Jewish Names

This once-cool nickname-y name now belongs to the grandma generation.

This floral name, related to bloom and Blossom, is common in the Jewish community, but not often heard outside it. Other Yiddish nature names are Ita (star), Masha (rising water), and Mayim (water).

Supermodel Shalom Harlow glamorized this name, which is heard as a greeting every day in Israel.

Ido is a multicultural name seldom heard in modern America but popular in the Middle East. As transliterations, Ido and its other form Iddo are equally correct.

Shoshanna is a variation of one of the best-known original Hebrew baby names for girls , the original of Susanna. This is the spelling used by Shoshanna Lonstein, a designer who creates the Shoshanna clothing line and also the name of one of the four leading characters on the TV show Girls, Shoshanna Shapiro.

Trending down, now that country music's Shania is the hot variety.

See Zac.

Most parents would choose the more contemporary Simon.

A Near Eastern favorite, with an agreeable, evocative sound.

In its original form, Shiloh is a soft unisex name, with connections to both the Bible and American history. While it is often associated with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter, born in 2006, Shiloh ranks in the US Top 500 for girls and boys.

The biblical husband of the queen of Sheba; an unusual name with an interesting sound, rhyming with lanai.

The Selma-Thelma-Velma connection dates it.

A widely used Hebrew form of Joseph, with a sophisticated and continental air.

Yochanan Ben Zakkai is a prominent figure in Jewish history.

Benevolent name found in Israel in several forms, including Doran and Doroni.

This unusual variation of Margaret is the real first name of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. It can make a distinctive way to honor an ancestral Margaret or a different long form for such nicknames as Maggie, Meg, or Margo.