Hello! I am an adult woman studying conversion into the Jewish faith. I am passionate about Judaism and really excited about it! I am also a longtime lover of names and their meanings, but since I’m new to Jewish culture I am looking for some advice. Since I choose a new name to use at temple after conversion, it’s a big deal! I know my rabbis will help me, too, but I like doing research on my own first.
Basically, is there something wrong with these options that I’m overlooking (additional meanings in Hebrew that make them bad choices)? Also, are there any suggestions out there based on what I like below? THANK YOU!!!
These are English names I like:
[name_f]Madeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Ellie[/name_f]
[name_u]Parker[/name_u]
[name_f]Peach[/name_f] (I know, I’m colorful)
These are Hebrew names I like. I have gotten them from Hebrew sites but am not sure whether they would work as Jewish names.
[name_u]Ari[/name_u]
[name_f]Arielle[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilibet[/name_f]
Adiella
[name_u]Tali[/name_u]
[name_f]Dalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Kizzie[/name_f] (because it’s fun)
[name_f]Coralee[/name_f]
Sefira (because I like sapphire)
[name_f]Eliora[/name_f]
[name_f]Madeline[/name_f] (is this really Hebrew?)
[name_f]Atara[/name_f]
[name_u]Bell[/name_u]
These are themes I am drawn to again and again because they have personal meaning to me.
lions
gems
stars
love for God
Aw, congrats on your journey. These are just my thoughts… grain of salt, etc.
[name_f]Madeline[/name_f] is several times removed from the Hebrew. It’s derived from [name_f]Magdalene[/name_f], like [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Magdalene[/name_f] of the [name_m]New[/name_m] Testament?
[name_u]Ari[/name_u] - I only know boy [name_f]Aris[/name_f]. It’s a very very popular name for Jewish boys, at least in the circles I grew up in. Sometimes it felt like every third boy was an [name_u]Ari[/name_u]. The girls I knew who went by this were [name_f]Ariela[/name_f]/Ariellas or similar.
[name_f]Arielle[/name_f] - [name_f]Ariela[/name_f] is maybe more clearly feminine since [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is still used as a boy’s name in many Jewish circles. [name_f]Arielle[/name_f] is the [name_m]French[/name_m] form.
[name_f]Lilibet[/name_f] - I love this, it’s adorable, but I think of it as a fairly English form of [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] which is several times removed from [name_f]Elisheva[/name_f], the Hebrew form? It’s not a bad name I just wouldn’t have thought of it as a Hebrew name. It doesn’t mean anything bad.
Adiella - I’m not familiar with this but that doesn’t mean anything.
[name_u]Tali[/name_u] - I like [name_f]Talia[/name_f]/[name_f]Talya[/name_f] (both said tal-ya) more for a girl, but that’s just me.
[name_f]Dalia[/name_f] - Adorable.
[name_f]Kizzie[/name_f] - I actually truly adore the name it’s derived from, Ketziya/[name_f]Ketzia[/name_f] (English Biblical form [name_f]Kezia[/name_f]/[name_f]Keziah[/name_f]) which means ‘cinnamon.’
[name_f]Coralee[/name_f] - I’m not familiar with this as a Hebrew name.
Sefira - It’s okay.
[name_f]Eliora[/name_f] - [name_f]Liora[/name_f]/[name_f]Leora[/name_f] is more popular amongst Jews I know but there’s nothing wrong with [name_f]Eliora[/name_f].
[name_f]Madeline[/name_f] - [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t smack me but I don’t think of this as a Hebrew name.
[name_f]Atara[/name_f] - There’s a number of A names for girls I like more, no offense.
[name_u]Bell[/name_u] - I don’t know this in a Hebrew context.
Other names you might like, and a website you might like too:
[name_f]Ayelet[/name_f] - It literally means “gazelle” but it’s also a poetic reference to the morning star, the gazelle of dawn. http://www.kveller.com/jewish_names/display.php?n=Ayelet&k=661
[name_f]Livia[/name_f] - Lioness in Hebrew, but often associated with the unrelated [name_m]Roman[/name_m] empress.
Ezriela - “G-d is my help”
[name_f]Esther[/name_f] - [name_f]Star[/name_f]. And Biblical heroine.
Kochava - Maybe too thoroughly Hebrew for a “street name” but perfectly appropriate as a religious name. It means star. The “ch” is not a choo-choo sound but like Chanukah.
[name_f]Kelila[/name_f]/[name_f]Kelilah[/name_f] - Like [name_f]Atara[/name_f] it means ‘crown’ I just like it more.
