| When we named our kids, we tried to follow "tradition". See how
far it got us.
Our son's middle name is Samuel (Sh'muayl) after my grandfather.
Reason it's not his first name - my wife couldn't stand having a
kid called Sammy.
Our daughter's name is Michelle. We liked the name; it began with
"M" after my wife's great grandmother, Molly (Molkka). WE THOUGHT!
Only later did we find out, just in time for the naming, that the
Hebrew name should be (and is) Freda Molkka.
/Ed
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| We Jews have different naming traditions and conventions: Ashkenazim
tend to name their children in remembrance of some relative or dear-one
that passed away. Sometimes, if the deceassed had more than a single
name, it was used to shange the order of the names. As such we had
a full dinasty of Rabbi's beginning with Shneur-Zalman, followed
with Zalman-Shneur, followed by...
One exponent was the late Israeli President SHAZAR (Shazar stands
for SHneur ZAlman Rabinovich).
Sefardic Jews, on the contrary, use to name children for living
relatives, considering a bad omen to give a child the name of someone
that passed away too young.
In Biblical times, it seems that no particular rule was followed
but to try to give a name with a particular meaning, according either
to the situation or feelings of the parents:
Reuben: See all, it's a boy!
Moshe: from the waters I saved him
Hava: mother of life
Joakim: The Lord shall raise him, etc.
In later times, we see the influence of the surroundings and Jews
having two names: Yehuda Aristobulus, Johanan Hircanus,
Yedidyah=Theophilos i.e.: Filon, of Alexandria, etc.
Foreign names were also adopted:
Mordecai, related to Marduch.
Esther, related to Ashtoret (Middle Eastern Canaanite Gods), etc.
If we look at the names of our forefathers, a few generations ago,
we can find traces of every where Jews have been:
Luna, Blanca, Palomba Spanish names among Turkish Jews;
Yente (Gentile), Perl, Gute, Freidl, Yiddish names among Polish
and East European Jews, etc.
My conclusion after this lenghty "Essay" is that Jews CHANGED their
naming traditions with time and place, and is very difficult - if
possible- to define what the right name should be.
Here in Israel most people went back to the very early naming
tradition: We find Itamar (May he grow tall as a palm), Rony (my
Joy), etc.
So perhaps my advise, give your child a name you'll be proud of,
aname your dear ones would have smiled with the sound and the music
of it - and let our children keep the names of their ancestors in
their harts.
Juan-Carlos
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