If the Orthodox used to look at the Saints to choose a name for a newborn, then the Jews always chose in three ways:
- Focusing on older relatives.
- In honor of your favorite biblical heroes.
- Dwelling on the Hebrew righteous.
Kabbalah teaches that the letters in the name are a connection with spiritual forces, therefore in practice there are cases when seriously ill people are called double names, adding Chaim (life). In the books of Sholom Aleichem and Isaac Babel, such options appear quite often. Sometimes they are used and next to it is translation. For example, Zeev - Wolf.
The list of names will include only Hebrew (or Yiddish) names, although any names have been allowed in Russia since 1917. Everywhere Barukhs and Berlys turned into Borisovs, and Leibs into Lvovs. In other countries (Palestine), the opposite processes took place, which was strictly monitored by the state. Boys are named at the time of circumcision - on the eighth day from birth. Let's look at the most common Jewish male names.
List in alphabetical order (from A to M) with translation
- Aaron -"mountain", brother of Moses, high priest.
- Abraham - considered a forefather (“father of nations”). The allowed option is Abram.
- Adam -"earth", in honor of the first man on Earth.
- Baruch -“blessed”, assistant to the prophet.
- Gad - "luck" son of Jacob.
- Gershom- “stranger”, son of Moses.
- David- “beloved”, from him came the line of Jewish kings.
- Dov - " bear”, the personification of strength and dexterity.
- Zerah- “radiance”, son of Judah.
- Israzl- “fighting with God”, the following options are acceptable: Yisroel, Israel.
- Isaac -“preparing to laugh,” the son of Abraham, whom he was preparing to sacrifice. Options - Itzik, Isaac.
The list of Jewish male names includes the most common ones, without borrowed ones.
- Yehoshua- “God as salvation,” disciple Moshe, conquered the lands of Israel.
- Yosef (Joseph)- “God”, son of Jacob, sold into slavery in Egypt.
- Jonathan -"given by God" , friend of David.
- Kalev- “heart”, a scout sent to the land of Israel.
- Leib- “lion” is a symbol of Yehuda.
- Menachem- “comforter”, Jewish king.
- Michael- “like God,” a messenger of God called to protect the Jewish people.
- Moshe- “saved from water”, the greatest prophet. Options - Moishe, Moses.
Second part of the alphabet
- Nahum- “comforted”, minor prophet. Option - Nakhim.
- Nachshon- “soothsayer”, son-in-law of Aaron, who was the first to enter the Red Sea.
- Noach- “peace”, a righteous person saved from the flood.
- Ovadya- “God’s servant”, minor prophet. Options - Obadiah, Obadiah.
- Passover- "missed", the name of Easter.
- Pinchas- “snake mouth”, grandson of Aaron, who turned away God’s wrath from the Israelites.
- Rafael -"healed by God", angel of healing.
- Tankhum- “consolation”, sage of the Talmud.
- Uriel- “my light is God,” the name of an angel.
- Fievel- “breastfed” in Yiddish. Options - Fyvish, Fayvel, Feyshiv, Fyvish.
The list of Jewish male names for the last letters of the alphabet is the most significant, so we should focus on the most important ones.
- Hagai- “celebrant”, minor prophet, grandson of Jacob. Option - Hagi.
- Hanan- “pardoned”, the tribe of Benjamin began with him.
- Hanoch- “sanctified”, son of Cain.
- Zadok- “righteous”, who pacified the rebellion against David.
- Zion- “superiority”, used as a synonym for Jerusalem.
- Cefania- “hidden by God”, minor prophet.
- Shalom- “peace”, king of Israel. Shimon- “heard by God”, son of Jacob. Option - Simon.
- Shmuel- “name of God”, prophet.
- Ephraim- “fruitful”, grandson of Jacob.
- Yaakov -“overtaken”, forefather. Options - Jacob, Yakov, Yankee, Yankel.
Borrowed names
Are there any borrowed Jewish male names? The list can be replenished with those that appeared in use while the Talmud was not playing important role. By naming children after relatives, Jews contribute to their spread. The names came from the Hebrew language: Meir, Menucha, Nechama. The Babylonians brought Mordechai, Chaldeans - Atlaya And Bebay. Greek rule gave the Jews the name Alexander(option - C ender). Georgian Jews acquired: Irakli, Guram; at Tajik - Bovojon, Rubensivi, Estermo.
Their feature is small distribution area. There are names that appeared due to beliefs. So, all newborns were called Alter (“old man”), but after a month it was changed. It was believed that it protects from evil spirits.
Jewish surnames
The list of Jewish male names is very important because up to early XIX centuries they did not have surnames (they appeared in the Austrian Empire at the end of the 18th century). How were they created?
