The Kabbalists say that when parents name a child, they experience a minor prophecy—because, somehow, that child’s destiny is wrapped up in the name’s combination of Hebrew letters . . .
36 Comments Posted
how where do i find my new name?
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Welcome! You should speak to the rabbi who converted you or a rabbi who knows you well. He can help you choose a Jewish name that is appropriate for you and your personality.
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I'm considering converting, do I need to get a new name? If i do, but i don't convert, is it still mine? Can i get a name even if i'm not Jewish??
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If you are indeed planning to convert, it is appropriate to wait until that moment and to take your new name as you begin again, as a Jew.
However, there is no law which stipulates that a non-Jew may not take a Hebrew name. in fact, many common names are Jewish in origin.
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My Hebrew name is Ruth. It is the perfect name for me because Ruth and I have similar ways. Also, Ruth was a convert just like me. And even though a convert she had a real Jewish heart, like myself. I use to think less of myself because I was only a convert. But after reading the Book of Ruth, I see that a convert can be very important. Can also be looked upon as a Jew from birth would be looked at. She was important enough that God chose her as King David's Great-grandmother. Now that is pretty important.
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Thank you for your helpful answers to my question. Just now got to read them...
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When my late mother named me at birth, she did so with great care. She wanted to ensure that my name would sustain me throughout life in a positive manner, that it would give me something to live up to, etc. She was a very wise woman. Recently, I took the time to learn the actual meanings of my given names (Valarie Ann) and found that they meant "strength & grace" . This had a profound effect on me, as through life's many trials, I have always had "strength and grace" in every situation, and have learned how to be stronger and more gracefull dependant upon each situation i am faced with. I am also returning to my Hebrew roots and decided that my Jewish name should not only reflect my heritage, but also the meaning and names that my late mother provided me with. Therefore, i chose the Hebrew equivalent to my english ones. (Gavriela Chana) in keeping with what my late mother gave to me. In this manner i am still honoring her, as when a parent names their child, it is a precious gift.
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Well, my hebrew name is Yaakov, and it has many variations, many people calls me Yaakov, some others Yankel or Yankele, or Kapel, Kapele and even Jackie or Jack, anyway I love my name because it is the name of Yaakov Avinu, and my life is quite similar to his, I'm always in a hurry, making diferent things, sometimes it is anoying but its also fulfilling and funny.
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My name is Julietta after the play Romeo and Juliet in Russia the called her Julietta. But my Jewish is nothing like my regular name. My Jewish name is Chana named after my late grandmother of the fathers side. But my middle name is Honey because Chana so its Julietta Haney.
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Why is it that when someone is alive they use their mother's name as in bas..., but when one has passed away they are called by their father's name?
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Shalom, I would like to know everything concerning to my jewish name. I know there´s jewish blood in me, my last name is Brito wich comes from "Brit" or pact and I think "Estevez" is a sefarad last name from Sefarad or Spain.
I have been studying judaism for around 8 years and I would really like to learn more about this subject, so please help me up!
Shalom.
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I am a convert of almost 41 years. I had heard that a person's Hebrew name is often similar to that of their non-Hebrew name. My birth name was Shirley, and the only Hebrew name I was familiar with at the time was Sarah, and I wasn't overly fond of that name, When I talked to the rabbi about my name, he asked me what name I had in mind. I loved the name Rachel, and thought I read that it means "compassionate" and that is what I wished to be. So that was the name used at my conversion. It was a Reform conversion, but I eventually knew I wanted an Orthodox conversion and felt that I wanted a new name to mark that new phase of my life, so I chose Rebecca. I wanted the names of two of the Matriarches, the wife of Isaac, and the wife of Jacob, So my name is Rachel Rebecca. I am glad I was able to choose my own Hebrew name, and eventually changed my first name legally, so I no longer have any connection to my past life, neither religiously nor by name, and I feel like a different person. .
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My parents were odd when it came to my name I am jewish born and raised from kindergarten to today, but I don't have a traditional jewish name my mother came from ashkenazi jews and my father sephardi so they combined their practices when it came to me and mixed my great grandmothers names and my other grandmothers and tried to keep it as a normal name as they could with the help of baby naming books, so I guess I don't have a traditional jewish name or would it even be considered jewish?
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There are no absolute rules governing what is and what is not a Jewish name. Biblical names are obviously Jewish, but there are many other "Jewish" names that are not even Hebrew. So what makes a name Jewish? If the name is given by Jewish parents to a Jewish child and used in a Jewish context--such as blessings at the synagogue or at a Jewish marriage--it is Jewish.
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My name is Nicholas Pavlich. Obviously a Jewish name. NOT. But I can make it Jewish by being a good Jew. My Herbrew name is Mordechai Ben Adam. Much better!
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Can you please cite for me the source that says that parents have "a minor prephecy" when determining the name of their child?
