Naming after two separate people

amother

DarkGreen

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 6:06 pm

I have one child named after two people. Both have the same one name. DH and I also have a grandfather who shares one name. His has no middle name and mine does. If it’s ever pertinent, we agreed we would ask our Rav before giving the name.

amother

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 6:11 pm

Thanks for replying! I didn’t mean one name for two diff people I mean two separate names like “Shoshana Adina” but after two grandmothers, one Shoshana, one Adina for example

amother

DarkGreen

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 6:15 pm

amother OP wrote:

Thanks for replying! I didn’t mean one name for two diff people I mean two separate names like “Shoshana Adina” but after two grandmothers, one Shoshana, one Adina for example

I mean people did it after the Holocaust. It has been done. One of my parents is named after both of my great-grandparents of that gender because they weren’t sure if there would be another. As it happened, there wasn’t.

amother

Catmint

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 6:34 pm

We named our oldest after two different people. Her first name is after my maternal grandmother who died when I was a baby. The first cousin who named for that grandmother was told to add a name to change the mazal because she died relatively young. So all the girls named for her have different middle names, which also helps keep track of which child people are talking to/about when we're all together.

My grandfather remarried and our stepgrandmother treated all of us like her own grandchildren. I considered her my grandmother without any qualifications. She was niftar when I was pregnant with my oldest and DH and I thought it would be a nice tribute to name for her as well, so that's how DD got her middle name.

amother

Apricot

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 6:42 pm

amother OP wrote:

Is this an issue? I feel like I’ve heard not to but I’m not sure.

I have a child named after two people. They had the same first name but different middle names. We asked what to do (although we usually don’t ask these questions) and we’re told to just use the shared name.

amother

Apricot

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 6:43 pm

amother OP wrote:

Thanks for replying! I didn’t mean one name for two diff people I mean two separate names like “Shoshana Adina” but after two grandmothers, one Shoshana, one Adina for example

Oh, I didn’t realize that’s what you meant. I am named after two different grandmothers.

happy chick

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 6:57 pm

Some people will say it's ok, but you have to call her/him by both names. However, naming children is a gift to parents and there really is no right/wrong.

amother

Apricot

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 7:00 pm

happy chick wrote:

Some people will say it's ok, but you have to call her/him by both names. However, naming children is a gift to parents and there really is no right/wrong.

I don’t go by both names. I never did.

happy chick

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 7:04 pm

amother Apricot wrote:

I don’t go by both names. I never did.

I didn't say you have to, I said "some people". If that's what your parents thought was right, that's just fine. No judgement.

samo

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 7:07 pm

We actually asked about this and were told that as long as the two people whose names were being used didn’t have machlokes with one another in their lifetime it was acceptable. I was fascinated by some of the information we gleaned regarding naming children after researching the topic a little.

amother

Babyblue

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 7:23 pm

My parents are BTs and we’re advised by their rebbe to name the name of a tzaddik before the non frum relative’s name.
So for example: my Zaidy who wasn’t frum, his name was Moshe my parents named my brother Chaim Moshe . Chaim was the name of a specific Tzaddik they were naming after and Moshe was my grandfather .

Or , one sibling was named after a Chasidish rebbe but the named a second name Menachem since he was born the day after tisha Bav.

PinkFridge

Tue, Aug 01 2023, 7:27 pm

I don't believe there's any problem because so many people do it.
I ask myself this question: If my child would prefer one name over the other, would it bother me? Personally, I'm not big on combining names but if I would, I would do it of two people who had a close connection, maybe ben acher ben, close chaveirim (like loving machuteinistes, maybe) etc.

amother

Mocha

Wed, Aug 02 2023, 12:37 am

I heard it shouldn't be done if the two ppl you're naming after weren't related... However naming after " person and its parent / grandparent" is fine ...
the reason Is something like- that the neshamos you're naming after shouldn't clash..etc ...

amother

Blush

Wed, Aug 02 2023, 12:41 am

When we asked we were told that name after a parent and their child is fine. So like the grandmother and great grandmother together. It’s all very relative and each circumstance is different. We always ask our rebbe and follow his advice

amother

Buttercup

Wed, Aug 02 2023, 5:30 am

Some ppl are fine with it and some ppl claim it becomes a totally different name and has nothing to do with person you're naming for.
We did it for a few of our kids.
I have a bil who said that if his kids added a name to his father's name then it wasn't his father's name anymore. He was super makpid that his kids shouldn't add anything.

It's not an halacha. It's a sentivity. Ask your rav what his opinion is or just do as you wish!

amother

Puce

Wed, Aug 02 2023, 7:48 am

It's not a halacha not to name after two separate people. Having said that, as someone else mentioned earlier, there's this belief that if two people didn't get along here, their neshamos won't get along upstairs and it could affect the person who's named after them. So for example: you shouldn't name a baby after two grandmother's from both sides. Husband's grandmother was chana and wife's grandmother was Rachel, don't name your child Chana Rachel. You don't know if they really got along when their kids married each other. Or a mother and daughter if you don't know the history between them. Or two sisters who never really got along. Something along those lines.