I have a three year old daughter named [name]Orly[/name] [name]Sarah[/name].
I [name]LOVE[/name] hebrew and israeli names, especially ones that are easy for non-hebrew speakers to pronounce (we do not speak Hebrew)
If we have a boy, his name will be [name]Avi[/name] [name]Benjamin[/name], and that is decided.
but if we have a girl, there’s a big ?
the middle name for a girl will probably be [name]Basha[/name] for a family member
current ones I like:
[name]Yael[/name]
[name]Adina[/name]
[name]Lena[/name]
[name]Libby[/name]
[name]Tova[/name]
[name]Aviva[/name]
[name]Avital[/name]
[name]Lilah[/name] (porobably to mainstream for me)
[name]Shoshannah[/name]
Hebrew names are so tricky in terms of choosing the right name for the right generation. I don’t know of any Hebrew name sites that track that sort of thing (it sure would help me if one existed). Other than [name]Lena[/name] and [name]Lilah[/name], I know so many people of my generation (I’m nearing 30–or even my parents’ generation) with those names that I have no clue what name hits the right note.
Personally, [name]Yael[/name] is my favorite. I love the English version, [name]Joelle[/name], and I think that name fits right on trend with all the English -elle names out there these days. And I just think that the sound of [name]Yael[/name] is very pretty, and it works nicely with [name]Basha[/name]. I’ve also always loved [name]Shoshana[/name], but I’m not convinced that it flows with [name]Basha[/name].
That said, Israeli names and traditional Hebrew names are very different. In [name]Israel[/name], gender neutral names are all the rage–much much more so than in the US. There are little girls in my synagogue with names like [name]Uri[/name], [name]Raz[/name], [name]Simcha[/name], Hallel, etc. But I don’t sense that those names are your style, especially considering your lovely and traditional [name]Ari[/name] [name]Benjamin[/name] choice.
That said, maybe you are interested in something different? [name]Orly[/name] [name]Sarah[/name] is stunning! I would just be careful to make sure that the name flows well with [name]Basha[/name]. A lot of the names that end in an -a don’t sound that great with [name]Basha[/name]. Other ideas that don’t end in an -a (favorites starred):
[name]Ayelet[/name]*
[name]Avigail[/name] (especially considering how popular [name]Abigail[/name] is here)
Livnat
Ma’ayan/Mayan*
Meirav*
[name]Michal[/name]
[name]Rut[/name] or Ruti ([name]Ruth[/name]/ie)
[name]Sharon[/name]
Shirel*
[name]Shoshan[/name]
[name]Tali[/name]
[name]Tamar[/name] (though to be honest, I never much liked this name)
I like [name]Yael[/name], [name]Adina[/name], and Avivia, as well as steponme’s suggestion of [name]Ayelet[/name]. [name]Michal[/name] is beautiful, but really hard for American’s to pronounce. [name]Shoshannah[/name] is another favorite, but it’s not the best with [name]Basha[/name].
Other possibilities:
[name]Peninah[/name]
[name]Liora[/name]
[name]Ilana[/name]
[name]Yaffa[/name]
[name]Avi[/name] [name]Benjamin[/name] is WONDERFUL. [name]Love[/name] it. Also love suggestions of [name]Yael[/name] [name]Basha[/name] and [name]Miriam[/name] [name]Basha[/name]. I would shy away from [name]Aviva[/name] if you are so set on [name]Avi[/name] for a boy though.
I love [name]Yael[/name] and [name]Lena[/name]. I love [name]Libby[/name] but Americans are not going to read it lee-bee.
[name]Tova[/name] is pretty.
[name]Aviva[/name] is pretty, but not with a future [name]Avi[/name]. I like [name]Avigail[/name] more than [name]Avital[/name].
[name]Shoshannah[/name] - I love the name, but not the spelling. I know it’s spelled like six different ways but I like [name]Shoshana[/name] best, simpler and more popular.
Other favourites of mine:
[name]Talya[/name]/[name]Talia[/name]
[name]Kelila[/name]/[name]Kelilah[/name]
[name]Ketzia[/name]
[name]Noa[/name]
[name]Zakia[/name]/Zakiya
[name]Rimona[/name], [name]Ramona[/name]
[name]Raziela[/name]
[name]Tamar[/name]
[name]Liora[/name]
Reviva
[name]Zehava[/name] (one of my mom’s names. <3)
Katriela
thank you so much everyone! please keep the suggestions coming!! I am not MARRIED to the middle name [name]Basha[/name], if we end up with a first name that does not flow. also, it is ok if the name does not go with our boy selection of [name]Avi[/name] [name]Benjamin[/name] because we are only having one more child so they will either be [name]Avi[/name] if we have a boy, or a fun/unique/somewhat simple hebrew name if we have a girl. thanks again!!
