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My daughter's name is Pessy. What does it mean?


In Eastern Europe, it was very common to name children with Yiddish names, which were very often a variation of an originally Hebrew name. "Pessy" is one such name.

According to the sources I've seen, "Pesse" is a Yiddish form of "Batya," which in Hebrew means "daughter of G‑d."

According to tradition, Batya was the name assumed by the daughter of Pharaoh (the one who rescued and raised Moses) after she converted to Judaism.

I hope that I have been of help.

Wishing you much success,

Rabbi Baruch S. Davidson

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By Baruch S. Davidson   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author
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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: Jan 23, 2010
Batya, Pessi, Etc.
My mom's name is Pessi, and on a name-meaning quest I went on a while ago, I found that Pessi is the Yiddish version of Batya, period. Since Batya means daughter of God, so does Pessi.
Posted By Talia, New York, NY

Posted: Mar 20, 2009
Re: Anon Mar. 19th
According to the Midrash, Bitya the daughter of Pharaoh is one of only nine people who merited to enter Gan Eden (Paradise) without passing away. The Midrash does not mention that she left Egypt, but it seems so from the fact that she was married to Caleb (Talmud, Megilah 13a)
Posted By Baruch Davidson

Posted: Mar 19, 2009
Batya
Did Batya go out of Egypt with the Jews?
Posted By Anonymous

Posted: Jan 22, 2008
Batya or Bithia
I have heard Pharoah's daughter's name in these 2 versions and on your own site you use both. which is correct and where is the source?
Posted By rg

Posted: Dec 10, 2007
Re: Peshe
As DZ pointed out, the Beis and Peh are both bi-labial and therefore interchangeable. Similarly, many words that end "sya" were pronounce "sha" in the slang pronunciation in some parts of Eastern Europe, (in other parts of Eastern Europe this worked the opposite way.) Many with the name Basya were therefore called Basha, from there it became Pasha, and from there Pesha.
Posted By Anonymous

Posted: Dec 8, 2007
Peshe
How does Peshe come from Basye?
Posted By K. F. T., Chicago, IL

Posted: Dec 2, 2007
Batya
In Divrei Hayamim I (Chronicles I) 4:18 the daughter of Pharaoh is referred to as Bityah (or Bisya), but the name apparently evolved to become Batya (or Basya).
Posted By Shalom, NYC

Posted: Mar 20, 2007
The Beis and Peih are both bi-labial and therefore interchangeable. Many with the name were called Basha, from there it became Pasha, from there Pesha and from there Pessya.
Posted By DZ

Posted: Mar 18, 2007
The name Pessi
In my case, Pessi is a diminutive of "Pessel" which a dear teacher of mine (whose wife has the same name) told me means "vessel" oe "large container" in Yiddish. I'd also be interested to know about the Batya connection.
Posted By Pessi Stolik, Bklyn, NY

Posted: Mar 16, 2007
The name Pessy
Please tell me the source for what you wrote. What does pessy have to do with batya?
Posted By Anonymous, Brooklyn, n.y.



 


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