Jewish Names

This modernized version of Yehudah is the source of on popular choice Judah and is traditionally given to boys born at Chanukah — a Jewish festival of lights and rededication which is celebrated in the winter. Yehuda first appeared on the US Top 1000 in 200 and, as of 2023, it has ranked consistently since 2014. The Yehudah spelling has never ranked, while Judah is used six times more often than Yehuda.

A wonderful Yiddish diminutive of Sarah, most familiar to Americans as the name of Tevye’s eldest daughter in Joseph Stein’s Fiddler on the Roof.

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".

A geographical name in Israel, where Mount Nitai is located.

Variation of Alana.

A super quirky and upbeat choice, if it can ever shake off its ubiquitous-guy Woody Allen identity.

Yeshua is often considered the "real" name of Jesus, via the Hebrew to Greek to Latin to English evolution of Yeshua to Iesous to Iesus to Jesus. It is also used as a common alternative of Yehoshua in the later parts of the Hebrew Bible, making it a variation of Joshuah.

A soft and lovely Hebrew name with an equally lovely meaning. Variations include Ahavah, Ahaba, Ahabah, Ahuva and Ahuvah.

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.

A virtually unheard of girl name with a lot of potential — giving classic Sara an elegant and extra-princessy spin.

Aharon is one of the many variations of the Old Testament Aaron, one of the first Biblical patriarch names to become trendy in the modern world.

Hershey is best-known in the US as a brand of chocolate, named after the company's founder, Milton Hershey. Hershey and its many variations, including Hersh and Hershkovitz, is most commonly a surname that may be either German or Jewish.

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.

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.

A more scriptural way to spell Abraham.

A popular name for both sexes in Israel, in the Top 10 for boys and Top 100 for girls.