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ArchivesRe: Jews & Elizabeth
in reply to a message by LH
The list I posted was specifically names that occurred in both the Old and New Testament that would not typically be "strange" to see on someone who is Jewish. There are not many names that appear in both. Both the Old and New Testament have far more male characters than female ones, meaning that it is more likely to have male names to be in the list. It's merely coincidence that these are coming from the Torah and not from the rest of the Tanakh- there are not really any names that are in either Prophets or Writings that are also in the New Testament that you would commonly see on someone in Israel today.
While you are correct in that Orthodox Jews are naming their daughters Olivia, Madison, or Harper, Jews in general have tended to stay away from "Christian" names from the New Testament. There are not as many Jewish people named Mary, Martha, John, or James than are named Rachel, Esther, Samuel, or Isaac. This is also the case in Israel.
It is common in the US to have an English and a Hebrew name, but that doesn't happen much in Israel because Hebrew is already being spoken. People who are named Elizabeth will be writing it in Hebrew (substituting a taf for "th") or they will use Elisheva.
While you are correct in that Orthodox Jews are naming their daughters Olivia, Madison, or Harper, Jews in general have tended to stay away from "Christian" names from the New Testament. There are not as many Jewish people named Mary, Martha, John, or James than are named Rachel, Esther, Samuel, or Isaac. This is also the case in Israel.
It is common in the US to have an English and a Hebrew name, but that doesn't happen much in Israel because Hebrew is already being spoken. People who are named Elizabeth will be writing it in Hebrew (substituting a taf for "th") or they will use Elisheva.
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