We have two boys. [name]Asher[/name] 6 and [name]Micah[/name] 4. [name]Baby[/name] boy 3 coming in [name]September[/name]. Are thinking of [name]Jude[/name] but are concearned that it may not be appropriate for a Jewish child. We are not really considering [name]Judah[/name] as we have close friends with a [name]Judah[/name]. Have any of you met a Jewish [name]Jude[/name]?
Also on our list…[name]Eben[/name]
Middle name will be [name]Newman[/name] as it is a wY o honor my Grandmother.
[name]LOVE[/name] [name]Jude[/name]! I think it’s so charming and dashing. I have not met a Jewish [name]Jude[/name], sorry, but I haven’t met a [name]Jude[/name] period, so I am not sure what that says about the issue. I’m sure there are probably some out there. You might want to check out the bullying descriptions at the bottom of this page (Nickelodeon Parents | Printables, coloring pages, recipes, crafts, and more from your child’s favorite Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. shows.)… while it doesn’t say if the Judes were actually Jewish or not, it does bring up being teased for the Jew aspect for several of the people that answered the poll.
Regardless, I think [name]Jude[/name] could be a charged choice for a Jewish baby (perfect though I’m sure he’ll be!), but I love that it means “praise; thanks” and that could be a nice nod to your faith if you’re practicing Jews. That’s part of the appeal it holds for me, as a [name]Christian[/name].
[name]Eben[/name] probably would be safer, but I personally like [name]Jude[/name] [name]Newman[/name] better.
Well, I thoroughly adore [name]Jude[/name]. Actually, our [name]Jude[/name] was almost an [name]Asher[/name] and I think they’d make fantastic brothers. I actually wondered for a brief moment if anyone would think that [name]Jude[/name] was Jewish because of his name, but it didn’t really matter. No one has really ever referenced religion in relation to him yet. I don’t know that it would be an issue, but I am not Jewish so I don’t know if it would be different for you. The only thing I’ve ever been asked about his name is if I’m a Beatles fan and that is actually rather rare. Also, I agree with [name]Ash[/name] that [name]Jude[/name] [name]Newman[/name] sounds better than [name]Eben[/name] :).
I’d be hesitant about [name]Jude[/name] on a Jewish child. During WWII, after the Nazis “cleansed” an area of Jews, the area was declared to be Judenrein. Judenfrei was another term that was used.
I love [name]Jude[/name]! It’s one of my top names as well, but I’m not Jewish. I think it should be fine as long as you don’t look incredibly Jewish, or if you tend to have thick-skinned kiddos. I think it would be gorgeous on anyone, personally, but I can see quite the teasing potential… I agree with what [name]Ash[/name] about the whole nod to your religion thing (too bad I can’t do this being a strong atheist D:), although this could pose problems if that were your intentions and later in life he decided he held his beliefs elsewhere. When it comes down to it, though, I would just go for it. Your kid will create the image people think of with the name- first impressions aren’t everything like we like to make them out to be.
Now that I think about it, the only Judes I’d ever met were Catholic, but I have met a few Jewish Judahs. That said, I think its fine for a Jewish child because it is just an English form of [name]Judah[/name] (which is a Jewish name) and its means “Jewish.” I wouldn’t think its weird at all. I love [name]Jude[/name] and I think it goes great with [name]Asher[/name] and [name]Micah[/name].
Not exactly. [name]Jude[/name] may have been an English form of [name]Jude[/name] to differentiate between [name]Judas[/name] Escariot and the other Judahs/Judases/Judes in the Bible, but [name]Judah[/name]/[name]Jude[/name] did not originally mean “Jewish”–it means “praise; thanks”. Jews were required to wear stars of [name]David[/name] with the word “[name]Jude[/name]” on them to identify them as Jews just before and during Nazi Europe. It was demeaning and horrible, and just one of the ways the Nazis made Jews to feel less than human. It may not hold all of those connotations to many people now, but I’m sure that it would be a very touchy subject to some Jews, and a very painful reminder of what they had to go through during the Holocaust. My best friend is Jewish, and she has grandparents who survived the Holocaust, and it was a very real and a very horrible hell for them, and I can imagine that if my friend had named her son [name]Jude[/name], it would have been very painful for her grandfather.
