Jewish Names

Familiar as the most common form of greeting in Hebrew, but also associated with top female model Shalom Harlow.

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.

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.

Cute nickname with multicultural appeal — in addition to Yoav, Yovi could be short for names such as Yovan and Yovani.

Hava is an anglicization of the Hebrew name Chava, which, like its English form Eve, means "life". In some accents, it may sound like "have a", so it's worth considering if this will be an issue combined with a last name. But overall, it's an elegantly simple name with a great meaning.

Eliyahu is the Hebrew form of the increasingly popular Biblical prophet name Elijah, also found in forms Elias and Eli. There were 100 boys given the name Eliyahu in the U.S. in 2012. Its upside is that it's one of the most distinctive forms of the name, but that final yahoo may prove difficult.

Although it derives from the male name Haniel — the name of an angel in Jewish mythology — Anael is mostly used for girls.

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

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

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.

Alter was originally used as an epithet for the eldest when in the company of one with the same name. Jewish parents also used it for their sons who were born sickly or after the death of an older sibling in an effort to ward off death.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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