Jewish Girl Names

Alexa was a steadily popular modern classic until Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa was released in 2013. It remains relatively well used in the US despite this, though its standing keeps dropping for obvious reasons. Too bad, because it's a strong and pretty name (which is probably why Amazon used it.)

Alexa

An medieval English form of Helen, the sensitive but clear-eyed Ellen has swung in and out of style for centuries, often alternating with the parent name. Ellen was the more common in medieval England, until after the Renaissance, when Helen overtook her. In Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, set at the end of the nineteenth century, one character wonders why another has not changed her "ugly" given name to something prettier, like Elaine—a statement few would make today.
 Ellen has been the name of two First Ladies—Arthur and Wilson—and is Scarlett O'Hara's mother in Gone with the Wind. These days, it's most strongly associated in the US with comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

Ellen

Joan was the perfect name choice for one of the leading characters on Mad Men, being a quintessential girls' name of the period. A Top 10 name in the 30s, a Top 50 name from the 40s through the early 60s, it was the fifth most popular name in the country for three years running and ranks as one of the most <a href="/list/653/100-most-common-names-for-girls">common names for girls</a> in the 20th century. But alas, Joan hasn't even appeared in the Top 1000 for a dozen years, and these days it's primarily associated with Joans of the generation of Joan Crawford, Joan Collins and Joan Rivers--just a few of the noted Joans whose ranks also include the singers Joan Sutherland, Joan Baez, Joan Armatrading and Joan Jett. But it's possible that modern parents who are reviving Jane might move on to Joan, inspired by Joan Hollaway Harris.
 The first English bearer of the name was Henry II's daughter, Jhone, but the modern spelling was soon established, which is why Saint Jeanne d'Arc was translated as Joan, making her the most illustrious wearer of the name. By Shakespeare's time, Joan had become so overused that it was ripe for replacement by the newly coined Jane, the reverse of what happened in twentieth-century America.
 Some livelier foreign versions of Joan include Giovanna, Siobhan, Ione and Juana.

Joan

Although Susan had her heyday from the thirties to the sixties, and is now common among moms and new grandmas, and though most modern parents would prefer Susanna/Susannah, we have spotted some flickers of interest in a revival. It still retains a certain black-eyed-Susan freshness.
 
Susan has a substantial literary resume, including appearances in George Eliot's Mill on the Floss, Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers, Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge and Jude the Obscure, and Charlotte Bronte's Shirley.
 
Susan's many nicknames include Sue, Susie, Suzy, Sukie, and Zuzu—many of which have been celebrated in song. Among Susan's notable namesakes are activist Susan B. Anthony, writer Sontag, and actress Sarandon.

Susan

Where Abraham took his son Isaac to sacrifice him. Taylor Hanson chose this as the middle name for his son Viggo, his fourth child, but most will see it as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a>. Make life simpler and spell it Mariah.

Moriah

Many vowel names stylish a century ago are coming back, and Ida seems like a possible, logical successor to Ada and Ava.
 A century ago, Ida was considered "sweet as apple cider," and was Number 10 on the hit parade of names. Its popularity then was inspired by a Tennyson poem, of which the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta Princess Ida, was a "respectful operatic perversion."
 Ida hasn't been in the Top 1000 since the 1980s, but we do see it as slated to rise again. It is hugely popular right now in Scandinavia and German-speaking parts — Top 100 in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and Austria — where it's pronounced EE-da.
 Ida appears in Greek and Hindu mythology; Mount Ida, on Crete, is considered the birthplace of the god Zeus. Journalist Ida B. Wells was its most well-known bearer in the US.

Though Dara was an (extremely wise) male figure in the Bible, this name feels mostly feminine to modern Americans. The Irish Gaelic version, Darragh, is well-used in contemporary times for boys.
 While Dara dropped out of the Top 1000 a couple of decades ago, it's one of those magic names that feels neither fashionable nor unfashionable. This timeless quality can be an advantage for a child over time. And Dara has the cross-cultural thing going for it as well. It's also a Slavic name, meaning "gift".
 The cousin-name Daria was featured a few seasons ago as the smart and cynical star of her own eponymous animated MTV show.

Dara

Through all the years when Betty, Betsy, Beth, Liz, and Lizzie were the Elizabethan nicknames of choice, the bubblier Libby was set aside, but today it may be the most modern of all—it has already made a strong comeback in England and Wales, where it ranks Number 139.
 Libby Holman was a colorful torch singer in the 1920s and '30s, Libby Smith was a mysterious character on Lost, and Carly Simon wrote a song titled "Libby."

Libby

A vibrant variation of Adele, with a bit of extra flair from that "-a" ending. It could join the army of popular A girls' names, especially with its tie to the success of singer Adele. 
 Adela, which came to England with the Normans in the eleventh century, has a royal pedigree via William the Conqueror's youngest daughter.
 Adela Quested is a character in E. M. Foster's novel A Passage to India, and the name also appears in an Agatha Christie story. Journalist/novelist/screenwriter Adela Rogers St. .Johns was a colorful character in Golden Age Hollywood.
Adelia is another appealing variation, an alternative to the rising Amelia, and entered the UK Top 1000 in 2022.

