I’m creating a list of Yiddish names to help you identify the names you find in your family tree, and learn out about their meaning and origin.
In this post, I’ve included a list of Yiddish names for girls. (A similar list of Yiddish names for boys is also in the works – coming soon) There are many interesting Yiddish girls names which you may find in your family. You may even consider giving your own daughter a Yiddish name after a relative of that name. Naming after deceased ancestors is a very old Jewish tradition and a way of handing down an inheritance of good character to the next generation, since we believe that a person’s soul is attached to their name. Some Yiddish names sound very old-fashioned, while others are making a comeback. In this list, I have also added the Hebrew equivalent of many Yiddish names, as these are quite popular among parents who want to carry on the family names but don’t want to give a Yiddish name to their child, for whatever reason.
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Note: This list is still a work in progress – I just started with 20 Yiddish names that came to mind. I’m sure I missed many. If you want to add a name to this list and learn more about it’s origin and meaning, write it in the comment are below.
Kol Hakavod! Very cool. I always thought Toba meant “dove.” In our family, Blima has been hebraicized as Shoshana. I guess any flower would do.
You are absolutely right Chaya. Toba does mean dove. I had never thought of it because in our family it’s been Hebracized as Tova. So I guess that alternate Hebrew versions of Toba would be Yona or Yonina (which both mean dove).
It appears that one family in our tree named their daughters with the yiddish form of hebrew names, e.g., Yochvet= Jochobed, mother of Moses and anothe Mirral=Mirel+Miriam, siste of Moses, but I haven’t been able to find the others: Eradel, Kuna, Schifra, Yagel. Can you
Shifra is a fairly common biblical name – she appears in Exodus as one of the Jewish midwives who refused Pharaoh’s command to kills male Jewish babies. Could Eradel be “Fradel,” a Yiddish name related to Freida. I’ve never heard Kuna and Yagel. Hope this helps!
I am looking for the meaning and Hebrew spelling of Simma. I was told samech, yood, mem, hay.
My daughter has this name from my great aunt Sophie.
Hi Loren,
Sima – סימה is a pretty common Yiddish name. I’m not sure if it has a Hebrew origin. Not all Yiddish names do. But I have heard it alternated with Simha – שמחה which means happiness.
Hope this helps!
Naomi
Mindel is the feminine for Mendel, which is the Yiddish for Menachem — hence, the double name “Menachem Mendel.” Also, Toba is not the equivalent of Tova, which is the Hebrew version of Gitel. Toba (the Germanic version of this is Taube) does mean dove, as mentioned in some of your posted comments.
thanks Rivka!
rifka is my name or is it rivka…..please check this out and add to your list…..thanks….rhea pollock
hi Rhea,
Rivka is a biblical name – it’s the Hebrew equivalent of Rebecca. So far on this list I’ve only been including Yiddish names.