What's In a Jewish Name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." (William Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet)

It’s been just over a week since the birth of Prince George of Cambridge, son of Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. When I first learned of the new prince’s name, I thought, “Really? In an era with children having names such as Apple, North, and Rainbow, the royal family could have broken with tradition.”

In Jewish culture, a person’s name has significance. When being called to the Torah for an aliyah, it is by ones Hebrew name. Further, the person is also referenced as the son/daughter of so-and-so, using the parents’ Hebrew names. Traditionally, a boy is given his Hebrew name during brit milah and a girl her Hebrew name at a naming ceremony. So important is a Hebrew name that at my synagogue, if a child has not been given a Hebrew name, he or she can be given one just prior to becoming bar or bat mitzvah; the same is true for adults who convert to Judaism and those who did not receive a Hebrew name at birth but want to identify more closely with Jewish customs. I enjoy hearing the story of how names come to be.

Many Sephardic Jews name their children after individuals who are still living, though Ashkenazi superstition says that if you choose the name of someone who is living, the Angel of Death will confuse the two when it comes time for the older person to die. It is for this reason that many traditional Ashkenazi Jews, while not required to do so, instead name their children after a deceased friend or family member. Many names, Hebrew or English, have references to historical figures from our Jewish texts (i.e. Moses, Leah, Miriam) or history (Golda). Sometimes, the Hebrew and English name are one in the same (i.e, Aaron, Sara). Names can also be derivatives, as was the case in naming my daughter, Amanda Darci; she was named for my mother, Annette, and my father, David, and would’ve been Daniel Aaron had she been born a boy. Her Hebrew name is Hannah, the same as my mother, because although baby names should be up to the parents, they usually get some input from the grandparents, as well!

During my wife pregnancy with Amanda, my father-in-law’s mother, Lillian, passed away, and he requested that the baby be named for her. Because my wife and I had already decided to name our firstborn child in memory of my parents, we promised to name our second child in Lillian’s memory. Though Grandpa Eddie fell in love with baby Amanda (and her name), he was quick to remind us of our promise when we announced he would again be a grandfather: If the baby was a girl, she would be named after Lillian.

Names and how they sound are very important to me; I believe they should flow easily off the tongue. As my neurosis set in, I realized two things: First, that I did not want my child’s initials spelling a word (for example, his Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis would be Prince GAL.) Second, it was important to me that my child’s full name have that “You’re in big trouble!” sound, for parental effect. When my parents called out, “Howard Perry Lev!” I knew I’d done something wrong.

With the L in mind for Lillian, my wife and I agreed that the new baby’s middle name would honor my late grandmother, Jennie. From there, girls’ names were easy. We decided that “Lisa Jane Lev” had a nice sound; Leslie, Leanne, and Lois would work. Boys’ names would be more of a challenge.

“Lou Lev” sounded like something you shake at Sukkot. “Larry Lev” sounded like a song from the ‘50s. Nothing sounded right. My family and I were sitting together in a place called Nathan’s, going over names, when, desperate, I suggested adding an L to already-existing names or changing the first letter to an L. You know, “Ladam,” “Lbob” – OK, so I wasn’t serious about that. But then, while I was looking at the Nathan’s sign, I blurted out “How about Lathan?” After asking me to spell it, my wife and I knew we had a winner (and Amanda managed to nod her approval while devouring fries). “Lathan Jerome” had a ring to it, we decided, strong and a bit theatrical.

On February 20, 1996, we welcomed Lathan Jerome Lev to the world. His name in Hebrew is Lavi Shalom, which translates to “Lion Of Peace.” I suppose it’s a good thing my wife and I went to Nathan’s for lunch that day – and not to, say, Burger King or Taco Bell!