- On behalf of the father or biblical characters: Benjamin, Israel, David, Abram.
- From female names: Riveman(Riva's husband) Tsivyan(name Tsivya), Mirkin(Mirka).
- From the appearance or character of the owner: Schwartz("black"), Weisbard(“white-bearded”).
- From profession: Rabinovich("rabbi"), Dayan("judge").
- From geographical names: Lifshits(“Silesian city”), Gurevich(Czech town).
- From any things that happen in life. They are called decorative: Bernstein("amber"), Yaglom("diamond").
As we have seen, the origin of the surnames is Jewish male names, a list of which is presented in the text.
If you are a practicing Jew or want to emphasize your Jewish roots, what name will you choose for your son or daughter? Undoubtedly, I want it to be sonorous, and for a girl, melodic. So that it is easy to pronounce and normally perceived in the area where you live, so that the child does not subsequently feel like a “black sheep.” And at the same time, you probably want your children to bear original Jewish names, with a special meaning that gives them some qualities. So this article is intended to help you. Below we will talk about how Jewish names arose, reveal their meaning, and also touch on the issue of surnames.
Ancient borrowings
Now, to emphasize national and religious affiliation, Jews choose names for their children from the Old Testament or Talmud. But in ancient times, these holy books did not play such a huge role in the naming of babies. Therefore, borrowing names was widespread. They were chosen because of their euphony or interesting etymology. In the first case, such words migrated untouched to the list of Jewish names. An example of this is “Alexander”. This name gained popularity during the Hellenistic period. Among the Sephardim it gradually transformed into a more consonant word - “Sender”. The name Mordechai came from the Babylonian captivity, and the Chaldeans added such anthroponyms to the Hebrew vocabulary as Bebai and Atlai. Hebrew-sounding names such as Meir (emitting light), Nechama (comforted by God) and Menucha were no less popular.
Borrowings during the Great Dispersion
Both Sephardim and Ashkenazim, living side by side with their non-Jewish neighbors, used their names to name their children. However, it is no longer the same as in ancient times. This was not a simple borrowing. The meaning of the name was translated into Yiddish or Hebrew. This was especially true for naming girls. Jewish names Women's from such borrowing were replenished with Golda (from the Slavic Zlata), Liebe - (Love) and Husni (beautiful). Along with this, the girls were named without translation into Yiddish or Hebrew: Charnaya, Dobroy. Unlike women's names, men's names had a double sound. That is, they were translated not from the local language into Hebrew, but vice versa. Thus, Greek Jews named their sons Aristons, which corresponds to Tobi (best), Theodoras - Matitya (God's gift). Names experienced a particularly interesting metamorphosis Central Asia. They remained Jewish, but a Tajik word-formation component was added to them. This is how Estermo, Bovojon, Rubensivi and others appeared.
In Jewish tradition, at the birth of a boy, it is customary to give him “ruf nomen.” This is his name before God. This is what the rabbi says when calling a believer to read the Torah in the synagogue. This name is also mentioned in prayers. It is clear that for cult ceremonies the ruf nomen is chosen from the Holy Books. However, in everyday life a boy may be called differently. And here parents are provided absolute freedom actions. To prevent the child from becoming a victim of ridicule and manifestations of anti-Semitism, the boy was often given a name characteristic of the family’s area of residence. Sometimes it corresponded to ruf nomen. For example, Leib-Lev. But sometimes Christian and Jewish male names were linked only by the initial letter. There are a lot of examples that can be given. In Georgia it is Isaac-Irakli or Gershon-Guram. Sephardim in North Africa choose Muslim names as the second, “everyday” name - Hassan, Abdallah.
All parents in the world, regardless of nationality and religion, want their daughter to grow up to be an unsurpassed beauty. And therefore, for a girl, they always chose a name either with a gentle melody, or with a meaning that “codes” its bearer to acquire certain qualities. Women did not participate in Jewish religious ceremonies, and therefore ruf nomen was not given to them. Consequently, parents were free to choose any names. Including from the dictionary of neighboring peoples. Pious Jews, especially rabbis, gave their daughters Hebrew names from the Bible. There aren't many of them. These are Miriam, Bat-Sheva, Judith and others. But much more popular are Roses, Rivka (queens), Gita (good) and Gila (joyful). As already mentioned, female names often borrowed. Sephardim often have Leila (black-haired), Yasmin, and Ashkenazis have Grace, Isabella, Katarina.
