Three Hebrew Names: good solution or awkward?

zaq

Tue, Apr 05 2022, 4:15 pm

There’s no law saying English and Hebrew names must match. I know a Chaim whose English name is David, a Yechezkel whose English name is Michael, and a Shmuel whose English name is Micah.

Please don’t give your son three Hebrew names. Have mercy on him, on the gabbaim who will call him up for an aliyah, on the tzibbur whose services will be extended by the mi sheberachs, on the future wife who will crochet his personalized kippot and on their future children who will also be called up to the Torah and mentioned in mi sheberachs. Yaamod Yechezkel Yirmiyahu Ben Yeshaya Ovadiah Avinoam or Yaamod Yeshaya Ovadiah Avinoam Ben Yechezkel Yirmiyahu—either way it’s a mouthful.

amother

Steelblue

Tue, Apr 05 2022, 4:19 pm

essie14 wrote:

I have several friends whose English names do not correlate to their Hebrew names.
It's not a problem, as someone said above. Judah does not need to be Yehuda.
My nephew has 3 Hebrew names and one semi related English name. Totally not a problem. Eg: Yehuda chaim aryeh and Jason
(Not his real names)

I have a friend Rebecca who has some obscure Yiddish name. Her parents just liked Rebecca and that's what she was called her whole life.

And then her Yeshivish descendants are stuck calling their kid "Geneshe Yental" lol. (Yes, I'm scarred. My husbands not frum ancestors had strange Yiddish names)

singleagain

Tue, Apr 05 2022, 4:21 pm

amother [ Steelblue ] wrote:

And then her Yeshivish descendants are stuck calling their kid "Geneshe Yental" lol. (Yes, I'm scarred. My husbands not frum ancestors had strange Yiddish names)

Or... Like... Tell your kids they aren't obligated to name names just bc it's a family name....

amother

Steelblue

Tue, Apr 05 2022, 4:25 pm

singleagain wrote:

Or... Like... Tell your kids they aren't obligated to name names just bc it's a family name....

Oh we definitely don't feel obligated. But we do like to use family names when we can. (BH for Hebrew equivalents.) I just can't help but wonder what their parents were thinking!

BetsyTacy

Tue, Apr 05 2022, 4:26 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thank you so much for the quick feedback! Seems like both options are acceptable which is really helpful to know. I guess no harm sharing the name we like is Judah. My husband feels like it would be weird to not use Yehudah for that. One Hebrew name just needs to be a Ch- (We've discussed Chaim as an option). The other is pretty uncommon so would rather not post it for now.

Question for three-Hebrew-namers: do you have three English names too, or does that not matter?

Maybe the creative imas can think of a "Ch" name that has the same meaning as Judah/Yehudah.
Which Ch names mean thank you or something similar?

Chanoch means established,initiated, but since not too many mo people would expect an Enoch walking around, it wouldn't be too surprising to then be known Judah in English (and they both end with H)

I'm sure other imas know lots more names.

amother

Lilac

Tue, Apr 05 2022, 4:35 pm

IME it's a good idea to hold off on any final decisions until after you meet the baby. That's when the Ruach HaKodesh kicks in, and a totally new name can pop in to your head which just feels "correct".

tichellady

Tue, Apr 05 2022, 9:33 pm

amother [ Mocha ] wrote:

Why not hold off on Judah for now? Name him Chaim Shmuel and call him Samuel (or whatever the other name is). Name your next son Judah and in Hebrew Yehuda. Simpler all around for everyone!

Who says they will have another son? I don’t see the big deal in having three names. I agree they don’t need to decide until they meet the baby

amother

Candycane

Tue, Apr 05 2022, 10:17 pm

In retrospect, now that my babies are adults....

We have a 2 hebrew names + english name also biblical but not corresponding...

Honestly, so complicated.

Should have just used the actual corresponding names. Also, I do not like that I had to name after 2 people. I myself am named after 2. Seriously life is so simple with one name. And its exact corresponding one spelled in english.

Think Judah/Yehuda thats it.

Or Yoel/Joel.

Or Yonah/Jonah.

Or best Daniel/Daniel. Ezra/Ezra. Aharon/Aaron.

