r/JewishNames

My sister was born a couple of days ago. She is special for me because she is my only sister.

My mother is not feeling well, so I have to choose a name for her from the list that she made during the pregnancy.

But the list is very long, and I am confused. It is difficult to choose. Her brothers' names are Ariel, Lior, Erez, and Adir. Because we are Jewish I thought that this also would be good to ask because you would know more about the names.

Here are the names she wrote.

Ayala

Dafna

Dina

Golda

Hadas

Halleli

Kalanit

Keshet

Kinneret

Kitra

Lilach

Liraz

Lotem

Nili

Sapira

Shiri

Yaara

Yarden

We’re a very multi lingual family and live in a multi lingual place and husband and I cannot agree on boy names and I need more ideas to add to the list. The ones we end up agreeing on are the very classic and timeless ones. But then those ofc end up being soooo common. Idk how picky we can be about uniqueness with such stringent criteria but it is a bit annoying when it’s like… how many David’s do we know?

I like:
Simon
Benjamin
Lev
Ari

He likes:
Nathaniel
Raphael
Daniel

We both like:
Gabriel
Michael
David

Preferably no J names. I do like Joel and Jacob but my husband is not into them. Also no gender neutral names.

Edit: the languages are French, English, and Portuguese. Also I’m petitioning for the middle name to be Lev so maybe keep this in mind as well lol.

We are having two daughters. Their older siblings are named David and Nili. We live in Australia and we have chosen the middle names. They will be Hannah and Dahlia, after Hannah Szenes and Dahlia, or Dalia Ravikovitch, open to either spelling.

We like Esther, I have always liked that name. So that is one of the favourites. We also both like Yuval, Rosa, Tzofia, Liel or Lielle, and Shaina. My husband also likes Naomi, I’m not sure about it, and likewise, I like Tamar, he isn’t sure.

We have also thought of Romi, but I’m not sure if the name Romy becoming more popular would mean that it would get constantly confused. Mila was another idea, after my great grandmother, who was Lyudmila, but it’s on and off for me. And I love Shiri but Shiri and Nili is pretty terrible.

It is made more difficult by having two together because sometimes I feel like they don't sound right together as well. I like our options so far, but I think we are out of any more ideas, as well which ones to use together.

Does anyone know anyone named Avigail/Avigayil in the US? I’d assume most Americans would struggle with the pronunciation. Wondering if they go by nicknames like Vivi or Avi (or is Avi weird for a girl since it means my father)?

What do you prefer out of Varda, Shoshana, and Vered?

This would be for my little sister, if she is a sister!

All of these names mean rose, which would be after a family member who was named Rose, or Raizel.

We have come up with some things for the second name, if that would make a difference as well with how they seem together. And sibling names, although I feel like they all go well! But I like them all so I am not very impartial to that.

This came up for me and my husband as a possible middle name for our baby girl. There is a very prominent woman in the Hispanic/Sephardic Jewish community named Noelia. I was intrigued by that, since I like the name, but always associated it with “Noel”. I did a little research, and learned that is sometimes considered a variant of the Hebrew name “Noa”. Anyway, curious as to how others of Hispanic/Sephardic descent view this name.

Hello 😊

My parents are expecting a baby, who will be a girl. They've been naming in alphabetical order, and her letter will be M. I can also give the sibling names if that would make a difference?

This is actually a difficult letter but all together we came up with five names. Her middle names will be two of four, Tamar, Karni, Roni, and Ruth.

Masha

Meital

Meira

Margalit

Meirav

Thank you for any assistance ♥ Reasons being included would be the most helpful because then you understand why.

Hi, if anyone has names that aren't strictly feminine relating to the moon, light, stars, luminaries, similar things, for a young man wanting to change his name I'd appreciate a lot hearing them. Even the Spanish version of any of these would be great, as I'm bilingual speak more Spanish than English, slightly. For example a name like Gabriel is in my considerations for being easy to pronounce in Spanish, Uri and Uriel are favorites too, Ariel is a common name that I like where I'm from just for reference though I wouldn't use it. Anything helps, thank you!

