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Help[Opinions] Jewish Names
I realized that I really like Jewish/Hebrew names, although I am not jewish but have hebrew backgrounds. I was wondering what you think of these names:
GIRLS
=====
Leah
Liam (I like this better on a boy, but that had it listed under female names.)
Meira
Naomi
Noa
Ora
Rivka
Tikva
Tovah
Tziporah
Tziona
Tzofiya
Tzivya
Yaakova
Zahara
Ziva
BOYS
====
Avram
Benjamin (Benyamin)
Caleb (Calev)
Daniel
Ephraim (Efraim)
Eitan
Eli
Elijah (Eliahu)
Elisha
Ezra
Gabriel (Gavriel)
Gideon (Gidon)
Jacob (Yaacov)
Joshua (Yehoshua)
Judah (Yehudah)
Jonah (Yonah)
Jonathan (Yonatan)
Levi
Malachai (Although I think I prefer Malachi)
Micah
Nathaniel (Natanel)
Noah (Noach)
Noam??
Reuben (Reuven)
Seth (Set)
Saul (Shaul)
Simon (Shimon)
Samson (Shimshon)
Solomon (Shlomo)
Samuel (Shmuel)
As you can see with the boys names, I like the anglicanized versions more than often. This is mostly for pronunciation sake. Let me know if you prefer the ones in parentheses better.
GIRLS
=====
Leah
Liam (I like this better on a boy, but that had it listed under female names.)
Meira
Naomi
Noa
Ora
Rivka
Tikva
Tovah
Tziporah
Tziona
Tzofiya
Tzivya
Yaakova
Zahara
Ziva
BOYS
====
Avram
Benjamin (Benyamin)
Caleb (Calev)
Daniel
Ephraim (Efraim)
Eitan
Eli
Elijah (Eliahu)
Elisha
Ezra
Gabriel (Gavriel)
Gideon (Gidon)
Jacob (Yaacov)
Joshua (Yehoshua)
Judah (Yehudah)
Jonah (Yonah)
Jonathan (Yonatan)
Levi
Malachai (Although I think I prefer Malachi)
Micah
Nathaniel (Natanel)
Noah (Noach)
Noam??
Reuben (Reuven)
Seth (Set)
Saul (Shaul)
Simon (Shimon)
Samson (Shimshon)
Solomon (Shlomo)
Samuel (Shmuel)
As you can see with the boys names, I like the anglicanized versions more than often. This is mostly for pronunciation sake. Let me know if you prefer the ones in parentheses better.
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
What about Chaya?
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GIRLS
=====
Leah -LOVE this
Liam -This is NOT a female name!
Meira -I prefer Mira (MEER-ah)
Naomi -LOVE it
Noa -I like it but she'd be mistaken for a boy.
Ora -No
Rivka -Sounds harsh to me but I adore Rebecca
Tikva -Hate it
Tovah -Gorgeous!
Tziporah -Eh, fine
Tziona -No, reminds me of Arizona
Tzofiya -Love this!
Tzivya -Hmm, nice!
Yaakova -Definitely not
Zahara -Gorgeous but very Angelina Jolie right now
Ziva -Dislike it
BOYS
====
Avram -I like it but prefer Avraham, Abram and Abraham.
Benjamin (Benyamin) -Love both
Caleb (Calev) -I love Caleb but don't like Calev much
Daniel -Love it!
Ephraim (Efraim) -Not fond of either
Eitan -Dislike
Eli -LOVE!
Elijah (Eliahu) -I love Elijah and like Eliyahu too
Elisha -Really don't like it
Ezra -LOVE!
Gabriel (Gavriel) -Love both
Gideon (Gidon) -Can't stand either
Jacob (Yaacov) -I love Jacob, and Yaakov (this is the correct spelling) is nice too.
=====
Leah -LOVE this
Liam -This is NOT a female name!
Meira -I prefer Mira (MEER-ah)
Naomi -LOVE it
Noa -I like it but she'd be mistaken for a boy.
Ora -No
Rivka -Sounds harsh to me but I adore Rebecca
Tikva -Hate it
Tovah -Gorgeous!
Tziporah -Eh, fine
Tziona -No, reminds me of Arizona
Tzofiya -Love this!
Tzivya -Hmm, nice!
Yaakova -Definitely not
Zahara -Gorgeous but very Angelina Jolie right now
Ziva -Dislike it
BOYS
====
Avram -I like it but prefer Avraham, Abram and Abraham.
Benjamin (Benyamin) -Love both
Caleb (Calev) -I love Caleb but don't like Calev much
Daniel -Love it!
Ephraim (Efraim) -Not fond of either
Eitan -Dislike
Eli -LOVE!