Adela

Chirpy, upbeat Jewish nickname. Gitty was traditionally short for the Yiddish name Gittel, but now is more common as an independent name.

Gitty

Name of an Old Testament soldier that's been also used as a girls' name in modern Israel. An alternate spelling is Adinah. Some mistake Adina and Adinah to be the root of Dinah, but the Biblical name Dinah is borne by a different figure and has a different meaning. You can consider the modern short forms Dena and Dina as stemming from either Adina or Dinah.

Adina

Nickname for the star Gamma Cassiopeiae given by the late astronaut Gus Grissom after his own middle name (Ivan) spelled backwards. Navi also relates to the prophets in the Hebrew Bible. 
 
The name gained additional visibility from its use in popular media. It is the name of a character in the video game "The Legend of Zelda" -- short for Navigator. In the animated film Avatar, where Na'vi refers to the indigenous people of Pandora. The name is also associated with American actress, Navi Rawat, where Navi is short for Navlata.
 
It could also be a modern re-spelling of the name Navy which is gaining in popularity, both for the color and the U.S. armed service.

Navi

This Old Testament place name was in the Top 10 fifty years ago, but now Sharon, along with sound-alike Karen, have fallen out of favor. 

Sharon

A surprise recent hit revival with cutting-edge British, Tribeca and Malibu parents; Tillie, also spelled Tilly, is cute, frilly, and sassy all at once. Tilly features in the England and Wales Top 200, joining other nickname names like Milly, Maisie, Kitty and Lottie, while Tillie appears further down the charts in the Top 600.
 
Typically used as a nickname for Matilda, this spelling in particular may well appeal to parents of Ottilies. 
 Writer Tillie Olsen is a feminist favorite. Tillie's Punctured Romance is a classic Mack Sennett silent film, starring Charles Chaplin, Mabel Normand and Marie Dressler; Tillie the Toiler was an iconic flapper comic strip.

Tillie

Faigy is notable as New York State's quirkiest favorite name, widely-used in the Hasidic community.

Faigy

Karen, a once sweet Danish import, was so popular during the baby boom (Karen was Number 3 in 1960) that it's become a mem in recent years, representing a hostile white woman—one who usually wants to speak with the manager.
 
Given to more than 40,000 girls in a single year at its US peak, the name fell out of the US charts in 2020, though it had been on a rapid decline before that. A Danish (and Norwegian) diminutive of Katherine, itself from the Greek Aikaterine, the name it typically said to mean "pure", though the etymology is cloudy.
 
Pronounced as KA-ruhn or KEHR-uhn in English, KAH-rehn is used among Danish speakers. Parents who want to honor a Karen by choosing an updated version of the name might variations from Karina to Kyra to Kaja to Katri, or look at similar sounding options, like the Cornish Kerensa. 
 
There is more to Karen, however, than its current cultural associations in the Western world. It also has its roots in Japanese, in which its typically transcribed to mean "lotus flower" or "waterlily flower". In this case, it would be pronounced KA-REHN.
 
Additionally, in Armenian, it is used as an alternative transcription of Garen (used to reflect the Western Armenian pronunciation), meaning "high value, precious".

Karen

The original versions of Micaela have morphed into all manner of "inventive" spellings -- Makayla, McKalla et al -- but we prefer the genuine international versions, like this one.

Micaela

Dina is a 20th century version of either Dinah or Adinah, two Old Testament names not related to each other. Dinah was the beautiful daughter of Jacob and Leah, while Adinah or Adina was a male soldier, though the name is also used for girls in modern Israel.

Dina

The first name of Ethiopian supermodel Liya (pronounced like Leah) Kebede is also a Russian variation of Lia and Lily.  Rather than using Liya, English speakers will do better to call a child Leah or Lia.

Liya

The Biblical name of a great prophet and judge who helped organize an army and effect a major victory over the Canaanites. Sounds much fresher than the Anglicized Deborah.

Devorah

? Jewish girl names encompass Hebrew names like Talia and Naomi; Yiddish choices popular in Hasidic communities, such as Rifka and Yitty; and girl names with non-Jewish roots that are nonetheless disproportionately popular among Reform families, like Clara and Simone.

 include Abigal, Ayala, Tamar, Sarah, and Maya. The 

most common names for Jewish girls in the US

 include Maya, Noa, Naomi, Eliana, and Miriam, although these are not exclusively used by Jewish families.

 worth considering, such as the traditional Shoshana and Tzipporah, nicknames Esti and Ruthie, and modern gender-neutral Ori and Yonah.

If you're looking for a name that will connect your daughter to her Jewish heritage, start here by searching our comprehensive list of Jewish girl names.

Jewish baby names for girls, including Hebrew girl names, Israeli girl names, and modern reform Jewish girl names. (Page 8)