Jewish Names

Unisex name in Israel, ideal for a Hanukkah baby.

Alta, one of the newer names bookended by the letter A, has a meaning that might raise a child's self-esteem. It was the middle name of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.

The currently preferred replacement for Becky, sometimes used on its own.

A name with an obvious meaning, for a long time associated with Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. Nickname Goldie seems to be catching on in the celebrity community.

Although Joan was the more popular name in the 20th century, it's the nickname Joanie that is likely to be revived first. Joan ranked as a Top 100 name from the mid '20s to the mid '60s, and the US is still Joan-ed out from that era. But sweet Joanie feels fresh — a sister to names like Sadie, Elsie, and Sylvie. It could have a future on the Top 1000 but for now, scoop up Joanie while it's undiscovered.

Fewer letters does not always mean easier—the traditional spelling is the one most people will recognize.

Strongly associated with the city of Tel Aviv. For girls, may be lengthened to Aviva; for boys, might be better abbreviated to Avi.

A sacred place to the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions, Mount Sinai is where Moses received the Ten Commandments and also the name of the peninsula on which the mountain stands.

Many Americans will misunderstand it as Maya, but Maayan (also stylized as Ma'ayan) is a popular Israeli name used for both sexes.

An interesting and rhythmic name often heard in the Native American community; in fact,in the Gold Rush era in California and Nevada, it was so common that it became a generic English term for a Native American woman.

Short and strong multicultural option for a son. Nev Schulman (born Yaniv) is the creator of the MTV series Catfish.

Haskell has two separate forms of origin, the first being from the Ancient Norse given name Ásketill. The Normans converted Ásketill to Aschetil, then the English transformed Aschetil into Haskell, which was originally only used as a surname. Haskell is also considered a variant of Haskel, a Yiddish given name derived from Ezekiel.

Russian form of Eli mainly used today by families with Russian Jewish heritage.

Often stands alone in Israel, but rarely here.

Atalia or Athalia is a biblical name with a gory history. But it's an attractive name in step with the current fashion for A-starting and -ending names that are both distinctive and deeply rooted.

In German, the word eisen means "iron." It was adapted as a surname for Ashkenazi Jews — many of which were ornamental and had no ties to one's family history. Metals such as gold (Gold), silver (Zilver or Silver), copper (Kupfer or Copper), and iron (Eisen) were common elements in ornamental surnames. Eisen was also seen as a habitational surname for someone from Eisenstadt, Austria.

In the US, Emmanuel has held steady around the Top 200 for a quarter century now, but this variation has dropped off the Top 1000 for three of the past seven years. It was Number 974 in 2016.

Biblical name from the Old Testament, and a nice full form of the sweet nickname Jory.