Thanks
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While this may appear in many places, I recall seeing this taught in Emek HaMelech (The Valley of the King) 1:4, by Naftali Bachlarach, in the name of his teacher, Rabbi Isaac Luria.
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How and where can I pick a Jewish name for myself? I am a adult female and I want to know.
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You can select whichever name you like. You may want to choose one that is linguistically or thematically similar to your secular name. Once you chose one that you will want to stick with for the rest of your life, you ask people to start calling you by your new name. It is customary to have a prayer said on your behalf in the presence of the Torah using your new Jewish name, thus cementing it as your identity.
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When our son was born, we were asked by my mother-in-law, obm, to give him a name "starting with a C" in memory of her mother, a"h. Frustratingly, all the "C" names we liked were already taken by living relatives, so we made one up - or so we thought. "Callen", a combination of our birth places, Calif. and England, with a middle name of "David", after 2 grandfathers and King David, a"h. We used David as his only Hebrew name, as the made-up first name surely wasn't.
However, a few years later I came across "Callen" in a Hebrew dictionary! I comes from the Torah word for "slingshot", and means "sharp shooter", "one who reaches goals". (It is used today in Israel for IDF army marksmen, and for basketball free-throw shooters. lol)
Therefore, "Callen David" means "David's marksman" or "One who reaches David's goals." And that is the HEBREW name my son is called to the Torah by.
Prophecy? I hadn't a clue. But G-d sure Knows what He is doing.
"Man plans, and G-d Laughs."
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That's my question too...
How can I pick a Jewish name for myself. My name is Dieuwke... a typical Dutch name, a Frisian name, because I am Dutch...
It means: People (nation)...
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I am of Spanish ancestry and my given name is 'Milagros" it means Miracles..My birth was an answer to my mother's prayer for my father's safe return from war..I'd like a Hebrew name that means something similar either "miracles" or answered prayer. What do u suggest?
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My parents named me Verdele Marie. I understand that the root of my first name (Verde) means 'green'. However, my middle name when I checked is similar to Mary/Maryam. What would my Hebrew name be (first and middle)? Also, what is the meaning?
Thank you very much
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Although I am not converting i am looking to chANGE my name and i found that 'Nessa" is a name that speaks to me Hebrew from NES it means what my given birth name means "miracle' and i am happy with that.
:-)
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There is no automatic exchange of non-Jewish to Jewish names. Your name is the name your parents gave you. If you are not Jewish, then the secular name that you are called is your Jewish name for all practical purposes. Some Jews have both secular and Jewish names. In that case the Jewish name is sometimes linguistically or thematically related to the other one. But that is not necessarily the case.
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I am considering changing my name. My name means little one.
I would like a very good prosperous name.
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Finding this website is providential since I found affirmation about the importance of a name. For some reasons, I have not been at ease with my name. It doesn't seem like me. It is not a lucky name. Can you help me get a new name?
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I love that name and would never exchange it for the world. But if you want to switch it, just go ahead and start using one of your choice. .Go to the county court to make it official.
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"When we pray for someone, we have in mind that person's Jewish name and that of his/her mother. But when we call a man for an aliyah to the Torah, we use his Jewish name and that of his father."
In today's day and age, why do we still only include the father's name (... ben David) when calling people up for aliyah? Is it strictly custom or is there a basis in Jewish law?
I understand that this has been the custom in the Jewish world. It was also the custom in the Jewish world that girls were never honored with the opportunity to become a Bat Mitzvah. It was also a custom in the Jewish world that girls were never allowed to study Tanach or Talmud and seriously never allowed to lead a synagogue as a rabbi or cantor. Times change. Children have two parents. Why aren't both honored?
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When you make Aliya, you have the opportunity to change your name.
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when I converted I gave my new name a lot of thought and changed it to Lailah Eleeza. I had read the story of angel Lailah which I thought was beautiful and meaningful and Eleeza because it means Joy. And joy is a beautiful gift to the world.
However, since then we have faced many hard trials in life and I try to remember why I chose the names and their meanings and pray to Hashem for the courage and strength to live within them
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I'm surprised this is a topic this week,which is something I've been thinking about because I'm going through conversion,I need to choose a Jewish name by May 2012 I know my Rabbi will help me,but I would like to know what you would say I could use from the name Josephine,but since high school my nick name has always been Josie.Thank you for your answer.
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Names are very powerful. I believe we actualize the potentials in the letters of our names and so yes, it's important to consider, what's in a name. I have looked at my own name in many ways, listening also to how it is pronounced, even in different cultures, and also the history of my name, as it is part of a well known and beautiful Biblical story.
It could also of course be said, in knowing what's in a name, we consciously act in ways that make our names take on "that" meaning.
This is an article well worth considering, because there is a deep truth within all names and so identity is very much tied up, within your names.
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Is there a blessing that can be recited when a woman changes her last name upon getting married?
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In Jewish tradition, the family name is not terribly important. As such, the change of family name is not marked in any special way--except for the wedding itself, of course.
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