Thoughts on naming after Rav Chaim

amother

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 6:23 pm

If I have a boy I'd love to name after Rav Chaim. Does anyone know why he didn't go by his full name? I didn't even know his name was Rav Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim until I saw online today. I don't love the name Shmaryahu but I do love Yosef Chaim and would definitely name a boy that. Does anyone think it's weird to name Yosef Chaim after Rav Chaim if he didn't go by that and that wasn't his full name?

amother

Jean

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 6:30 pm

When naming after someone I would give the full name and call him the ones I like. The name will be really popular because thousands of people will definitely name after him.

amother

Cappuccino

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 6:32 pm

I'm gonna assume some people will name the full name and some won't. I would ask my rav for advice because people have different opinions with naming.

bunchagirlies

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 6:33 pm

many people don't go by their full name. It's very common. doesn't mean much. R' Chaim ztz"l was once a regular young person, and that's the name he went by.
I personally would not chance playing around with names, specifically from such a tzaddik. I'd either use the full name or not at all. You can give the full name and only call the child by one or 2 of them. The full name only gets used in shul and on the ketuba at marriage. (Hopefully never for tehillim.)
I think we can assume that the name will be really common soon, and shmaryahu won't be as unique sounding anymore.

amother

Butterscotch

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 6:47 pm

I seem to recall that Rav Chaim was pretty Makpid when it came to names, especially in terms of what "counts". So it would be kind of ironic to not give the full name when naming after him, though obviously he has no problem going by just his second middle name.

amother

Pewter

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 6:50 pm

amother [ Butterscotch ] wrote:

Any idea what he would have said if you can't give one of the names (like it's parent's name)? Is it worth skipping the name all together?

amother

Pumpkin

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 7:09 pm

I only remember this very vaguely, so I may be totally inaccurate. But I seem to recall something about that he had one of his names added because he was ill as a child. I possibly read it in a biography of one of his close family members, like maybe Reb. Batsheva or Rav Elyashiv. Again, I'm not sure I'm not mixing it up with Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld... Can anyone offer clarity here?

amother

DarkCyan

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 7:12 pm

amother [ Pewter ] wrote:

Any idea what he would have said if you can't give one of the names (like it's parent's name)? Is it worth skipping the name all together?

I know someone who made a bris this shabbos, rav Gross Bnei Brak told them to give the name Chaim (in addition to 2 other names).

amother

Wandflower

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 7:16 pm

bunchagirlies wrote:

Can you elaborate on this?
I named after a tzaddik but had to add a name, and I read that if your adding a name it's changing it anyways and no difference if you drop one. (I didn't want dc to have 3 names...)

amother

Wandflower

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 7:20 pm

amother [ Pumpkin ] wrote:

Rabbi yosef chaim sonnenfeld was originally chaim and the name yosef was added

amother

Pewter

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 7:21 pm

amother [ DarkCyan ] wrote:

I know someone who made a bris this shabbos, rav Gross Bnei Brak told them to give the name Chaim (in addition to 2 other names).

So interesting! In my case I can't use the name Chaim so I'm curious what I would be told. (Not that it's relevant)

happytobemom

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 7:30 pm

From the biography of Rebbetzin Kanievsky (whose full name was Batsheva Esther but was only called Batsheva):

A new father put a question to R' Chaim during the shivah. "I already have a daughter named Esther," he said. "If I just call my new baby daughter Batsheva, will that count as if I named her after the Rebbetzin?"

R' Chaim replied yes, but if a couple doesn't already have a daughter named Esther and wants to name a newborn child after the Rebbetzin, they should give both names - Batsheva Esther.

Conversely, if someone already has a daughter named Batsheva, can they name another daughter Esther after the Rebbetzin? R' Chaim replied that since the Rebbetzin's primary name was Batsheva, naming her Esther would not be considered as naming her after the Rebbetzin.

ImmaBubby

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 7:32 pm

Pumpkin, I was actually remembering the same piece of information- that Chaim may have been added due to an Illness. I’m wondering if it read it in the biography of Rebbetzin Kanievsky. I'll try to check tomorrow iy”H.

happytobemom

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 7:42 pm

ImmaBubby wrote:

This is what I just found in the biography:

The Steipler himself served as sandek at his son's bris and called him Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim - Shmaryahu Yosef after his father in law and Chaim after his father.

R' Yaakov Yisrael mentioned to several family members that he felt he probably would not merit having another son, so he decided to give this baby the names of both the child's grandparents.

amother

Pear

Sun, Mar 20 2022, 9:54 pm

I’m BH pregnant and in my third trimester. Don’t know the gender. I’ve been thinking about this as well. I don’t especially like the name, and it’s a lot. But naming ‘Chaim’ isn’t really the same thing. Not sure what to do. Even if others do name the same full name it still needs to sit well with me.

WitchKitty

Mon, Mar 21 2022, 1:21 am

R' Chaim's shitta was that all names of a person are considered one long name.
The question is how many psukim should a person with 2 or more names, say in shacharis? Should he say one for each name or one for his full name? In this example, should R' Chaim himself say 3 psukim, one which starts with shin ends with vav, one starts with yud ends with fei, one starts with ches ends with mem, or should he say one posuk which starts with shin and ends with mem.
His psak was the second option. One posuk for one long name. He considered all his names to be his one name.

amother

Hosta

Mon, Mar 21 2022, 1:55 am

WitchKitty wrote:

Then why didn't he go by his one long name?

Chickensoupprof

Mon, Mar 21 2022, 2:45 am

In the biography of Rebbetzin Kanievsky a''h I read that after the Rebbetzin was niftar people asked him if they should name their daughter after the rebbetzin. Some people had already a Batsheva in the family and asked if they could name her Esther or the otherway around Rav Chaim said the Rebbetzin went through life with Batsheva and they should give that name piority.

finallyamommy

Mon, Mar 21 2022, 3:45 am

I seem to remember that his cousin Rav Nissim Karelitz was named after the same grandfather and was Shmaryahu Yosef Nissim.