What do you think of this girl name? What will others think?

Karen Elise sounds like a Jewish girl.
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"Often the things you worry about don't happen but other stuff does."
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Speaking as a BT, I chose to name my children with Hebrew names only, two each. The main reason, aside from expressing our heritage, is that it is very important for me to stand out from the non jewish world I come from and put my children in a place where they will fit in as Jews, FFBs (thank G-d), and no one will wonder if they are BTs later on in life. Is it my issue that I am trying to fix through my children? Of course. But is it wrong? How could it be? I am giving them names founded in Judaism, to lead a Jewish life. There can't be anything wrong with that.

So, if OP has a similar line of thinking, your second choice of names exactly what I would go with. If you don't care, you don't care. But if you didn't, you probably wouldn't have started this post...?

And for other people, a name represents who you are. It's nice to choose wisely, especially as Jews, because no one needs more Hollywood-crazy names like Apple walking to the chuppah.

Platinum Member Joined: Nov 01 2009 Posts: 8184

Before I converted to Yiddishkeit, I had to change what the world would know me by from a non jewish name (oy, don't ask!) to a Hebrew name. Although I couldn't stand my non jewish name, the thought of suddenly walking into the world with a new name - even one of my own choosing - was beyond eerie! And yet, my holy Rebbetzin Chaya Zaltzman ob"m insisted that I choose the name of MY NESHAMA... she insisted that the neshama needs to be called a holy name for that is who a Jew is - a mini Beis Hamikdash right inside of us housed in our neshama. Would we call our shul "The Joint?" or "Da Crib?" or "Esta Casa?" Would we even go to a shul such as this? Would it even be a shul?

My Rebbetzin explained to me that when Hashem needs to find us, to send us brachot, to help us, to be with us, He finds us by our names. And although He is the all-knowing G-d who will always find us anywhere and everywhere (even if our name is Sheniqua or Maria Latoya Josiqua Gonzalez), would we want Him to call us by those names? Or by the names of His holy chosen people? The answer seems obvious.

I agree that the name that rings to you - Carolina Elise - is stunning! It sounds so beautiful! Seriously! Like a song! Wow! It's gorgeous! But would you want Hashem to find your daughter's neshama by a non-holy albeit beautiful name or by a holy one of His People, His Nation, His Chosen Children? Indeed your daughter would stand out in a frum community with such a name, and it would not be in a good way. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are mere humans, and humans pass judgment even if we shouldn't. Such a name would identify your daughter as being on the outside looking in... and when Hashem would look for her, He would have to go to a non-Jewish address.

There are soooooooooo many beautiful Hebrew names out there with intense meaning that symbolize not just a beautiful phonetic sound such as Carolina Elise, but a story, an arrival, a miracle that your child will IY"H be. The name Matana (for example) - a name I would have named my third daughter if I would have been blessed with one - means "gift." I named my daughters Chana Bracha (which means "Graceful Blessing" which she is when she's not being her teenage-self!) and Chaya Shira (which means "Life Song," and that she certainly is!).

Find a name for her neshama, not her guf (physical body), so that she can be connected to that part of her inner self - her neshamaleh - and always be connected to her People, Hashem's Chosen Children not from the outside looking in....

Mazal Tov! May she bring you endless and pure Yiddishe nachas!
B'Sha'a Tova!

Gold Member Joined: Dec 25 2008 Posts: 2032

English names of some of the frummest people I know:

emma ashley
ian scott
elizabeth may

Platinum Member Joined: Nov 04 2008 Posts: 7894

I can only imagine my reaction if someone had told me to change my name Smile

Not happening!
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Platinum Member Joined: Nov 04 2008 Posts: 7894

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They are not only not totally secular, they are not secular. Similar to Aramaic, which is considered holy according to halacha.

Torah shebksav was given in Lashon haKodesh. Torah sheb'al peh was given in Aramaic. And Toras haChassidus was revealed in Yiddish, the language of the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezritsch, the Rebbeim of Chabad and other Chassidic dynasties, R. Levi Yitzchak Berditchever, other holy Tzaddikim, in which they spoke their Torah.
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Zogt Toras Emes, Toras Chaim, Horaah BaChaim: KER A VELT HEINT!

I still fail to see who said (nowadays) not to give a Jewish name to a girl. If you give one, that will be the soul's "address", whether there is or not a secular name. The whole point is something everyone agrees here, including OP, and as far as I know all rabbanim, so what's the goal?

Beginner Joined: Mar 15 2009 Posts: 15

my great aunt's name when she came to the US in 1900 was Carolina. She came here at age 4 with her family from Austria. Her teachers changed it to Kate..she went by Katie all her life. Her Hebrew name on her ketubah was Kayla.