Jewish Names

Nonbiblical Hebrew name used as an affectionate nickname since the Middle Ages.

The "Tz" beginning of Tzofia represents the Hebrew letter tzadi, which is pronounced more like ts. So Tzofia sounds like Sofia with a light t at the beginning — intriguing, but a difficult sound for a native English speaker to reproduce. While Tzofia is a distinct name from the megapopular Sophia and Sofia, many people will hear it as a cognate and pronounce it the same...or like Zofia.

A symbolic name for boys born during a period between Passover and Shavuot.

Popular in Israel, sounds a lot more current than Doris.Brings to mind Dickens' Little Dorrit, though Dorrit was the surname of its heroine Amy.

Ronit is only used on girls in Israel, but last year in the US it was given to more male than female babies.

A feminization used more before Jordan joined the girls' camp.

Looks modern, but sounds like the dated Ronnie.

This modernized version of Yehudah could be assimilated further by making it Judah. The name is traditionally given to boys born at Chanukah. It first appeared on the US Top 1000 in 2001.

Old Testament name that would make a nice alternative to Matteo.

Russian form of Eli mainly used today by families with Russian Jewish heritage.

Raz is one of the many modern Israeli unisex names. It's simple and sleek and translates easily to English.

Rose would be sweeter.

Familiar as the most common form of greeting in Hebrew, but also associated with top female model Shalom Harlow.

A jewel-encrusted choice, far more unusual than Pearl.

In modern Hebrew, sigal is the word for the violet flower.

This unusual variation of Margaret is the real first name of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. It can make a distinctive way to honor an ancestral Margaret or a different long form for such nicknames as Maggie, Meg, or Margo.