What's
in a
amen
JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER
Jewish parents break an American trend
by sticking with traditional names.
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hoshanna Indenbaum's are now giving that name to their
parents felt the same sons as opposed to 6 percent in the
way.
1970s. This means people are nam-
When Michael and ing their children many different
Leslye Indenbaum of names, he said.
Franklin were expecting
"This is a recent change that has
their firstborn in 1990, occurred in the last few decades," he
Rose, Michael's late grandmother, said, adding that preppy names like
was a top contender in the name Taylor, Tyler and Kaitlyn have
game.
climbed the popularity charts while
But Michael's sister had already more traditional names have sunk.
laid claim to Rose if she were to "People now want something
have a girl. So the Indenbaums unique."
sought something different.
Americans have also gotten away
At the time Leslye was taking from the concept of naming children
a Hebrew class and
for relatives. In
learned that a class-
colonial New Eng-
mate's Hebrew name
land, the Quakers
What's in
was Shoshana, mean-
would frequently
ing Rose.
name their chil-
a
name?
"I got really excit-
dren for relatives.
That which we But since that
ed," she said. "We
couldn't agree on a
call a rose by
time, more babies
girls `R' name. Be-
are being named
any other name preppy
sides, this was a pret-
names or
would smell
ty and yet not a
for favorite televi-
popular name."
sion characters, Dr.
as sweet.
Since that time the
Evans said.
couple have had an-
Romeo and Juliet
"This is defi-
other child, Alyssa
nitely something
by
Hannah, and are ex-
you can trace to
William Shakespeare
pecting another on
the culture," Dr.
Rosh Hashanah.
Evans said, noting
The names in con-
that the resur-
tention are Seth Meyer and Lily gence in popularity of the name
Anne.
Brandon can be tied to a character
The Indenbaums are part of a on the television show "Beverly
new trend in the history of baby Hills 90210."
names. In the past few decades,
But while Americans as a whole
Americans have been leaning less are turning less to traditional
on old standbys and turning more names, Ruth Beresh has seen a shift
to unique names, said Dr. Cleve- in Jewish parents in naming their
land Evans, director of the Ameri- children. Jews have almost always
can Name Society.
named their children for relatives,
For example, the most popular but in the past few decades parents
name in America is still Michael, would give their child a name with
but under 3 percent of new parents the same first initial but with a more
The following lists come from Dr. Cleveland Evans,
author of Unusual and Most Popular Baby Names"
Top 10 girls names in the United States
in 1993 (preliminary)
1. Ashley - Old English for "meadow with
ash trees"
2. Jessica - Feminine form of Jesse, Hebrew
for "God exists"
3. Brittany - French bretange for a region
settled by Celtic refugees
4. Sarah - Hebrew for "princess"
5. Kaitlyn - Irish Gaelic form of Cateline,
which is the old French form of Katherine
6. Emily - Roman clan name, "rival"
7. Samantha - American, combination of
Samuel, Hebrew for "name of God," and an-
tha, meaning, in Greek, "flower"
8. Taylor.- Derivation of a boys name, old
French meaning "tailor"
9. Megan - Welsh form of Margaret, which
in Greek means "pearl"
10. Amanda - Latin, "worthy of love"
-
Top 10 boys names in the United States
in 1993 (preliminary)
1. Michael - Hebrew for "Who is like the
Lord?"
2. Christopher - Greek Kristophoros,
"Christ bearing"
3. Matthew - Hebrew for "Gift of the Lord"
4. Joshua - Hebrew for "God saves"
5. Tyler - Old English or old French mean-
ing "tile maker"
6. Zachary - English form of Zachariah, He-
brew for "God has remembered"
7. Brandon - English place name, "hill cov-
ered with broom"
8. Nicholas - Greek nike for "victory" and
Latin laos for "people"
9. Ryan - Possibly Irish Gaelic for "little king"
10.Joseph - Hebrew for "God shall add (chil-
dren)"