So smooth & simple. I have asked myself many times why I complicated it.

Why not just try for more boys and give one name each? Ok, that was tongue in cheek.

I really hear the hesitation on giving 3 names. That cannot be undone. But its also if the english name wasn't biblical it wouldnt be as bad to not match it up.

K, see, this is how I feel all this time later. Ds has 2 hebrew after 2 people & unrelated biblical english.

I guess 3 and a match makes more sense. But 3 is a loootttt. What are his future generations going to do if both grandpas had 3? I mean, its done in Spain. 20 something names per child. It wasnt me

See my clarity all these years later?

Take something from this, though I don't know what.

#BestBubby

Tue, Apr 05 2022, 10:25 pm

I knew a girl with three Hebrew names: Sara Rivka Malkah.

When her grandmother or great-grandmother was born, the father was out of town on a business trip.

Father made a kiddush out of town and named the baby Sara Rivka.

Mother made a kiddush and named the baby Malkah

essie14

Wed, Apr 06 2022, 2:33 am

amother [ Magnolia ] wrote:

Hope it's ok to add on to the question but do you think 3 hebrew names would be an issue for boys who would use their full hebrew name more (getting called up to the torah)

I know a good number of now adult men who have 3 hebrew names, it's really not such an issue.

Rappel

Wed, Apr 06 2022, 2:39 am

I am named after 3 great-grandmas. I don't think about it much, but when it does come up, it's usually a hindrance.

* I have never used all three names conversationally.
*They have been nothing but a burden or a hindrance to me.
*I do not feel like the second two belong to me, and I wish at this stage of my life that I could use one of them for a daughter - but I can't.
*Every single legal document, especially state exams, have been a burden. When everyone else is already 5 minutes into the test, I'm still writing my name.
*I now live in Israel, and my many legal names are both pretentious and ridiculous whenever they come up.

So I vote to never name a child so many names ; it's just confusing and unsettling. Pick, commit, and use the other names on the next one.

Rappel

Wed, Apr 06 2022, 2:46 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Regarding Judah/Yehuda:

If your child ever makes Aliyah, his legal documents have to phonetically match wherever he's a citizen. For example, someone named "Rachel" could be transliterated as "רחל" or "רייצ'ל."

So
"Yehuda" would be put down as "יהודה."
But
"Judah" would be written as "ג'ודה," or if you argue for a Spanish J you'll get "הודה," but you won't get the Hebrew name you were thinking of.

essie14

Wed, Apr 06 2022, 3:00 am

Rappel wrote:

You don't have to put all 3 names on the child's birth certificate.
My DD has 2 names but her birth certificate and all legal documents only have her first name.

salt

Wed, Apr 06 2022, 3:16 am

OBnursemom wrote:

I don’t think Hebrew and English names have to go together. I would give the 2 grandparent names and the English name you like.

I would agree with that if the English name was a real English name (eg. Charles) and not an translated Jewish name (Judah).

My brother has this:
His English name is, say, Isaac.
His Hebrew name is after 2 grandfathers, say Moshe Chaim.
On a day-to-day basis he went by the name of Isaac.

He came to live in Israel for a few years, and went by the name of Yitzhack - he just translated his English name, as he felt like it was more 'him' than calling himself "Moshe Chaim", which was his Hebrew name, but he had never used.

But he just confused himself and everyone around him. I remember he once got an aliya in Israel, and the gabbai called him up "ya'amod Yitzchak ben...?" - waiting from my brother to complete his name and his father's name.
And my brother said "no it's Moshe Chaim"

Had my brother been called Yitzhack Moshe Chaim in Hebrew, it would have made life easier, and enabled him to 'connect' to his Hebrew name better.

Conclusion - use 3 Hebrew names, the first one being Yehuda.

amother

Maize

Wed, Apr 06 2022, 4:09 am

If the "English" name is the translation of a Hebrew one, then it's just off not to give the Hebrew name as well. Judah should be Yehuda and Jacob should be Yaakov, but Charles or Howard can be anything you like.

Three names isn't that burdensome, but it's a pain in the neck to explain that your names don't match up.