Baby Names

When naming after someone

You ladies are fairly knowledgeable, so I figured I would ask here.... 

Does it really "matter" if you name after their nickname or proper/given name?  My mother mentioned the idea of naming after my great-grandmother when I have my next LO, by using the same first initial as her name.   (It is pretty common for Jewish people to honor deceased relatives in this way).

Naming after her is all well and good, but I have no idea which her real first name was.  She went by Tsippi, that is what I knew her as.  But I know that she was also called Celia.  I don't know which one was the actual name on her birth certificate, and I am not sure anyone else would know either... (she was largely a mystery, she was 95 for like 4 straight years because we had no idea how old she really was).

If it helps, she was from Poland.  I am thinking Tsippi was the given name that people changed to Celia when she got her because it soudned more American?

 Thoughts?  TIA.

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Re: When naming after someone

  • I don't think it matters either way. Especially in this case, going with either Celia or Tsippi would honor your great-grandmother.
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  • You should try to do some research, you could probably find some stuff.  My family is dutch, and they have lots of websites to track down information like that.  Poland might too.

    If you don't, it is fine to use either name, in my opinion.  My grandma was born Antje, but they called her Angie....

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  • If they called her Tsippi maybe her real name was Tsipporah? I think in Jewish tradition you are supposed to name after the Hebrew name's letter and typically they start with the same letter for the "english" name but not always.

    ETA: That makes no sense. It's likely Celia is what she was called to be more "American". I would name after her Hebrew or given name if you can find it out.

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  • Sounds like her name was probably Tsipporah/Tzipporah. I love Tzippi and Tzipporah, actually, as well as Celia. Tzipporah could have been her Hebrew name and Celia could have been the name she used in non-Jewish society as a Polish Jew, even before coming to the US. (Though, as you guessed, it's also pretty likely that she had her name changed upon coming to America.)

    I think you could use either name. You could even do both: make Celia the name on her birth certificate and "Tzipporah" can be her Hebrew name.

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  • imagemrs.amandamm:

    You should try to do some research, you could probably find some stuff.  My family is dutch, and they have lots of websites to track down information like that.  Poland might too.

    If you don't, it is fine to use either name, in my opinion.  My grandma was born Antje, but they called her Angie....

    It gets far more complicated for people of Jewish ancestry to do family history research, often because, before a certain point and depending on countries, separate records were kept. However JewishGen.com is a good resource!

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  • My family is Polish too. Sometimes, due to the significant language differences between Polish and English, immigrants would just go by what appears to be a very different name to make it easier on people. My grandmother went by Tessie. Her Polish name was a jumble of letters that I could not pronounce without some major help. :) If I were to name a child after her, I would name the child Tessa most likely as that is what us kids knew her by. But I think it would be equally nice if you figure out her Polish given name and use that letter. Perhaps it would even make for a cooler story for your child when they get a little older. I've always liked learning the legal, given names of my ancestors. We found out recently, after some digging, that my Polish grandfather Eddie's first name was really Ignatius. Kinda cool (and in his case I would consider either Ignatius or his mn Edward to honor him).
  • imageLaComtesse:
    imagemrs.amandamm:

    You should try to do some research, you could probably find some stuff.  My family is dutch, and they have lots of websites to track down information like that.  Poland might too.

    If you don't, it is fine to use either name, in my opinion.  My grandma was born Antje, but they called her Angie....

    It gets far more complicated for people of Jewish ancestry to do family history research, often because, before a certain point and depending on countries, separate records were kept. However JewishGen.com is a good resource!

    Yep... extremely difficult to research family history.  I do love the name Tsiporah Hebrew name though if I havea  girl and that is a great option because it would also honor my Grandfather, Ted.  FWIW, I love Ted as a first name, but DH has a living grandfater with that name so I would not use the actual name at this point.

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  • imageAfterAll:
    imageLaComtesse:
    imagemrs.amandamm:

    You should try to do some research, you could probably find some stuff.  My family is dutch, and they have lots of websites to track down information like that.  Poland might too.

    If you don't, it is fine to use either name, in my opinion.  My grandma was born Antje, but they called her Angie....

    It gets far more complicated for people of Jewish ancestry to do family history research, often because, before a certain point and depending on countries, separate records were kept. However JewishGen.com is a good resource!

    Yep... extremely difficult to research family history.  I do love the name Tsiporah Hebrew name though if I havea  girl and that is a great option because it would also honor my Grandfather, Ted.  FWIW, I love Ted as a first name, but DH has a living grandfater with that name so I would not use the actual name at this point.

    If only you were Sephardic... ;-)

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  • imageLaComtesse:
    imageAfterAll:
    imageLaComtesse:
    imagemrs.amandamm:

    You should try to do some research, you could probably find some stuff.  My family is dutch, and they have lots of websites to track down information like that.  Poland might too.

    If you don't, it is fine to use either name, in my opinion.  My grandma was born Antje, but they called her Angie....

    It gets far more complicated for people of Jewish ancestry to do family history research, often because, before a certain point and depending on countries, separate records were kept. However JewishGen.com is a good resource!

    Yep... extremely difficult to research family history.  I do love the name Tsiporah Hebrew name though if I havea  girl and that is a great option because it would also honor my Grandfather, Ted.  FWIW, I love Ted as a first name, but DH has a living grandfater with that name so I would not use the actual name at this point.

    If only you were Sephardic... ;-)

    Haha I know, right?  I love the name Ted, too.

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