To use the Hebrew version?

Executive Member Joined: May 22 2012 Posts: 475

Thinking of names for upcoming baby.
If it's a boy, we want to name for my grandfather whom I really adored.
I have a little brother that's already named for him - I prefer not to have my kid with same exact name as my brother, specially since it's not a common name. And also it's a Yiddish name, and I MUCH prefer the Hebrew version of it.
Another thing is, my grandfather was named after his great-grandfather. Recently I found out that officially his great-grandfathers name was actually the Hebrew version.
So that makes me feel a bit better about switching it back to Hebrew, but not completely because that's not what my grandfather - whom I want to honor was named.

What's your opinion on naming in someone's honor, but switching the Yiddish name to the Hebrew version?

Posted: Sun, Jun 24 2012, 2:29 pm Post subject: re: To use the Hebrew version?

What about something like Menachem Mendel
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Gold Member Joined: May 09 2010 Posts: 2161

I have no qualms about it at all whatsoever, especially since there are plenty of Yiddish names that have, to modern ears, very harsh sounds, but are beautiful in Hebrew. Shprintza to Tikva anyone?

*shrug*. I think it's really a personal preference.
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Posted: Sun, Jun 24 2012, 3:37 pm Post subject: re: To use the Hebrew version?

like ruchel said. Many boys names are the yiddish and hebrew in one. eg Shlomo zalman, dov ber, Aryeh leib. Call him that and use the hebrew name,

Senior Member Joined: Dec 17 2011 Posts: 221

I know that this is not always the popular opinion, but my feeling is that you don't need to name the exact name to be naming for someone. Translating from Yiddish to Hebrew, or English to Hebrew or Yiddish, or using a name that is similar but not the same--it all counts, according to me.

We named my daughter after my great aunt, who had no children of her own. We did not like her name, and did not want to use it. I asked my mother (who thought of my great aunt as a second mother) if the Hebraicized version of my great aunt's name would feel to her like we were naming after my great aunt, and she said it would. So we named her that, and I feel great about it.

But I know this is a minority opinion.