Appendix:Hebrew given names - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (2024)

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List of Hebrew names, as derived from Modern Hebrew and Biblical Hebrew.

This list includes any Hebrew name that is known to be used as a personal name in any cultural or religious tradition. This includes but is not limited to all existing traditions used by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. If the gender of the name is not listed, it is of (as yet) undetermined gender.

For linguistic consistency, as long as a name has an attestable or logical Hebrew form, then Hebrew form in Hebrew alphabetical order is preferred in all cases, even if none of the people who use the name are active speakers of Hebrew.

If the name originates in another language or is widely-known but obsolete, include it as well for clarity purposes; especially if the name does not have an intuitive spelling. If a name of ultimate Hebrew origin exists in another language, but has in some way been modified to reflect circ*mstances such as a different gender, "pet form", diminutive ("little") state, or hypocoristic (shortened/nickname) state, etc., then the name probably does not belong in this list. In most of these cases, the name has become inseparably integrated with the grammar of the host language, and no longer has a distinct Hebrew counterpart. If there are name lists on Wikipedia for the host language, then such a name probably belongs in that particular list.

This list also omits common contractions of names. These common contractions often shorten and simplify a commonly used root component that occurs at the beginning or end of the name.

These include:

• At the beginnings of names:
  • אֲבִי ʼĂḇi ("father; leader") can become אַבְ ʼAḇ.
  • אֱלִי ʼĔli ("my God") can become אֶלְ ʼEl. Additionally, אֱלִיּ ʼĔliy can become אֶלְי ʼEly, but this usually only reflects a difference in the vowels and not the letters of the name.
  • יְהוֹ Yəho (the LORD) can become יוֹ Yo.
• At the ends of names:
  • יָהוּ yahu (the LORD) can become יָה ya.

Contractions are not as common if a contracted spelling yields the same sequence of letters as another traditionally different name; such as the difference between אֱלִיעֶזֶר ʼĔlîʻezer and אֶלְעָזָר ʼElʻazār.

Furthermore, names ending with שע, where this means "salvation," have traditionally had no fewer than five variant vocalizations—שַׁע šạʻ, שִׁעַ šīªʻ, שֵׁעַ šēªʻ, שֻׁעַ šūªʻ and שֹׁעַ šōªʻ. Only the most common form is included on this list, and the other forms with other vowels are to be understood to be possible variations of the name.

For Modern Hebrew: use format of Hebrew Academy (2006), but with <ch> and <tz> being used for <ח> and <צץ>, respectively, to match frequent transliteration, as well as dagesh chazak not being marked.

For earlier forms of Hebrew: use Biblical/ otherwise historically prominent latinizations. Do not place them in the Modern Hebrew column, even if the form is common as an Anglicization.

For technical latinizations: use Polska Norma PN-74, but with <á ạ é ī í ō ọ ū> being written as <a a e i i o ā u>, respectively. Also, do not mark alef unless it appears after a consonant or vowel (outside of Aramaic names). This is done to reduce redundant diacritics and spellings. Additionally, the hataf vowels (ă ĕ ŏ) can be simplified to schwa (ə) if they immediately follow a consonant that is not a guttural (א ה ח ע), as a marker of pronunciation.

The standards can be seen here

Israelis often use certain popular transcriptions when they transcribe their names into English but are not fully Anglicizing their names. These transcriptions are often simple, spelling in such a way that they do not use characters or diacritics not found in English.

Typically, the differences between these transcriptions and Standard Hebrew scientific transliteration are:

• א Álef and ע ʻáyin are typically transcribed as a simple apostrophe ('), and never at the beginning or ends of names nor before other consonants. Almost as often, this apostrophe is not transcribed at all.
• Vowel stress accents are never transcribed. This is largely due to the regular stress patterns of Modern Hebrew.
• ְ Shwa is scientifically transliterated "ə", is either transcribed <e> or <'> or removed completely. Which one is based on rather subtle (albeit largely regular) habits of Israeli Hebrew pronunciation, e.g. "Kna'an" vs. "Ashkenaz".
• ֵי Ẓere male, scientifically written <ē>, is typically transcribed <ei> or <ey>. ֵ Zeire and ֶ Seggol, both also scientifically and commonly transliterated <e>.
• Where י yod comes after a vowel and either before a consonant or at the end of a name, Israelis often diphthongize it with the preceding vowel, and transcribe it "i", e.g. "Yishai".
• Doubled consonants are often transcribed single, though both "s" and "ss" are often transcribed "ss" to emphasize that it is not pronounced like English <z>. <iyy> is especially reduced to "iy" or simply "i", e.g. "Eliyahu" or "Eliahu".
• Where י yod occurs between two vowels where the vowel on the right is pronounced "i", the "y" or "yy" is sometimes not transcribed at all, and sometimes an apostrophe is placed instead, e.g. "Chaim" (though "Chayim" can be found too).
• ח Ḥet is often transcribed "h", "ch" or "kh" at the beginnings of names or after other consonants, but is typically transcribed "ch" or "kh" everywhere else, e.g. "Heshvan", "Yiftach".
• Soft כ ḵaf is transcribed "ch" or "kh".
• צ Ẓade is typically transcribed <tz> (e.g. "Yitzhak"), though s, <ts>, and <z> can also be found in rare occasions.
• ק Qof is typically transcribed <k>, but <q> occurs in careful transliteration.
• שׁ Šin is transcribed <sh>.