I’m not sure if this is the concerns the OP had, but I could see why the OP would be concerned about using [name]Jude[/name] with the associations it has for some Jews, that, and some of the prejudice and hatred that some people still bear.
I’ve known a number of Jewish kids who answered to [name]Jude[/name] but were named [name]Judah[/name].
The Nazis weren’t taking a random Biblical word and just using it to mean Jews were less than human, they were taking the word Jew and using it as subhuman. I’ve never known a Jewish person of the WWII generation to think [name]Judah[/name]/[name]Yehudah[/name] was an unusable name because the Nazis used it as a dirty word. The most I’ve heard is some concern that some names are so Jewish the kid might get beat up for it or whatever.
The reason I think some Jews shy away from using [name]Jude[/name] is [name]Judas[/name], and how Jewish already often already get called “Christkiller” by bullies. My personal take (as a random Jew-on-the-street) is I got called Christkiller growing up anyway; why avoid a great name with a great Jewish history because of a handful of malcontent anti-Semites? But it’s not the most low-key name for a Jewish kid to have to bear, it’s true.
But that would go for [name]Judah[/name] as well, and I would really find it tragic if [name]Judah[/name] fell out of use because of that.
The name of the Jewish people get their name from the tribe of [name]Judah[/name], so in a sense, it could also be translated as meaning “Jewish” or from the tribe of [name]Judah[/name]… [name]Jude[/name] is a form of [name]Judah[/name] from my understanding. I was not referring to the [name]German[/name] word for “Jewish.” You are right, I was confusing [name]Judah[/name]'s etymology with [name]Judith[/name] which means “woman from Judaea” or “Jewish woman”, but I have read other sources list it as a feminine form of [name]Judah[/name] which means “praise.”
It also the name of a major Catholic saint, and the Judes I knew tended to come from really Catholic homes, so that is what I thought the OP was referring to.
I am Jewish myself, and I never considered the Holocaust associations, but I guess now that I think about it, then maybe it is not such a good idea, but keep in mind that Jewish women were also forced to change their name to [name]Sarah[/name] during that time, but it still shouldn’t necessarily bar someone Jewish from using [name]Sarah[/name] as a name. It is also still the general masculine term for Jewish both in [name]German[/name] and Swedish, so maybe it would be a little odd.
Hmm. I don’t think it had anything to do with Judas Iscariot, but maybe I am wrong. Like I said, the only people I know named Jude were people from devout Catholic homes, due to a saint that appears in the New Testament, (the patron saint of lost causes), not to be confused with Judas Iscariot, but I guess in reality and in the original translation of the New Testament, both characters shared the same name. Judas is just the Greek form of Yehuda, hence Judah, so it was a really common name among Jews back then.
I have met plenty of Judahs and Yehudas, I have never thought about Jude being taboo for Jews. It has never been broached among my Jewish relatives or friends, but like the usage of Jude among devout Catholics, I noticed that Judah and Yehudah tended to be used more among Orthodox or Hassidic Jews. Both Jude and Judah tend to have extremely religious overtones either way, and not in a bad way.
But you are spot on about the German word “jude.” It was originally just the German word for a Jewish person and the Nazis changed it into a dirty word. It is still the regular term for a Jewish person in German and in Swedish and I think the Nazis used the term for “Jewish” on the stars depending on which country they were in.
I agree with you on all points though. It is a perfectly great name with some great Jewish history.