Our first daughter is Clara Lia and I need ideas. Names we like

Anna
Leora
Eliana (but maybe too flowery)
Rachel
Maya

(Please be kind, am currently going through a lot emotionally right now.)

I'm not sure how to explain this situation, so I'll try to break it down clearly.

I've never been comfortable with my English name or my Hebrew name. (My Hebrew name includes my English name.) Neither name has ever felt like me, but I've never exactly been able to pinpoint why. Or even what other names might resonate better. They've just always subtly felt wrong.

Recently, I moved far away from my biological family. Got a new therapist. Having been working out some stuff. It's been tough, but manageable. Then March happened. My husband got injured and needed surgery. My cat got really sick and I almost lost her. Finances got desperate. And still, we were expected to make the trek back to my parents' house for Passover.

The visit was bad. Surviving that and coming home nearly broke me. But since then, unpacking everything that's happened (before the visit, during, after, as well as long-standing patterns and behaviors that have shaped my life), I've been learning a lot about family dynamics (especially glass child syndrome), emotional neglect, and (most recently) being raised by a narcissist parent.

That last bit is the important bit. For whatever reason, I only recently learned my parents' Hebrew names.

My mother named me after herself.

Both my English name and my Hebrew name come from her Hebrew name.

I am so massively uncomfortable and upset about this. And I don't know what to do about it.

First, based on our traditions, knowing I was named after a living person just feels so wrong. Then there's the fact that my name(s) feel like a vanity stamp. (And to be honest, it's not just me. In various ways, some more subversive than others, she named all of her children after herself.)

I don't know what to do. I'm multiple decades old. The thought of changing my English name (and all the accompanying paperwork) is overwhelming. Plus, like I said, I've never had a replacement name in mind. As for my Hebrew name, there's an incoming new rabbi to my synagogue, but they don't start for a few months. I don't even know if or how one goes about changing their Hebrew names.

And, of course, if I do go ahead with any name changes, there will be the pushback. The guilt trips. The emotional manipulation. I will be cast as the villain. Whatever I do or don't do, I can't win.

I feel trapped and alone. I don't know what to do or where to start.

Any advice, encouragement, or suggestions are welcome.

Hi! My husband and I think the name Dvir is so cool. I am due this year with our third. Don't know what it is yet. Our first two are Oren and Ayla. I was wondering, would Dvir be pronounceable by non-Jews in the US? Will my child have to correct everybody forever? Are there any Dvirs on here who can tell me their experience outside of Israel? Does it even have the same vibe as our first two?! Any help would be so nice!

For a girl, we are both loving the name Neta, just to give an idea of our vibe.

Also open to any other names you think we'd like! (Not open to Ilan, Lior, Lavi, Shai, Eyal, Ilai, Neri, or Roni).

My wife and I are expecting a son, our first child, in June. We are struggling to find a name which we both love. We would like a Hebrew name that is either the same in Hebrew and English or easily translated between the two. It can be, but doesn’t necessarily need to be, biblical. We would love some suggestions from Reddit to maybe find a name we both love which we haven’t thought of yet!

To the extent feasible, it would be great to use a name beginning in R or H to honor relatives, but it isn’t critical.

Thank you in advance!

I’m looking for Hebrew names for a girl to honor a Raymond. I’d prefer something that is similar in meaning, instead of just sharing a first letter. I’m okay with more modern Israeli names, as long as it’s paired with something traditional. The name will be used exclusively for ritual purposes. Thank you for your help!

Looking for help with a Hebrew name for my daughter. I like the names Pnina and Paz but I also would love to highlight Faye since that is really who she’s named after - Franklin.

What do you think of Atara? What community does it belong to in Israel? Any feedback is appreciated 💝

Final list of girl name options

I am about to have a girl and we have narrowed it down to these names (first and middle name combos). Which do you like the best or least?

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