Jewish Naming Practices

Advice and traditions on how to choose a baby name

A child's name is significant in forming her identity; going through life as either Mackenzie or Maayan will probably affect her in many ways. Luckily, Jewish tradition offers some guidelines for how to choose a meaningful name. All of these fall under the banner of custom or tradition--not law--so feel free to view the suggestions below as just that: suggestions. Pick what works for you.

One Name or Two?

Perhaps you--like many parents of Jewish kids in America--are looking to give your child both an English name and a Jewish name. You might want those names to be somehow connected (either by their meaning or their sound), or you might not be too concerned with making them "match."

Either way, it's helpful to think about when exactly you plan to use the Jewish name (most likely a Hebrew name, though you might choose one that is Yiddish or Ladino). If your child's Jewish name will mostly be used in synagogue contexts, you might not be too concerned with how pronounceable it will be for kids on the playground. But if you plan to use your child's Jewish name more regularly--or make it his only name--you might want to consider whether certain sounds will make his life complicated.

Naming After Relatives

You might have heard that Jews do not name their babies for living people. While this is true in most communities of Ashkenazic Jews (Jews of Central and Eastern European origin), the opposite is the case among Sephardic Jews (Jews of Iberian or Middle-Eastern origin), who often choose to name children after living relatives.

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