What are the most unusual first names in your family tree?

amother

↑ Cobalt

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 2:14 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

My ancestor’s last name was Schul and was from the town Ponevezh. But all Jews are ethnically related somewhere down the line, so even if we don’t share this ancestor we definitely do share some somewhere! Smile

It is possible that the name was popular for that time and place... I love genealogy. Literally soak it up.
Re Jews being related, it's possible even multiple times over, and from just being the progeny of 70 the souls who entered Eqypt.

amother

↑ Linen

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 2:38 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Such an interesting list! Never heard of a lot of them. Also never would have thought of Hillel as unusual. So funny

Re Hillel, never though of it as unusual either, since it's a name in our family. My brother is named Hillel, and then all my aunts have a Hillel. All have an added name to it, and interestingly enough, they're all called on both names or just Hillel.

It may not be a very common name, but definitely not uncommon. I think it's a very unique name and happen to like it.

amother

Burgundy

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 2:46 pm

amother [ Cobalt ] wrote:

I gotta say I'm taken by surprise to see that name. It is the one name I was going to write, and was just scrolling down, reading 'till the end of the thread.

Jewish Geneology... there you go. We are not just a religion. WE ARE FAMILY!

We actually have several Zorachs in the family... named after different people on different sides of the family!
Our family tree also includes Yatchka (we assume it was a nickname for Yachet), Meryl (a Yiddish name, not English), and Sinai.

amother

Gold

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 2:48 pm

amother [ Silver ] wrote:

Yetta

It may be unusual now, but there was a time and place when everyone had a Yetta, Ida, and Tillie in the family. We had them all, plus a Hattie.

amother

Ivory ↓

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 3:07 pm

amother [ Smokey ] wrote:

I'm anonymous bec this name will identity me. Paltiel. My great great grandfather was Paltiel. My uncle was Paltiel and now my little nephew bears this unique name.

I know 2 Paltiels. Not related. 2 different countries, one chassidish and one Litvish.

amother

Blonde

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 3:12 pm

turca wrote:

Tuna/tunee is a nickname for Mazal/fortune

I wonder how that nickname came about! Any idea? Maybe a play on Mazal Tov?

amother

Magenta

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 3:20 pm

amother [ Purple ] wrote:

Vichna was DHs grandmother-not Rebbitzen Kaplan. Yospa is another name in DHs family. So is Lapidos Chlavna for a man. He has a cousin named Lapidos Chlavna but he is called by a secular name.

I have a relative Chalavna Lapidos.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 3:31 pm

amother [ Blonde ] wrote:

I wonder how that nickname came about! Any idea? Maybe a play on Mazal Tov?

I know Fortuna is a Moroccan or maybe Sephardi in general first name

amother

Ginger

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 3:38 pm

The name Pia that was mentioned- is it pronounced pee-ah or pie-ah?

amother

Dodgerblue ↓

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 3:40 pm

amother [ Ginger ] wrote:

The name Pia that was mentioned- is it pronounced pee-ah or pie-ah?

We have a Paya pronounced pie-ah

amother

↑ Pearl

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 3:45 pm

amother [ Ginger ] wrote:

The name Pia that was mentioned- is it pronounced pee-ah or pie-ah?

Rhymes with Chaya.

Ruchel ↓

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 7:14 pm

amother [ Blonde ] wrote:

I wonder how that nickname came about! Any idea? Maybe a play on Mazal Tov?

No, Fortuna

amother

Apricot ↓

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 9:31 pm

amother [ Firebrick ] wrote:

We have
Ducia
Donya
Eska
If you have those names in your family we are definitely cousins!

These are all names in the (fairly well known) extended Tress family

shanie5

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 10:14 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

Bedanna

I have a cousin Bedana. I always wondered where the name came from.

Chasya is a family name
So is Ziskind

amother

Taupe

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 10:16 pm

I have a niece named Shensha Greena (and I can't say that without adding "the poor kid")

amother

Amethyst ↓

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 10:21 pm

Pina Rella

Her sisters tend to call her Cinderella

tigerwife

Tue, Oct 06 2020, 10:25 pm

What does the name Rella mean (a few people mentioned it)? I like the sound of it.