Hebrew Names

Hillel the Great was a famous Talmudic scholar, the spiritual and ethical leader of his generation, and his name is greatly honored by parents in Israel and, to some extent, here.

This feminine form of the Hebrew unisex name Erel, possibly a form of Ariel, is used in modern Israel. Also found as Erella and Erelah.

A bit too elephantine for a modern child.

Symbolic name given to both boys and girls born on Shavuot, the Feast of the Harvest.

Anglicized as Judah, this name of a biblical patriarch is given symbolically to boys born on Chanukah; a form of it was spotlighted by violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin.

This is most familiar here as a musical name, via Indian Parsi conductor Zubin Mehta, but it certainly could be used by others.

Rosh is not Ross, not Rush, but an improvement on both of those more familiar names. The Biblical Rosh was a son of Benjamin, so you might consider it to honor a father or otherwise ancestral Benjamin. Very much associated with the Jewish New Year holiday, Rosh Hashanah.

Identified with a region famous for its gold, more commonly spelled Ophira.

One of the few biblical names ending in the upbeat o.

Another culture's version of the month-naming tradition: this is the sixth month of the Jewish calendar.

Interesting alternative to Dalila, relates to the Biblical Galilee.

Benjamin for purists. See BENJAMIN.

Known from the Menotti opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, this is a subdued and gentle name.

Affable and creative and perfectly able to stand alone; nothing Scroogish about it.

Niria is the female equivalent of Nir and may also be found as Nira. This simple, pleasant name has an earthy meaning.

Also spelled Bethia and Bithiah, this Old Testament name could wear well today. Bethea might make an original way to honor an ancestral Elizabeth or get to the nickname Beth.