Uncommon Name | Imamother

amother

Moonstone

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 5:34 pm

amother Chambray wrote:

No way. It's not fair to the child. The only one I would consider is Zelda. It just has a very normal soundingness to it. The others are really bad.

I mean, you would call your child Yenta? Shprintzy? Are you aware of those connotations?

amother

Tuberose

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 5:41 pm

amother Stone wrote:

There are certain uncommon names which are common in certain families or communities. My grandfather's name was uncommon but now that he has 20 grandsons named after him it's not so uncommon. Plus there are couple of well known people with that name.

Twenty grandsons ? Or great grandsons ?

amother

Cobalt

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 5:45 pm

amother Moonstone wrote:

What’s wrong with Yenta or Shprintzy? I know people with both names. I also know a couple of zushas, another name mentioned in this thread. And I know Gnendy, and Fradel/Frady, Hentchy, Hody, Elke, Hindy, Zlata, and Faigy.

And I actually did give one of my kids a very unusual name given my community, it’s obscure and biblical and I think might fit in better with the Israeli DL crowd.

This shows its very much community wise on what is called weird/strange and uncommon.
Where I lived Faigy, Fraidy, Hindy are normal names most likely wont have one in every class or even in every 2 classes but no one will bat an eyelid if you called your child that name maybe even elky. But a name like Shprintza, Gnendy there will be maybe on or 2 in the large community or even city and no one was called Zlata, Zusha or Henchy as far as I know.
Where I live now you may get one or 2 hindys or faigys and the one of the few chassidims in the area recently called their child Elky.

amother

DarkGray

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 5:49 pm

There are ugly names. That's a No No. Uncommon is a whole other story. Lately I have been hearing younger couples naming their children names that are uncommon but very pretty.

amother

Blush

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 5:52 pm

I've heard of kids with uncommon names that are named after a relative. It's actually pretty usual to do so in my community (Chabad), and most people realize that an unusual name is usually a family name.
The only time I wouldn't use it is if I actually didn't like the name.

kenz

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 6:03 pm

Comptroller wrote:

Maybe you can find a variation - like Noya for Yaffa/Shaindy or Simcha for Fradchen. Genendel is probably the russian spelling of hindy - ayala. Shprinze is from esperanza - hope - tikva.

ETA:
Zelda seems to be a female form of Selig - and could be translated Bracha or Simcha

I think Yaffa and Shaindy are far more common than Noya, at least in the US.

B'Syata D'Shmya

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 10:13 pm

amother OP wrote:

What about an uncommon Yiddish name? Like Shprintza, Yenta, Genendel, or Zelda? Or Zusha? (I happen to know people with all of those names, and I like them very much! But the names aren't common.)
Or a very uncommon one, like Fradchin?

Naming Yenta is horrible, and I voted yes in theory, The name itself means "noble"but commonly its understood as a busybody. I would have hated it. For a second name ok but dont expect her to use it unless she is super-self confident.
Zelda and calling her Zeldy or Zelly can be cute.
Genendel is Chana so you may want to use that. (like pple use Shoshana for Raizel),
Zusha means sweet so its nice as a second name.
Fradchin can be expensive considering the amount of therapy she will need. As a second name - perhaps.

amother

Oldlace

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 10:19 pm

amother OP wrote:

No no no no no. I have a one of those weird Yiddish names and was extremely embarrassed as a child. I go by my English name but for Jewish subjects my teachers insisted on calling me by my “Hebrew” (Yiddish) name and I was so so embarrassed.

I have an uncommon Hebrew middle name and I actually think it’s very pretty.

But something about those Yiddish names… at least in my community they’re the names that are used in the made up stories and always in a bad way. Like people say them like they’re so so funny no one would ever actually be called that…. Except some people really are and it’s mean to make fun of names like that.

lol I obviously feel very passionate about this.
I wanted to change my name so badly when I was younger but now that I’m older I’ve gotten over it but still would never actually want anyone to call me by that name.

WhatFor

Mon, Apr 08 2024, 10:33 pm

Op, the names you gave as examples are unfortunately often used when people make up stories with "silly" names. I wouldn't use a name that's often looked down on and mocked. That's very different from just using a unique name, which can have no such connotation and might sound beautiful.

amother

Apple

Tue, Apr 09 2024, 2:17 am

We don't give names that don't work in our circles.
So my non frum grandmother's name which was Yiddish and which she was never called by, got Hebraicized.
My parents put zero pressure on us. They don't comment at all on what we name our kids. We also will give the female version of a male's name and vice versa (most of my cousins have done this too)
It's very common in our circles.

salt

Tue, Apr 09 2024, 4:19 am

amother DarkGray wrote:

There are ugly names. That's a No No. Uncommon is a whole other story. Lately I have been hearing younger couples naming their children names that are uncommon but very pretty.

Ugly is subjective.
For example the first time I heard the name Avishag in Israel, I thought that's an ugly, guttural and non-feminine sounding name.
But some people must like it. I've since come across several Avishags.
I think I decided I don't like names with a gimmel.
So that would be a no-no with me, but doesn't mean I would recommend against anyone using it.

amother

Phlox

Tue, Apr 09 2024, 4:31 am

First of all, I find it very important and meaningful to name after someone. We did, with all our kids, baruch Hashem.
I don't mind uncommon names.
I do believe every Jewish child should have a Hebrew name (even more so, since we live in Israel). That's why a few of our kids have a Yiddish middle name (after a relative), with their first name being a Hebrew version of the name, or a Hebrew name otherwise related to the name.
The question is, is it a name you really dislike or that you think the child will be embarrassed by? If so, I would probably either give a different version of the name, if that's possible, or give it as a middle name.

rivkie123

Tue, Apr 09 2024, 4:49 am

salt wrote:

Same! I decided that I don't mind gimmel in the middle like avigayil but I don't like it at the end like avishag and almog

Comptroller

Tue, Apr 09 2024, 5:01 am

kenz wrote:

I think Yaffa and Shaindy are far more common than Noya, at least in the US.

Well, Yaffa is a sefardi grandma name in Israel. Simcha too, actually. And Shaindy is a yiddish great-grandma name...

It's true that Noya is more uncommon, but a nice way of re-interpreting "Yaffa" or "Shaindi".

Comptroller

Tue, Apr 09 2024, 5:05 am

amother Pearl wrote:

Is Fradchen a name? Did you mean Fradel?

Uncommon yiddish names are fine in chassidish circles and ok in yeshivish as middle names.

Not gonna fly in modern circles.

I suppose it is the same as Fradel, just with the more German diminutive -chen.

Actually, it could be both Shlomit or Simcha, because it is not very clear whether it is from "peace" or from "joy".