Katriela - ‘G-d is my crown’ or ‘[name_f]My[/name_f] crown is G-d.’ I’m intermarried and my non-Jewish husband insists on pointing out it sounds like cat-tree-ella, “[name_f]Cinderella[/name_f]'s cat-lady cousin” but I think it’s pretty.
[name_f]Baila[/name_f]/Beila/[name_f]Bayla[/name_f] - The closest I could think of to [name_u]Bell[/name_u]. It is Yiddish, not Hebrew if that matters. Very popular religious name in my family as far as handed down from older generations. It means ‘fair, white’ or is sometimes thought to be a variant of Bilhah.
Does any of this help or am I just being annoying?
That Kveller site is pretty good though they do list a few names that aren’t Hebrew or Yiddish but just popular immigrant names to [name_m]Israel[/name_m]. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is listed, [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is not Hebrew. At least they say it’s an “American immigrant name.”
Some of the names you mentioned are derivations of derivations of Hebrew names, ie: not so authentic in terms of actually being Jewish. But you had some pretty ideas, and i’m adding a few others i think you’ll like.
[name_f]Ariella[/name_f]
[name_f]Dalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Eliora[/name_f]
[name_f]Keziah[/name_f] (pron. keh-TZEE-ah, prob the source of [name_f]Kizzie[/name_f] as a nn)
Ahuva - means “beloved”
[name_f]Penina[/name_f] - means “pearl”
[name_f]Avital[/name_f] or [name_f]Talia[/name_f] nn [name_u]Tali[/name_u]
[name_f]Eliana[/name_f]
[name_u]Adi[/name_u] - pron. ah-[name_f]DEE[/name_f], means “adornment” (ie: jewelry)
Meira/[name_f]Orli[/name_f] - both from the word for “light”
Yakira - “precious,” both in the sense of love and value (gem in modern Hebrew is even y’kara)
[name_f]My[/name_f] personal favorites are [name_f]Chava[/name_f] and [name_f]Chaya[/name_f]. From your list, I like [name_f]Eliora[/name_f] and [name_f]Keziah[/name_f].
I love [name_f]Eliana[/name_f], [name_f]Keziah[/name_f], and [name_f]Penina[/name_f]. Especially [name_f]Penina[/name_f], which has actually been on and off my girls’ list this pregnancy. [name_u]Love[/name_u] the meaning - “pearl,” but the Biblical character is unpraiseworthy, as it is the name of [name_f]Hannah[/name_f]'s antagonist and rival wife, in 1 [name_m]Samuel[/name_m]. For this reason, I hesitate to use it for a baby, but I think taking it on as an adult might be less of a problem, as you would be taking it on yourself, not sticking someone else with it. You tell me!
I would be hesitant about [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], or any nickname-able [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] names, as there are a lot of men named [name_m]Eli[/name_m] (pronounced the same), at least in [name_m]Israel[/name_m].
Instead of [name_f]Emma[/name_f]/[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f], you could think about Na’ama. I believe it means “comfort” and was supposed to be the name of [name_u]Noah[/name_u]'s wife, as well as some other Biblical characters. It is reasonably common in [name_m]Israel[/name_m].
Another idea would be to go with a name of a Biblical convert - [name_f]Batya[/name_f] ([name_m]Pharaoh[/name_m]‘s daughter), [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] (a Moabitess), Rahab/Rahav (from [name_u]Jericho[/name_u]), [name_f]Zipporah[/name_f] ([name_m]Moses[/name_m]’ Midianite wife)…
[name_f]Hannah[/name_f] is definitely of Jewish origin, though in Hebrew spelled [name_f]Chana[/name_f]. It’s one of my most favourite mainstream Biblical names, along with [name_f]Naomi[/name_f].
Well, i live in [name_m]Israel[/name_m], so i think i can help you.(sorry for any grammer mistakes)
some of the names in you ‘hebrew’ list are not Jewish: [name_f]Lilibet[/name_f],[name_f]Kizzie[/name_f],[name_u]Bell[/name_u] and [name_f]Madeline[/name_f]. also,[name_u]Ariel[/name_u],[name_f]Elli[/name_f] and [name_u]Ari[/name_u] are usually boys names.
some names i could think of:
sapir-sapphire. it’s REALLY popular in [name_m]Israel[/name_m]
penina- my mother’s name, means pearl
[name_f]Aviela[/name_f]-bring to g-d
[name_f]Aviva[/name_f]-means spring.