Oh, I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I just know it’s a hangup others have had (who aren’t Jewish), and I could see where it would be a very heartwrenching reminder if you actually went through the Holocaust… [name]Jude[/name] in itself, as a word, was never meant to be a derogatory term, but the Nazis made it that way, and I can see how [name]Jude[/name]'s use could be painful to some. I know my friend’s grandfather still has nightmares about his time in a concentration camp, and I don’t think that’ll ever go away for the people who lived through it.
I’m not a Jew, just have several Jewish friends and have always felt quite passionately against anti-Semitism, so I appreciate your insights into the matter. I could see where it could be an issue, but [name]Jude[/name] is also a really great name and if you think it’s not enough to keep her from using the name, I’m fine with that! I absolutely love it and would love to see it used.
I just meant the concern about [name]Jude[/name] (amongst the American Jews I grew up among) is that non-Jewish people of the sort who would already be inclined towards unpleasantness would make the traitor/Christkiller/the-Jews-killed-[name]Jesus[/name] link, not that it literally was for Iscariot or anything sorry if that’s what it sounded like. A Catholic kid would probably not have those issues in the same way.
Of course some Jews are just afraid of having overtly Jewish-sounding names for their kids, my dad is of the opinion a girl can have them (and mine is fairly distinctive) but a boy would end up “fighting his whole way through the neighbourhood all the time” and he gave my brother the innocuous/normal [name]Alexander[/name] instead of [name]Avi[/name]/[name]Avram[/name] like my mother wanted. Incidentally I knew plenty of Latino-Catholic kids growing up who used [name]Abraham[/name] with no issues or concerns at all, which was why I brought it up as a parallel.
It is weird how I didn’t even think twice about someone Jewish using it. The Holocaust thing went completely over my head, even though I am Jewish. I guess it is because half my family is Catholic and I tended to associate it with the saint more than it being used as a derogatory term in 1930s Germany. This is from someone who had relatives in the Holocaust. But now, I can completely see the problem. So I guess I am torn now… Its a great name, but once the Holocaust associations come up, it does start to bother me a bit.
I think if I were in this situation, I’d ask my relatives and Jewish friends how they feel about the name being used, if they don’t get the associations like I did at first and view it as another form of [name]Judah[/name], then its probably fine to use, but if their first thought is the other thing, then maybe you should skip this one, or just use [name]Judah[/name] to avoid confusion.
Now I see what you mean. I have a very Jewish sounding name in real life. I love my name, but as I have gotten older and moved around to various parts of the world, I swear I get prejudice reactions from “certain” people when they see or hear my name.
I love the name [name]Jude[/name] for a boy, it’s number 5 on our compromising list… but first equal on mine. I guess it depends on where in the world you come from as I did not link [name]Jude[/name] back towards any negative historical connotations or find a teasing point.
But “[name]Jude[/name]” or “Juden” is just the [name]German[/name] word for “Jewish” (it’s not a slur in it of itself that I am aware of). And it is pronounced “YOO-den”, not “JOOD” like the name is in English.
Well, this is a shame. Stinks that people would do that.
FWIW, [name]Jude[/name] is also a well-known [name]Saint[/name] in the Catholic Church so the name actually sounds very Catholic to me (so for a variety of reasons, you’re right, a Catholic child named [name]Jude[/name] would have no trouble).
I absolutely [name]LOVE[/name] the name [name]Jude[/name], but not for a Jewish child because of its connection with Christianity. Also, like Stripedsocks said, most of the [name]German[/name] words that are offensive to Jews seem to have the name [name]Jude[/name] in them…I hope that doesn’t ruin the name for me!
I also like the name [name]Eben[/name], which is handsome and reminds me of a sunny countryside landscape.
Yes, when Catholics use the name, they are referring to St. [name]Jude[/name] (patron of impossible causes) not [name]Judas[/name]. The two names, while basically the same with the same origin, are used distinctly with [name]Judas[/name] referring to Iscariot and [name]Jude[/name] referring to the [name]Saint[/name] (at least in [name]America[/name]).
Its a great name, but once the Holocaust associations come up, it does start to bother me a bit.