Jewish Names

Elroi can be considered a variation of Leroy, which uses the Spanish "El" instead of the French "Le", and the Roi spelling over the Roy option, either to make the pronunciation clearer, to mirror French Eloi, or just to be different. In this case, the name would mean "the king".

A popular Israeli baby name inspired by Mount Arbel in the north, which overlooks the Sea of Galilee.

The modern Hebrew form of Asaph, which was the name of several characters in the Old Testament.

Faigy is notable as New York State's quirkiest favorite name, widely-used in the Hasidic community.

Faigy is notable as New York State's quirkiest favorite name, widely-used in the Hasidic community.

Hallel is derived from the Hebrew word halall, meaning "praise."

Mendel is an Old World Jewish name that is also the surname of the founder of genetics.

More familiar to English speakers as Reuben, Jacob and Leah's first son and a founder of one of the Tribes of Israel.

The exact etymology of Nevo is unknown, but it is the name of a mountain in Jordan — the one where Moses looked upon the promised land for the first time and the last place he saw before his death.

The modern Hebrew variation of Ithai, a name from the Old Testament.

Edgy German capital with definite possibilities as a baby name.

The plural, ivrim, is the Hebrew word for the Hebrew people.

A middle-aged, if not elderly, name associated with Israeli statesman and onetime prime minister Begin, this is a symbolic appellation for boys born on the holiday of Tishah-b'Ab.

Shulamit--which has a variety of different spellings--is a serious-sounding Old Testament name that appears in the Song of Songs. Its common nickname is Shula, which is sometimes used on its own. Toni Morrison used the sleeker variation Sula in one of her novels.

Hagar is an Old Testament name with an unfortunate association with comic strip character "Hagar the Horrible."

This is a rarely heard multi-cultural name, related to a 14th century Jewish scholar named Kalonymous ben Kalonymous, who translated important texts from Arabic to Hebrew. It is also a Hungarian derivative of Colman, via the Latin Columba, meaning dove, and was the name of a 12th century king of Hungary. Its modern sound make it an interesting option.

Also a city near Tel Aviv, Hadar is a name found primarily in Israel. There is also a citrus fruit associated with the holiday of Sukkat the Torah calls the "hadar fruit".