Purely Jewish tradition
Christians had a tradition of naming a child after their godfather or godmother. The Jews believe in the Book of Life, where God writes all people. To emphasize belonging to a “tribe” or clan, babies were often named after their ancestors. Sects of Judaism interpret this tradition in different ways. Some believe that a child should be given the Hebrew names of a living grandmother or grandfather. Others believe that it is better to give the child under the protection of an ancestor who has already died, but who glorified his family. They say that his qualities will be passed on to the baby. One way or another, this tradition has led to the fact that the number of Jewish names used in everyday life has been reduced to a couple of dozen.
Jewish superstitions
In ancient times, when someone fell ill, he was temporarily called Chaim. This was done in order to deceive the Angel of Death. Sometimes the magic worked. And the baby, born stunted and sickly, began to be called Chaim. After all, the meaning of this name is “Life”. Even later, during the time of the great dispersion, for greater fidelity, such weak boys began to be called “Chaim-Vital.” The second name also means “life,” but in Latin. For the same reasons, weak children were given such Jewish names as Alter (old), Dov (bear) or Leib (lion). There is information that previously every baby was given a similar nickname in the first month of his life. But gradually such a life-affirming meaning of Jewish names began to be assigned to a person for life. It was especially fortunate, according to the Jews, to be born on a holiday. In this regard, the name Pesach (male) and female Liora (light for me) appeared - for girls born on Hanukkah.
Surnames
For a long time, Jews added only the name of the locality or city where they were born to their name. By the way, Christians of simple origin did the same. But, since the Ashkenazis had the custom of naming children in honor of their parents or grandfathers, and in Tsarist Russia There was a Pale of Settlement, Jewish names and surnames of “geographical” origin began to get confused. To clarify, among the numerous Moses from Berdichev and Abramov from Mogilev, people began to be called by their father. In Russia they added Slavic endings to surnames: -ov, -in, -ev. Moiseenko, Abramovich and the like appeared in Ukraine. Based on this principle, the anthroponyms Davidzon, Itshakpur, Gabriel-zadeh and Ibn-Haim were formed. But these Jewish names and surnames were often repeated. Then they began to call people by profession. They were simply translated into Yiddish. This is how the names Schumacher (shoemaker), Schneider (tailor) and Bayer (miller) arose.
A
Aviva - spring.
Avigail, Avigail, Abigail - the joy of a father. Wife of King David.
Avital, Avitel is the father of dew. Wife of King David.
Adar - greatness.
Adi is a treasure.
Adina - tenderness.
Ayala is a doe. The name is often associated with the tribe of Naphtali, whose symbol was the swift doe.
Ayelet is a musical instrument.
Aliza is joy. In Kabbalah, it symbolizes the ability to take over nature.
Amit - friendship, loyalty.
Anat - sing.
Ariella is G-d's lioness.
Atara, Ateret - crown.
Ashira - wealth.
Avishag is the joy of a father. She took care of King David in his old age.
B
Bat-Ami is the daughter of my people.
Batya, Batya is the daughter of G-d. Pharaoh's daughter who rescued Moses from the Nile.
Bat-Tsiyon - daughter of Zion or daughter of perfection.
Batsheva is the daughter of seven. Wife of King David and mother of King Shlomo.
Bina - understanding, understanding, wisdom.
Bracha is a blessing.
Brurya - the clarity of the Most High. The wife of Rabbi Meir, a great Torah scholar.
Beila is wonderful.
IN
Vered - rose in Aramaic.
G
Gavriella, Gabriella - G-d is my strength.
Gal is a wave.
Geula - deliverance.
Gefen - grapevine.
Gila - praise, joy. In Kabbalah, discovering G-d is a source of great joy.
Golda - gold in Yiddish.
D
Dalia, Dalia - flower.
Danielle - G-d is my judge.
Dana is a judge.
Devorah (Debra) - bee, says good words. A fortuneteller who led a rebellion against King Canaan.
Dina is the court. Jacob's daughter.
Z
Zahava is golden.
Zisl - sweet in Yiddish.
AND
Goes - the chosen one.
Ilana is a tree. In Kabbalah, the numerical value of Ilan - 96 is equal to the phrase - “throne of G-d.”
Irit is a narcissist.
Idida is a friend.
Jonah, Jonah - dove.
Yehudit - praise. The heroine of Hanukkah, who heroically killed the head of the enemy army.
Yocheved - honor to the Most High. Mother of Moshe, Aaron and Miriam.
TO
Carmella, Carmel - vineyard, garden.
Kalanit is a flower.
Keila is a Yiddish name that comes from the Hebrew word "kli" - vessel. A talented person often called “kli” - a complete vessel capable of reaching extraordinary heights.
Kinneret is a lake.
L
Levana - light.
