Why the NEED for english names?

Silver Member Joined: Mar 27 2012 Posts: 708

[quote="Ruchel"]

Active Poster Joined: Feb 16 2010 Posts: 39

everyone here assumes that their children love their Hebrew names. I go by my English name and I know plenty of frummies who do.

Some people here keep asking why it's a big deal to keep correcting people. Speaking personally, it's annoying and frustrating to constantly correct people. Who wants to do that for the the rest of their life? I don't. Please don't be so dismissive if this isn't your experience.

Active Poster Joined: Feb 16 2010 Posts: 39

everyone here assumes that their children love their Hebrew names. I go by my English name and I know plenty of frummies who do.

Some people here keep asking why it's a big deal to keep correcting people. Speaking personally, it's annoying and frustrating to constantly correct people. Who wants to do that for the the rest of their life? I don't. Please don't be so dismissive if this isn't your experience.

Would you change your LAST NAME if it was confusing to people, say Hochman or Katsnellenbogen?

Active Poster Joined: Feb 16 2010 Posts: 39

Actually, I DID change a confusing last name when I got married. If your child doesn't like or is inconvenienced by their Hebrew name being used as an English name, they will change it legally. You may not like that answer, but it is what it is.

Gold Member Joined: Jun 11 2008 Posts: 1974 Location: NJ

I go by my English name, always have. It is not a particularly difficult name to pronounce, but there are quite a few different spellings, some of which are similar in spelling to other names which are pronounced differently. Over the years, I have gotten called every version of my name under the sun, both socially (try that while on a date) and by drs. offices, business phone calls, etc. In social settings I am more likely to correct it (e.g. when I will have a future relationship of some sort with the person), in other circumstances, it depends on my mood or whether I think my correcting it will make a dent... That's life!

Ah the ignorance.

It has been a Jewish custom for close to (or possibly more than) two thousand years to give names that were not "Jewish". There are various reasons. Alexander is a good one for a point. The actual story is that Alexander of Macedonia was considered a "savior" of the Jews for many reasons and to honor him Jewish boys of his period started to be named Alexander. Eventually it was considered a "Jewish name".

But there are many other examples. Klonymus anyone? A real Jewish name...sure. Not. And what about those influenced by the greek like R. Tarfon? Anyone remember that tana?! How about Antigonus ish socho? Remember him? Good Jewish name, Antigonus..

And so on.

Why did it happen then? To honor, assimilation, to pass, BTs etc.. Why does it happen today? Same reasons. So many Israelis these days and not only the secular, are looking for names that will pass easily if the kid ends up in an English speaking country. Ah the joys of the Tom's (Tohm in Hebrew but who is kidding themselves) and the Ro=ee's (Roy anyone?) And what about Din (Dean) and Kristall (Crystal) and so on?

Religious Jews throughout the ages would give two or three names as Ruchel wrote. A purely Jewish one used in jewish ceremony, a secular one which was "to pass" and be used legally, particularly in countries in which there was a lot of halfway normal interaction between Jews and non-Jews (think: sixteenth century Italy, eighteenth century germany etc. NOT russia or the ukraine) And sometimes a third name which was in honor, in memory, a nickname etc.

Which is wny on a Get - for those of you who don't know it - they ask the man every single name he is called and sometimes it can have ten names on it, his religious name, his secular name, his nickname, his wife's pet name, his friends petname, his siblings names for him etc. I was once at a friend's get that it took the sofer five minutes just to write down all the names~

Anyhow Shabbat to answer your question, why the need for English names? Simple. To pass. To make life easier when living in a non Jewish country. Not to stand out immediately. To make life easier with the authorities.

Only someone who has gone through it can understand the tzurris, the difficulties, the discrimination and the hardship that a person with an "unusual" name can sometimes go through.The name of the game in life is to "fit in" as much as one can, and not to make waves. Life is much easier that way. There are enough things in which Jews HAVE to stand out. They dont have to make it harder for themselves then necessary. You haven't lived in Golus for a while and never had to function there as an adult in business, deal with bureaucracy and deal with overt antisemitism. Not everywhere is as diversity friendly as the greater metropolitan area of New York.
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"Olam Chessed Yiboneh", Tehilim 89.

Senior Member Joined: Sep 27 2006 Posts: 196

"They also didnt change their clothes or language and we obviously don't dress or speak like them."

We DO still dress and speak in a distinctively Jewish manner.

I think certain English names sound more Jewish than others. It's also a matter of what has become common and what we get used to. Karen sounds like a Jewish girl to me, but Krystal doesn't. Steven yes, Sean no.

To me Steven would be among the "more non jewish" names! If only because of the reference to being crowned the laurel crown! While Sean is Yochanan!

Karen is one sound away from Keren so yes it sounds Jewish. Krystal, well... if Golda, Oro, Zlata, Diamante, Simin, Esmeralda, Perel are Jewish, so is crystal.

I hear that. My point of reference is that a lot of Orthodox kids I grew up with were Karen and Steven, but no one was Krystal or Sean.

[quote="Raisin"]

Matthew is like Rebecca. Mattitiahu / Rivka.