Elijah (Eliahu) -I love Elijah and like Eliyahu too
Elisha -Really don't like it
Ezra -LOVE!
Gabriel (Gavriel) -Love both
Gideon (Gidon) -Can't stand either
Jacob (Yaacov) -I love Jacob, and Yaakov (this is the correct spelling) is nice too.
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Yah, someone told me that it wasn't lower down in the post, but I didn't really think it was Jewish either, but was surprised they had it on the site. Perhaps the site wasn't very reliable.
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Jewish names are very nice IMO
I like these:
Naomi - reminds me of a supermodel :)
Noa - very cute on a girl - one of my favs
Eli - nice but I only like it on a boy
Elijah - Nice name. And besides that- I love stories about Elijah from the bible
Gideon - manly and strong
Levi - This was one of my favorite but it is becoming way too common
Micah - I love this on a girl only.
Reuben - nice IMO
son #1 Milo James
son #2 Kingsley Grant
daughter #1 Harper Grace
daughter #2 Satchel Nicole
I like these:
Naomi - reminds me of a supermodel :)
Noa - very cute on a girl - one of my favs
Eli - nice but I only like it on a boy
Elijah - Nice name. And besides that- I love stories about Elijah from the bible
Gideon - manly and strong
Levi - This was one of my favorite but it is becoming way too common
Micah - I love this on a girl only.
Reuben - nice IMO
son #1 Milo James
son #2 Kingsley Grant
daughter #1 Harper Grace
daughter #2 Satchel Nicole
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I like:
GIRLS
=====
Leah
Liam (it's OK for a boy)
Naomi
Noa (I like Noah for a boy)
Tziporah (prefer Zipporah)
Tzofiya (well, I like Sophia)
BOYS
====
Avram (prefer Abraham)
Benjamin
Caleb
Daniel
Ephraim
Eli
Elijah
Ezra
Gideon
Joshua
Jonah
Jonathan
Levi
Malachai (prefer Malachi)
Micah
Noah
Reuben
Seth
Samuel
Loving Theodore and Chloe!
GIRLS
=====
Leah
Liam (it's OK for a boy)
Naomi
Noa (I like Noah for a boy)
Tziporah (prefer Zipporah)
Tzofiya (well, I like Sophia)
BOYS
====
Avram (prefer Abraham)
Benjamin
Caleb
Daniel
Ephraim
Eli
Elijah
Ezra
Gideon
Joshua
Jonah
Jonathan
Levi
Malachai (prefer Malachi)
Micah
Noah
Reuben
Seth
Samuel
This message was edited 9/7/2006, 4:08 AM
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i like:
leah
naomi - this has recently become one of my favorites
tovah
meira-never heard this before, but i like it
i like almost all of your boy names. especially:
micah- my absolute favorite name ever
noah
elijah
simon
and reuben has been growing on me...
overall, it's a very nice list!
leah
naomi - this has recently become one of my favorites
tovah
meira-never heard this before, but i like it
i like almost all of your boy names. especially:
micah- my absolute favorite name ever
noah
elijah
simon
and reuben has been growing on me...
overall, it's a very nice list!
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Hebrew is a language, not a background. It's correct to say you have a Jewish background.
I like . . .
GIRLS
=====
Leah
Meira
Naomi
Rivka
Tovah
Ziva
BOYS
====
Benjamin
Caleb
Daniel
Elijah
Gabriel
Gideon
Joshua
Jonah
Jonathan
Micah
Nathaniel
Reuben
Seth
Simon
Samuel
RE: Liam - I seem to recall the facts board folks conclusively proving that this is *not* a legit female Hebrew name (despite the random passing poster who incorrectly claimed that it was). It's disappointing to still see it on your list after the effort they went to in discussing it.
♦ Chrisell ♦
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
I like . . .
GIRLS
=====
Leah
Meira
Naomi
Rivka
Tovah
Ziva
BOYS
====
Benjamin
Caleb
Daniel
Elijah
Gabriel
Gideon
Joshua
Jonah
Jonathan
Micah
Nathaniel
Reuben
Seth
Simon
Samuel
RE: Liam - I seem to recall the facts board folks conclusively proving that this is *not* a legit female Hebrew name (despite the random passing poster who incorrectly claimed that it was). It's disappointing to still see it on your list after the effort they went to in discussing it.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
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Well, what I mean is that I have some Hebrew language background in my family, but I am not Jewish.
I didn't think Liam was a true girls name, but I didn't know if it would have been correct to move it to the boys list either.
I edited to say that the site I was perusing that had Liam on it stated the meaning as "I have a people."
I didn't think Liam was a true girls name, but I didn't know if it would have been correct to move it to the boys list either.