Leia - to be tired. Wife of Jacob, mother of six of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Liat - I have you.
Liba - beloved in Yiddish.
Livna, Livnat - white.
Liora, Lior - I see the light.
Liraz - I have a secret.
Liron - I'm happy.
M
Mayan, Maayan - spring, oasis.
Maitel - dew.
Maya, Maya - water.
Mazal - good luck.
Malka is the queen.
Meira is the one who gives light. May be derived from the name Miriam.
Menukha - peace.
Miriam - prophetess, singer, dancer, sister of Moshe (Moses).
Michal - who is like the Most High? Daughter of King Saul and first wife of King David.
Moriah - the Most High teaches. Mount Moriah is the site of Isaac's sacrifice.
N
Naama, Naomi - nice.
Nava is wonderful.
Nechama - tranquility.
Nirit, Nurit - flower, buttercup.
ABOUT
Ora - light.
Orly - I see the light.
Osnat - belonging to G-d. Wife of Yosef and mother of Ephraim and Menashe.
Ophira is gold.
Ofra is a doe.
P
Pnina is a gem. In Kabbalah it is associated with the word “pnimi” - internal. This speaks of inner depth and purity - the main characteristics of real pearls.
R
Once is a secret.
Raanana - cheerful, fresh.
Rachel, Rachel - a sheep, a symbol of purity. One of the four foremothers is the wife of Yaakov and the mother of Yosef.
Reizl - rose in Yiddish.
Reut - friendship.
Rivka, Rebekah - tie it up. One of the four foremothers, the wife of Isaac and the mother of Yaakov. Rivka was distinguished by her kindness.
Rina is a joy.
Ruth, Ruth - righteous, convert, sweet, pleasant. A Moabite woman is a righteous woman who converted to Judaism. She is the great-grandmother of King David. Ruth's scroll is dedicated to her story.
WITH
Sarah is a princess. Prophetess, wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac, the first of the foremothers of the Jewish people.
Sarai is my princess. The original name of Sarah was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac.
Sagit - sublime.
Sivan is the Jewish month.
Simha is joy.
T
Tal - dew. In Kabbalah, Tal symbolizes Divine support, which is carried out in a hidden way.
Talya - dew from the Most High.
Tamar - date palm, symbolizes wisdom. The wife of Yehuda, from whom King David descended.
Thiya - rebirth.
Tehillah is a song of praise.
Tikvah is hope.
Tirza means pleasant, appropriate. One of Tslofkhad's daughters.
Tovah is the kindness of the Most High.
U
Uriella is the light of the Most High.
F
Feiga is a bird in Yiddish.
Freud - from the Yiddish word "freud" - joy.
Fruma, Frum - righteous in Yiddish.
X
Hawa is life. The first woman, the Wife of Adam, the mother of all living things.
Haviva is my favorite.
Hagit - celebration. Wife of King David.
Hadassah - myrtle tree. The middle name of Queen Esther is the heroine of the Purim story.
Hadar - decorated, magnificent, beautiful.
Hana - grace. This name is associated with the ability to create beautiful prayers. Hana prayed for a child and eventually became the mother of the prophet Shmuel.
Haya is alive. Associated with the name Chava - the mother of all living things.
Hinda is a doe in Yiddish. The name is often associated with the tribe of Naphtali, whose symbol was the swift doe.
Walking is the glory of the Most High.
C
Zivya - the assembly of G-d. Mother of one of the kings of Israel.
Zipporah is a bird. Moshe's wife.
Sh
Shai is a gift.
Shaked - almonds.
Shalva - calmness.
Sharon is a place in Israel.
Sheina - beautiful in Yiddish.
Shir, Shira - song.
Sheeran is a fun song.
Shirley - I have a song.
The cipher has been corrected. A Jewish midwife who disobeyed Pharaoh's order to kill all Jewish boys born.
Shlomit, Shulamit - peaceful.
Shoshana is a rose. Appears in the Tanakh in the Song of Songs, like a rose among thorns.
E
Eden is the Garden of Eden.
Eliana - G-d answered me.
Elisheva - G-d is my oath. Wife of the High Priest Aaron. Also means.
Emunah - faith.
Esther, Esther - hidden in Hebrew and star in Persian. Savior of the Jewish people from extermination in Persia. Esther was very beautiful woman, however, its “hidden” personal traits were even more beautiful.
Efrat - respected, venerable.
I
Yadida is a friend.
Yasmine, Jasmine is a flower.
Jaffa, Yafit - beautiful, wonderful.
Yael - to climb mountain goat. The heroine who killed the head of the enemy army and thereby saved the Jewish people.
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