opinions on hebrew/israeli names! (or ideas for others I'm not thinking of)

[rachelmay23]

I have a three year old daughter named Orly Sarah.
I LOVE hebrew and israeli names, especially ones that are easy for non-hebrew speakers to pronounce (we do not speak Hebrew)

If we have a boy, his name will be Avi Benjamin, and that is decided.
but if we have a girl, there's a big ?
the middle name for a girl will probably be Basha for a family member

current ones I like:
Yael
Adina
Lena
Libby
Tova
Aviva
Avital
Lilah (porobably to mainstream for me)
Shoshannah

any opinions? or other ideas?

[bellababy]

I love Noa for a girl

[steponme]

Hebrew names are so tricky in terms of choosing the right name for the right generation. I don't know of any Hebrew name sites that track that sort of thing (it sure would help me if one existed). Other than Lena and Lilah, I know so many people of my generation (I'm nearing 30--or even my parents' generation) with those names that I have no clue what name hits the right note.

Personally, Yael is my favorite. I love the English version, Joelle, and I think that name fits right on trend with all the English -elle names out there these days. And I just think that the sound of Yael is very pretty, and it works nicely with Basha. I've also always loved Shoshana, but I'm not convinced that it flows with Basha.

That said, Israeli names and traditional Hebrew names are very different. In Israel, gender neutral names are all the rage--much much more so than in the US. There are little girls in my synagogue with names like Uri, Raz, Simcha, Hallel, etc. But I don't sense that those names are your style, especially considering your lovely and traditional Ari Benjamin choice.

That said, maybe you are interested in something different? Orly Sarah is stunning! I would just be careful to make sure that the name flows well with Basha. A lot of the names that end in an -a don't sound that great with Basha. Other ideas that don't end in an -a (favorites starred):

Ayelet*
Avigail (especially considering how popular Abigail is here)
Livnat
Ma'ayan/Mayan*
Meirav*
Michal
Rut or Ruti (Ruth/ie)
Sharon
Shirel*
Shoshan
Tali
Tamar (though to be honest, I never much liked this name)

[cj85]

Oh weird! I just made a thread about the name Nevona, which is a hebrew name meaning "intelligent, wise, clever".

[raptreverie]

I like Yael, Adina, and Avivia, as well as steponme's suggestion of Ayelet. Michal is beautiful, but really hard for American's to pronounce. Shoshannah is another favorite, but it's not the best with Basha.

Other possibilities:
Peninah
Liora
Ilana
Yaffa

[spring13]

Eliana
Dalia
Yakira
Moriah
Tehila
Dafna
Emunah
Rina
Meital
Hadas/Hadassah

Basha is essentially a nickname for Batya, if you like that version.

[gatoamiga]

Amalia! I think that is a Hebrew name in addition to its usage in other languages.

[yellow]

I love love Israeli names, and wish I had cultural ties to as justification for using one

Orly Sarah is so lovely.

I personally tend to dislike rhyming endings, so I would stay away from --a names. The fit with your last name trumps that, though.


From the suggestions, I love:

Avital Basha
Ayelet Basha **
Avigail Basha
Meirav Basha
Ruti Basha
Shirel Basha **
Meital Basha

Others I think would be lovely:

Aderet Basha
Adiel Basha
Amirit Basha **
Einat Basha **
Halleli Basha **
Ivrit Basha
Merav Basha
Miryam/Miriam Basha
Naamit Basha **
Nemera Basha (Nemera is so beautiful, it may be worth the sing-songiness)
Ronili Basha
Salome Basha
Shira Basha (same as Nemera)
Tali Basha
Tzili Basha
Tzofi Basha **
Yael Basha
Yeriot Basha
Zivanit Basha

** favorites


So many great options!!!!

[ty13]

Tali Basha would be my pick! Tali and Orly are cute together.

[stephaniebrooke]

Avi Benjamin is WONDERFUL. Love it. Also love suggestions of Yael Basha and Miriam Basha. I would shy away from Aviva if you are so set on Avi for a boy though.