Varaitions to the name chaya, or name that means life

having dealt with many life-death situations this pregnancy (two grandparents passing away, losing a twin fetus, car accident, husband having tumor which bh was found and iyh will be benign, and husband will be donating kidney soon...)I'd very much like to add the name chaya to our baby if it's a girl but my mil's name is chaya so I am looking for variations to the name in hebrew or yiddish.

Silver Member Joined: Sep 26 2010 Posts: 684

I'm sorry for your losses and refuah shelaima to your husband.
Bshaah tova-may you have a healthy baby. You can use the name chava-which means the same.

Platinum Member Joined: May 07 2008 Posts: 8963

Chava is about the only one, unless you don't mind Alta, which is Yiddish for "old" (I'd avoid that if you're a petite family, because it's also Spanish for "tall", lol!) or if you're into secular names, Vivienne or Zoe. Or Vida, which is Spanish for "life", and which people will think is short for Davida, or VIta, which will remind people of pickled herring.

Depending on your circles, you can use Yosepha.

You can also use Nechama since she brings you comfort.

B sha tova

Depending on your circles, you can use Yosepha.

You can also use Nechama since she brings you comfort.

B sha tova

How about something like:

Tikva-Hope
Bracha- blessing
Tehila-Thanks
Tova-good
Emunah-faith
Gila
Rina
Chedva-all related to joy
Ahuva- Beloved

I know its not exactly what you want but on the same track...

Silver Member Joined: Jul 26 2011 Posts: 805

I would hesitate to name chaya because I remember hearing somewhere that chayas have hard lives. this may be made up but if I were you I would look into it just to be sure.

Vida and Vita, indeed classics for Chaya among Sefardim.
Occasionally you find Vita and Vittush in Ashkenazic circles too.

Mama(le), so she grows up to have kids, Bubbe so she grows up to be a grandmother.
Some consider Gnana/Gnendel to be related to the idea of grandmother also.
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"It's all cultural, disagree respectfully", me

The baby will be a bracha and will bring you simcha after the difficult period you went through. Naming after special people will bring comfort. Not always necessary to add names.

once when I was on a date with my (no ex) husband, we were talking about names, and I told him that since I'm 14 yrs old, when my grandpa passed away, I planned to name my first son, after him... I was quickly made aware of two things, my grandpa's second name was the same as my x's second name, which was something I was able to deal with, at least I had the first name, until and my x said that my grandpa's first name was the same of his uncle.... you can imagine how uncomfortable this made him feel, and then I was feeling cheated. a name I've picked since I was 14....

at a later point, after I was married, I spoke to his aunt, husband of said uncle, and she told me that there was absolutly no problem to name a son with the first name of her husband, (same in english and hebrew by the way) and I felt so much better... can't remember if I told x, but in the end it didn't matter, b/c we're now ex-married, and no children in the picture, so I have my name back...

my main point was... talking with his aunt, and being told, "it's absolutely not a problem" made me feel a lot better oh, reason why it's not a problem, was b/c I was naming after my grandfather, not the uncle

so before you start looking for other ideas, maybe talk to your mother in law... b/c your not naming after your mother in law, you have a different reason
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Gold Member Joined: Dec 10 2009 Posts: 1390

Platinum Member Joined: Apr 12 2010 Posts: 5799

Some people have a minhag not to name the same name as a living family member, even if its not naming after them per se.

I have heard of the name CHAI. for a girl. Its almost chaya and its cute.
Chava is also nice.
Bracha, nechama are also nice not meaning life but still good for the situation (iykwim)

refuah shelaima to your dh and may this year be one of bracha and happiness.
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Platinum Member Joined: Mar 24 2008 Posts: 6528

I was also thinking of Nechama, I think it is a beautiful name.

(Having the same name as an Uncle or Great-Uncle is not a problem. My daughter has the same name as 2 aunts and 2 great aunts. But many non-sephardim have the minhag of not naming after a grand parent. )

Diamond Member Joined: Dec 07 2006 Posts: 3623

I think I've heard the name "Techiya" - I don't know much about it.
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Living grandparents is a segula for a long life for them in Sefardic and Mizrachi circles. It's a shaila to ask!
We are Ashkenazi but dd's first name is my living, bis 120, Sefardic grandma's.

I'm sorry.. I don't want to make this into an argument abt minhagim, all I wanted to say was that it can't hurt to talk to mother in law about the situation, maybe mother in law was "loosly" named for someone else, and that name can be used.

also, I just wanted to mention, that there's a custom, that when naming a child to have in mind, that your naming for one of the six million that we lost.... something my mom told me once

Gold Member Joined: Feb 12 2008 Posts: 2386

My family has used Chava instead of Chaya twice.

I gave my daughter the same name as my MIL but it wasn't my fault and entirely by accident.