I edited to say that the site I was perusing that had Liam on it stated the meaning as "I have a people."
This message was edited 9/6/2006, 11:06 PM
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If you have Hebrew-speaking people in your background, then they were also Jewish. You don't have to *be* Jewish to have a Jewish background. My grandfather was raised as a Jew, and I'm proud of my Jewish heritage, but that doesn't mean I'm Jewish myself. Either way, saying "I have a Hebrew background" is fundamentally incorrect - you can't have a language as a background unless the language is also the name of the culture, which Hebrew is not.
Regarding Liam, what it boils down to is that it just isn't a Hebrew name at all, male or female. It's a shortening of William, and that's all.
Adding: The 'I have a people' meaning is what's known as a "reverse etymology" - it's a possible etymology thought up at a later date, for some reason. While the Hebrew etymology works in theory, it's still definitely not the correct etymology for the name Liam.
:-)
♦ Chrisell ♦
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
Regarding Liam, what it boils down to is that it just isn't a Hebrew name at all, male or female. It's a shortening of William, and that's all.
Adding: The 'I have a people' meaning is what's known as a "reverse etymology" - it's a possible etymology thought up at a later date, for some reason. While the Hebrew etymology works in theory, it's still definitely not the correct etymology for the name Liam.
:-)
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
This message was edited 9/6/2006, 11:10 PM
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No, we are not jewish, religion wise or culturally. The people in my family that speak Hebrew are actually Christian Germans and Irishmen. They just spoke as part of the Christian religion. I know, it is all very complicated.
I know Liam isn't a name in the Jewish/Hebrew sense, I was just stating what the people who did think it was a name used as their reason. I agree that someone can't just make up a meaning to make a name sound legit.
I know Liam isn't a name in the Jewish/Hebrew sense, I was just stating what the people who did think it was a name used as their reason. I agree that someone can't just make up a meaning to make a name sound legit.
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GIRLS
Zahara - Beautiful and exotic. Are you sure it's Hebrew? I thought it was Arabic. What's its Hebrew meaning?
Zahava is not on your list but I've always thought it was a cool Hebrew name. I think it means "golden".
BOYS
Caleb - I adore this name!
Daniel - It has a very nice sound.
Ephraim - This is another of my favorites. Too bad it's been so long since it was popular.
Elijah - Another favorite.
Elisha - I really like this name, but it does sound effeminate.
Ezra - Good and underused name.
Jacob - Great name, too popular.
Joshua - See Jacob.
Levi - Old-fashioned in a good way.
Malachi - Another name I adore!
Noam - I prefer this to Noah.
Samuel - Classic name. I like Sam as a nickname.
I also think Menahem (pronounced MEN-a-hem, I think) is cool. It has a nice meaning too ("comforter").
Zahara - Beautiful and exotic. Are you sure it's Hebrew? I thought it was Arabic. What's its Hebrew meaning?
Zahava is not on your list but I've always thought it was a cool Hebrew name. I think it means "golden".
BOYS
Caleb - I adore this name!
Daniel - It has a very nice sound.
Ephraim - This is another of my favorites. Too bad it's been so long since it was popular.
Elijah - Another favorite.
Elisha - I really like this name, but it does sound effeminate.
Ezra - Good and underused name.
Jacob - Great name, too popular.
Joshua - See Jacob.
Levi - Old-fashioned in a good way.
Malachi - Another name I adore!
Noam - I prefer this to Noah.
Samuel - Classic name. I like Sam as a nickname.
I also think Menahem (pronounced MEN-a-hem, I think) is cool. It has a nice meaning too ("comforter").
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Zahara is a form of Zehari or Zeharit that means "To shine, brightness."
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So, are Zohar and Zehari different versions of the same name? They have similar meanings.
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I think so, but I am not sure...this is just what I have found out through some internet research, wether that is very reliable or not.
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Zahara is a variation of Zohar (click link). Zahava means "gold" according to www.hebrewletters.com
♦ Chrisell ♦
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
This message was edited 9/6/2006, 11:00 PM
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Well, I guess Zahara/Zohara, is a Hebrew name. Do you know if Zahara has a meaning in Arabic?
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I don't know as much about Arabic, and I don't know of any good, reliable sites for Arabic names. It's possible that Zahara is also used in Arabic countries and comes from the same root as the Hebrew Zahara, as the cultures involved share a lot of history, and many Old Testament names occur in both cultures due to their shared religious history.
♦ Chrisell ♦
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
1
I have heard in Arabic in means "shining, luminous" and Zahra means "white flowers" in Arabic and Swahili.
This message was edited 9/6/2006, 11:21 PM
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