Odeya/[name_f]Odelia[/name_f]/[name_f]Odeleya[/name_f]-thank you god.
[name_f]Varda[/name_f]/[name_f]Vardina[/name_f]-rose
Noga-venus
[name_f]Talya[/name_f]-rain
Ariella-lion (most of women Jewish name ends with an A)
Coral- a gem
[name_u]Paz[/name_u]-gold
Ora- g-d light
Moria-(Mo-ree-ya)-a pleant that looks like the Menorah, also the name of the mountain
that Abraham was going to sacrifice his son to g-d as a simbol of his belief of him.
combo names are really popular actually but ‘Ariadi’ is not a ‘real’ name ( I looked it up on and Israeli name site to be sure)
Adiella (g-d gave me a jewelry) /Adili (jewelry for me) are ‘real’ combo names.
Middle names are a thing, and i know people who go by their full name ([name_f]Chaya[/name_f] [name_f]Sara[/name_f], [name_m]Zev[/name_m] [name_m]Moshe[/name_m], etc.). Some modern Israeli names are combos in the sense that their meanings form a sentence or phrase - like Amishav (my nation will return) or Li-el (I have a G-d), or [name_u]Shir[/name_u]-li (I have a song). But putting two otherwise unconnected words/names into one doesn’t really work. So you could be [name_f]Ariella[/name_f] [name_u]Adi[/name_u], but not Ariadi as one word.
As a rule, we don’t tend to make up names. People may adopt a Hebrew noun (or phrase, as I described) as a name, but usually within established patterns. It’s not like in the US where people pick a syllable they like and tack “lyn” onto the end of it (or something like that). Jewish names pretty much always involve an understood or understandable meaning.
Thanks so much to everyone who has posted to this thread! I am such a beginner in this process and while I am finding a ton of joy in learning all about Judaism, sometimes I am overwhelmed by how much there is to learn, especially when it comes to choosing a name–a really important symbol of my identity in my new faith. Thank you so much for the help, advice, suggestions, and input! I have definitely read some brand new names in your posts that I really love!
[name_u]Shalom[/name_u]!
Generally when you aren’t born Jewish, a Hebrew name is only used in weddings. If you are born Jewish, it is used at your baby naming (bris for a boy), your [name_u]Bar[/name_u]/[name_m]Bat[/name_m] Mitzvah, wedding, and sadly, funeral.
It would also be used by people when they are praying for you, and in all of these ceremonies and prayers for your own children, as well, and if you are being called up to participate in a Torah service, depending on your tradition. You can choose how much to utilize it, too. It might help with your new identity, to use it more often, when introducing yourself to new people. I think it’s a cool, big deal!
Please report back when you make your final choice, ok?
It’s also used for aliyot, or when people are praying for you, like misheberach if you’re sick?
I’ve also known people who converted who used them as their primary name - or main nickname if you will - if they spent any time in [name_m]Israel[/name_m] or in Hebrew-speaking communities.
And if you have children, it is used at any of their life events and misheberach for them. They’re ben- or bat- your name.
Your Jewish name will continue in your family forever, as other posters have mentioned - in your own life cycle events, those of your children, and in tradition your descendants may use the same name in your memory and honor too. If you love the name enough, you may want to use it regularly as your primary name. Where I’m from, everyone goes by their Jewish names.
It’s really great that your reaching out to learn about the names that you want to consider. I know people who didn’t do much research and wound up naming themselves or their children these bogus names that make no sense, and now they feel silly about it as they become more and more observant and knowledgeable.
Good luck in your quest!
(ps. [name_f]Binah[/name_f] (bee-nah) is a pretty name which means ‘understanding’ which is a special, unique understanding possessed by women. Perhaps you like this one, even as a middle?)
I have a nickname, “Lemon,” and wondered if there’s a way to turn that into a Hebrew name. Is there a way I could phonetically say a variation of “Lemon”? If you go to this Shalom Sesame video, Grover calls his friend a name that sounds exactly like “Lem-en.” It’s at the 1:33 time mark. Shalom Sesame: Grover Learns Hebrew - YouTube
Theme for the next two ideas comes from various translations of Psalm 91:4:
“He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”
I have found these Hebrew words for feather/pinion/wing and was wondering about them as names.
[ul]
[/ul]
I love the reminder of God’s protection and incredible love. I also like the theme of feathers as light, quick, and transcendent. It also makes me think of all the quill-wielding scribes over the centuries who wrote down philosophies, stories, and Torah.
I’m definitely open to lots of input, especially since I’m a beginner at all of this. 
