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Art by JoAnne Cooper

In Praise
Of Names

Baby naming practices have
changed over the years, and
differ between Ashkenazim
and Sephardim.

IIIIIMIMIR

■ 11111 ■ 111111M

ELAINE A. RICHMAN

Special to The Jewish News

202

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1988

B

estowing a name upon
a child holds great
meaning for most of
us. All expectant parents are
familiar with the query,
"What names have you se-
lected?" and we regard the
task as one of the most
weighty of all pre-birth
responsibilities. Some of us
choose names according to
the rules of our faith while
others choose according to a
belief that names reflect
character.
The names I selected for
my children, while they were
still in utero, did not please
my husband. I liked Ivan for
a boy and Eva for a girl. The
"v" sound must hold a strong
appeal for me because we
eventually agreed on David
for our first born.
We did not adhere to the
Jewish tradition of naming a
child after a deceased or
living family member; in-
stead, we wanted a name that
sounded strong and uncom-
plicated. So it was David for
our first child and Matthew
for our second. Easy to
remember, biblical but con-
temporary, slightly ethnic yet
widely used. Our experience
raised questions about the

traditions and trends in the
naming of Jewish children.
Jews of ancient times con-
sidered an individual's name
to be as much a part of his or
her being as the body or char-
acter. As a result, it was be-
lieved that naming a child
after a living person would
transfer the essence of the
first owner to the second,
with the result that the first
would cease to exist.
lb some, similar rules ap-
plied to giving a child the
name of a deceased relative.
lb name after a departed an-
cestor would obliterate the
soul and the remembrance of
the departed and cause his or
her soul to forsake its peace-
ful place in heaven. Therefore,
two people of the same fami-
ly could never share a name.
In the Talmudic period,
naming practices changed.
The belief developed that by
giving a child the name of an
ancestor, the memory of the
deceased could be kept alive.
The practice of naming after
a living relative also changed.
It was considered an honor to
know that one's memory was
assured. Hence, throughout
the Talmudic period there was
no hesitancy in naming chil-

dren after departed ancestors,
living parents, grandparents,
other relatives or friends.
Today, many Jews, Ashken-
azim and Sephardim, sub-
scribe to naming practices
that developed in the post-
Talmudic period. Among
Sephardim, children may be
named after a living person,
including occasionally calling
a son by the name of his
father while the father is still
alive. Ashkenazim generally
do not name a child after a
living relative because of the
belief in the absolute identity
of the soul with the name, and
the superstition that the
Angel of Death might con-
fuse living relatives who
share the same name.
A name for a child may
instead be selected because it
is the same as that of a de-
ceased relative, or because it
contains the same first letter
of the deceased's secular or
Hebrew name, or even be-
cause it rhymes with the
name of an ancestor. One
local rabbi knows of Barry
and Howie, both named after
grandfather Harry. The rabbi
also tells of using the same
beginning sound of a name,
such as Phillip to honor a

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