Naming a baby is probably one of the toughest things for a new parent to do, especially considering it comprises a person’s identity and personality long before they can even walk and talk–or you know, figure out what kind of music they like. There are conventions for Jewish families (which you can read about here), but even with the traditions, there are so many options.
Trends come and ago–so why not look to names that parents loved in the past, names that your parents and grandparents have? This is why we looked to the past for this one and rounded up Jewish baby names that were popular 50 years ago to give you inspiration.
So how did we figure this out? Well, the Social Security Administration releases the official list of the most popular baby names in the U.S. every year, based on data from the previous year’s births–so we looked at old records to see what did well when the baby boomers were born.
Here are names that were popular 50 years ago:
Girls
1. Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a Hebrew girl’s name meaning “God is my oath.”
2. Deborah. Deborah is a Hebrew girl’s name meaning “bee.” Deborah is one of the few women prophets in the Bible.
3. Sharon. Sharon is a Hebrew girl’s name meaning “the coastal plain of Israel.”
4. Barbara. Barbara is a girl’s name that means “stranger.” While it’s not a Hebrew name, many Jewish immigrants used it when coming to the U.S.
5. Rebecca. Rebecca is a Hebrew girl’s name meaning “captivating.” In the Bible, Rebecca, one of the matriarchs, was the wife of Isaac.
Boys
6. Michael. Michael is a Hebrew boy’s name that means “who is like God.”
7. David. David is a Hebrew boy’s name that means “beloved.” David was the second king of Israel.
8. Joseph. Joseph is a Hebrew boy’s name that means “increase.” Joseph was one of the sons of Jacob and a leader of the Israelites in Egypt.
9. Daniel. Daniel means “God is my judge” in Hebrew and is a boy’s name.
10. Matthew. Matthew is a Hebrew boy’s name that means “gift of God.”
Check out our Jewish baby name bank for more inspiration.
