Which name for birth certificate?

amother

Pink

Wed, Nov 16 2022, 9:21 pm

I never understood this:

Who cares if some in the secular world occasionally have a hard time pronouncing a name?

Like, how does it effect anyone? So what?

Correct them and move on.

Just like every other person from other cultures do…

Your hebrew name IS you name. So use it.

If in the future one wants to make up some easier work name, it does not have to be a “legal” name but just any name that they like or choose.

Like someone whose name is Menucha and that is what is on birth certificate but decides its easier to be called Melissa at work. So…do it.

Or don't and let ppl get used to your “cultural” name.

Supposedly all those on this site are frum so they are in an environment most of their lives that obviously knows, understands and can pronounce their given name.

If you want to give secular name, do so because for whatever reason want to, but not for “the world out there”

(Yes, I know some here obviously always use-and have their children use-their secular names. My response here was not for those individuals).

amother

Starflower

Wed, Nov 16 2022, 9:29 pm

My kids all have very hard to pronounce names, but I only ended up giving one an English equivalent (of his middle name) legally.

Yes, the other names tend to get butchered. But for my son with a different legal name, it sometimes gets tricky when school/government overlap. I didn’t want his legal name on the school list.

DH has an English equivalent name and he’s personally very happy with it. Our last name is already hard, now at least his first name is pronounceable.

There are definitely pros and cons.

amother

Pistachio

Wed, Nov 16 2022, 9:36 pm

Op of it’s not too late for you, I put my daughters English name on her birth certificate to make it easier for her AND I SO SO SO REGRET IT. I would switch it back in a heartbeat but the hassle and expense (think as card, birth certificate, insurance, passport etc etc) is too painful to deal with but I wish I hadn’t done it in the first place.
She has a real Hebrew name, then a nickname and then a legal name. Awful idea Banging head

amother

Garnet

Fri, Nov 18 2022, 1:00 pm

amother Snowflake wrote:

If your kid had an English name, she’d know it.

Exactly.

I taught my kids their legal name but they use an English spelling of their name for school etc.
They are all under 12.

For example:Joseph legal name but Yossi for school papers. ( We used names easy to spell and pronounce for legal names, so it's a bad example, but you get the idea)

amother

DarkViolet

Fri, Nov 18 2022, 3:43 pm

As someone that has a legal/English name I've refused to do it to my children. Mine is one that is a drop different spelling than my Hebrew name and it has caused me so many issues. Think Chana/Hanna
It is insanely annoying.

I also only put one name, no middle names on the birth certificate.

DH has a hard to pronounce name on his birth certificate and it just is what it is. A Hebrew name for non-Jews to pronounce is no stranger than some of the bizarre names out there nowadays.

amother

Seashell

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 1:13 pm

I would stick with Shmuel.

My husband goes by Dovid and it is a source of great annoyance to him when official things (e.g., passport etc) say David. He feels like it isn't really his name since no one uses it so people are just calling him by a name which is convenient for them and discredits his actual name.

Also, my parents gave me an English name so I would have an easier time in America where I was born and spent a good part of my childhood, but then we moved to Israel and my legal name here is my English name and Israelis are always mispronouncing it, so I kind of wish they had just stuck with my Hebrew name as my legal name.

amother

Beige

Mon, Nov 21 2022, 1:30 pm

I like having an English name. Makes a separation for me at work vs home/community. But then, I've mostly worked outside of the frum world. So it's on my legal documents, big deal. I've never once had an issue with it or gotten confused. It's like code switching and I do it automatically.

I don't get the judgment on these threads. So you only believe in giving Hebrew names, that's fine. But it's really rude to put down other people making different choices. What do you care?

amother

Vanilla

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 2:31 am

My parents gave me an English name even though my Hebrew name is also an English word (spelled differently) when I was 10 I had a non Jewish teacher in a frum school who badly mispronounced my name. I had her call me by my legal name and any other non Jewish teacher I automatically just gave my legal name with legal spelling.

As a parent I gave all my kids English names and none of my kids have easy to switch names. They all know their Hebrew and English names.

My husband's and kids last name is also a male English name like Simon. And recently when my daughter was called by her last name and they thought she was a boy so many people told me that they should have told me not too put her Hebrew name on birth certificate cuz it looks like a boys name.... I didn't she has an English name but all they see is last name and go from there. One of my friends put name like yaakov and Yitzchok instead of Jacob and Isaac. My bil legally changed his name to something like Jacob instead of yaakov.

Some people will care and some won't. I have in laws who love their Hebrew names on birth certificates and the ones who changed it.

Personally I do English names, it's much easier especially for kids with ch in name. And my kids all like that they have both names.