New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesPost war use of SARAH in the (Jewish) world
The Nazis forced every Jewish woman to bear the name SARAH in addition to the actual given name. > Did this have any impact on the name giving pratice in the Jewish world (or elsewehre) after the war?
1
Replies
It's been massively popular right across the English-speaking world for the past 30+ years ... long enough for memories of the war to have faded, perhaps?
It's oldfashioned and very seldom used among Afrikaans-speaking South Africans, but black South Africans are very traditional in their naming habits and usually prefer missionary names, so in addition to young English-speaking whites, you can meet black Sarahs of any age. I've actually never met a Jewish Sarah! Mara, yes ... born just after the war.
Some member of the Brit royal family, possibly Princess Margaret, named her daughter Sarah a long time ago - more than 40 years - and my mother was amused at comments from people on buses, shop assistants etc that Sarah was a name for servants and therefore not suitable for royalty. She could have silenced them with a well-aimed history lesson, but chose not to!
What I have noticed is that either Sarah or Sally can be fashionable nowadays but not both. I grew up with many Sallys and no Sarahs; now it's the other way round.
Interesting topic, Andy. Will you also examine Abraham?
It's oldfashioned and very seldom used among Afrikaans-speaking South Africans, but black South Africans are very traditional in their naming habits and usually prefer missionary names, so in addition to young English-speaking whites, you can meet black Sarahs of any age. I've actually never met a Jewish Sarah! Mara, yes ... born just after the war.
Some member of the Brit royal family, possibly Princess Margaret, named her daughter Sarah a long time ago - more than 40 years - and my mother was amused at comments from people on buses, shop assistants etc that Sarah was a name for servants and therefore not suitable for royalty. She could have silenced them with a well-aimed history lesson, but chose not to!
What I have noticed is that either Sarah or Sally can be fashionable nowadays but not both. I grew up with many Sallys and no Sarahs; now it's the other way round.
Interesting topic, Andy. Will you also examine Abraham?
1
I wasn't thinking about Nazi identity documents - just about Sarah and Abraham as the original Jewish couple!
By the way, a friend of mine, South African Jewish, says that she and her husband between them have three Sarah grandmothers; her husband's two grandfathers were both named Samuel.
I'm a baby boomer, I suppose - late 40s. My Jewish school friends got the usual 40s names, with a preference for Barbara and Judith, but also Sandra, Karen, Bernice, Myrna, Marsha, Mara, Serena, Ann and Hannah. Boys: Robert, David, Graham, Ian, Jeremy, Stephen, Denis, Julian, Michael.
Anecdotal evidence roolz, OK?
By the way, a friend of mine, South African Jewish, says that she and her husband between them have three Sarah grandmothers; her husband's two grandfathers were both named Samuel.
I'm a baby boomer, I suppose - late 40s. My Jewish school friends got the usual 40s names, with a preference for Barbara and Judith, but also Sandra, Karen, Bernice, Myrna, Marsha, Mara, Serena, Ann and Hannah. Boys: Robert, David, Graham, Ian, Jeremy, Stephen, Denis, Julian, Michael.
Anecdotal evidence roolz, OK?
1
Thanks for the ISRAEL part. Any info on the impact of this?
1
It was Israel as far as I know.
Sarah and Israel were still very used in France after the war, as Jews use family names. :)
~~ Claire ~~
My ! are Alia, Eidel, Enola, Israel, Dudel, Yuri, Lina, Lorelei, Leilani, Owen, Julian, Glorinda, Mirinda
My ? are Hillel, Meshullam, Johnny, Ginny, Cordelia, Fiammetta, Yocheved
My ~ are Tehila, Tilda, Hailey, Gillian, Huldah
My / are Aglaia and July
Sarah and Israel were still very used in France after the war, as Jews use family names. :)
~~ Claire ~~
My ! are Alia, Eidel, Enola, Israel, Dudel, Yuri, Lina, Lorelei, Leilani, Owen, Julian, Glorinda, Mirinda
My ? are Hillel, Meshullam, Johnny, Ginny, Cordelia, Fiammetta, Yocheved
My ~ are Tehila, Tilda, Hailey, Gillian, Huldah
My / are Aglaia and July
1
The Second Decree for the Implementation of the Law Regarding Changes of Family Names from August 17, 1938 states in part "Jews may be given only such given names as are listed in the Guidelines on the Use of Given Names issued by the Reich Minister of the Interior... Insofar as Jews have other given names than those which may be given to Jews...they are obligated, beginning January 1, 1939, to assume an additional given name, namely the given name Israel in the case of males and the given name Sarah in the case of females."
(Unverified information from the internet)
(Unverified information from the internet)
1