Brenna? Yiddish name? Name changing?

If I'm told my Bubbie's Hebrew name is Baila Brenna what does Brenna mean? Could they have meant Braina? I'm pretty sure it is Yiddish.

If I'm told her mother's name is Ronia (Ronya?) as in rhymes with Sonia have you heard that name before? I'm having trouble looking them up.

My family can't remember anything Mad

I was also told a greatgrandfather was called Hymie so I asked "was his Hebrew name Chaim?" and was answered with a "probably".

More confusion: I always called myself bat Tamar because that is my mother's Hebrew name. Well now she is calling herself Tamar Esther. Her middle name is Elizabeth (she has an secular first name she goes by too). She said her mother always called her Esther Shmester which she thought was a joke until she decided it must be her second Hebrew name. So am I now bat Tamar Esther?
My mother did this with my middle name as well...I don't want to give myself away, but let's pretend my middle name was always Michelle. Well one day she told me I was Michal. And I said you can't just make up a name similar to my name and she said that Michal was her grandmother's name and she had always named me that in her heart.....although she never told anyone about it before.

Posted: Thu, Feb 05 2009, 3:56 am Post subject:

For your mother's name confusion, what does her Ketubah say?

As for Ronia, my Big Book of Ashkenazi Names says it's a derivative of Rone/Rona. It might be from Veronica or Verona. There are two other possible names it was taken from, but the characters are in Cyrillic and I don't have that on my computer. I think it's Rona, Ronye and Ronia.
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Posted: Thu, Feb 05 2009, 4:21 am Post subject:

Posted: Thu, Feb 05 2009, 4:31 am Post subject:

Baila Brenna is PROBABLY Baila Bryna.
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Posted: Thu, Feb 05 2009, 4:49 am Post subject:

Posted: Thu, Feb 05 2009, 4:59 am Post subject:

Posted: Thu, Feb 05 2009, 5:22 am Post subject:

Bryna is pronounced probably the same way as how you spelled it (Braina), although I've never seen it spelled that way.

I as in ice cream, a as in aahhh! Or in Yiddish I suppose Bryne, with the e as in eh?

Breyna is "brunette". I have never seen Bryna but I suppose it's an American way of showing the sound like in high, thigh...

Baila is from "Bella", Ladino "beautiful". Breyna is from German.

Baile and Breyne are used too (with a -eh in the end, NOT the trendy -ee/I thing, at least in Europe Yiddish...).
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Posted: Thu, Feb 05 2009, 7:53 am Post subject:

"Breyne" to me would have an "a" sound. Like pray/prey, gray/grey/ bray/brey... (no, brey is not a valid spelling for bray, it's just to make the point).

I know 2 brynas, (prbably more) and it is pronounced "ai" as in high. also Breindel.

breindel is a pet form but often the name on the ketuba is Breyna (I suppose not always)

Diamond Member Joined: Sep 16 2007 Posts: 4185

I know of a Bronya (rhymes with sausage) - no idea if it's the same name.
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I don't think the name is Bryna/Braina then. It definitely sounds like Brenna. Bren rhymes with men, na rhymes with ma.

I always learned that Baila is Bilah, not Bella and means white.

Posted: Thu, Feb 05 2009, 11:53 am Post subject:

My DH's grandmother was Bella in English & Baila Bryna in Hebrew/Yiddish.

Executive Member Joined: Jul 13 2010 Posts: 401

breindel?