your name is Rachel or Sara, you can't truly understand.
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amother
Dodgerblue


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 4:53 pm
I just give the legal name the nick name like menachem mendl I would write mendy. Much easier to write. And we all know our legal name. Btw my name is chany and its like this on my birth certificate. So what if I have spell it? I never have a problem....
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Dolly1




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 5:13 pm
I agree with you! We shud b proud of our jewish names! But in my family we all have secular names. My grandpa is a holocaust survivor and he insisted on all of us having secular names, in case we ever need to Run again, it shud b easier to obtain documents.
I was/am always embarrassed with my secular name But I understood why it was important to him. But I didn’t give my children secular names. Theirs r neutral.
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amother
Brunette


 

Post Wed, Oct 07 2020, 5:24 pm
I am not ashamed of being a Jew and having a Hebrew name. But one gets heartily weary of having a name that 90% of the people one deals with massacre and the other 10% don't even try to pronounce but just make an intuitive leap at something that has a letter in common. When you have a name like Michal or Yonah, you get tired of being called Michael or Jonah and people assuming you're a guy. As a PP said, if your name is Sara or Rachel or Miriam, you can't relate. And if you live your whole life in Lakewood or Boro Park, only attend frum schools and only work in frum offices, you also can't relate.
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