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Reader Samantha asks for baby name help:
Hi! I’d really appreciate your input! I’m desperately searching for a name for my baby boy, who is due at the end of this month. We would like to honor my husband’s grandfather by naming after him. His name was Reuven, so we are looking for another good “R” name.
We’re not huge fans of Raphael, Raffi, or Reuven. We’d like something Jewish that would fit for a kid growing up in New York City. Ronen is our forerunner, but we’re just not in-love with it.
Any other ideas for R names? It can be a bit unconventional. . .
Thanks so much!
Best,
Samantha
You can go to town on this one–they want unconventional.
More posts on Israeli Baby Names
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image: Shoshana
What about Ro’i? Or Ranen, instead of Ronen. Ron/Roni/Ran is a bit old-fashioned but works in both languages (though obviously the Ran version is a bit problematic for an Anglo).
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Robin from Israel recently posted..Lupine Hill
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all the above…
or Refael
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Or Rotem, but that’s a bit more common as a girl’s name these days.
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Robin from Israel recently posted..Lupine Hill
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Ravid (then you also get the v from Reuven).
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I’ve only seen that as a girls’ name.
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littleduckies recently posted..Ha! I Outsmarted You!
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I knew a Ravid in the states. I think it’s cool and easy for English speakers. Ruh-VEED. Unless you think Americans will try to pronounce it like RAY-vid or RAH-vid.
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Yosefa recently posted..Pre-Pesach Kosher Cooking Carnival
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Ravid is nice too.
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Rotem is still used for boys, as well as for girls
Also:
Regev
Ra’anan
Rimon
Rahav
Re’em
Regem
Rom
Remez
Rami
Romem
Reuel (Reu’el)
Reshef
Rezin (Retzin)
Raziel
Rahamim (Rachamim)
Rahim (Rachim)
Rahman (Rachman)
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You can also spell Ro’i as Roey, which is a more standardized spelling for the States and has a lovely meaning. We were discussing this name and also Rachamim (maybe Ami for short?) for my grandfather, who was also Reuven, but we ended up with a girl so we didn’t use either (we used Ruby). Some other ideas might be Ramon and Remez. Ronen is nice, too.
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Raz, Raziel, Reshef, Raanan, Raviv?
Here’s a complete list: http://www.shemli.co.il/hebnames/male_names.seam?pageID=1&letter=%D7%A8
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Rahm or Rami is a name we considered for a boy. People in the US now know the name Rahm . . .
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Are you absolutely set on an R name? Another way to honor your husband’s grandfather in a Jewish way is to name your baby after one of Reuven’s qualities that you especially value and admired. So, if he was very honest – Yashar or Emmett (works in English too). If he was brave – Aryeh or Oz. If he was wise – Navon. Warm and loving – Lev. You get the idea.
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How about Raz? It’s both nice and short.
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I would avoid using an apostrophe in a name. We have a daughter whose name is Tif’eres and no-one, including her school, manages to put in the ‘. Also Ro’i, apart from the apostrophe, tends to be mispronounced as Roy, so if you’d like to use that ( and it’s a lovely name) maybe Roey is better, or Roee or even Ro(e with an umlaut) like Zoe! Personally I wouldn’t go for Ravid in America – it’s bound to come out rhyming with David
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Here are some non-R names associated with Reuven: Elitzur (Numbers 1:5); Pelet (Numbers 16:1); Betzer (Deuteronomy 4:43); Hanokh or Chanoch (Numbers 26:6); Karmi (Numbers 26:6); Eliav (Num 26:8); [Numbers 26:5-11 has other names, too, but they don't seem to "work" for my ear-- but that's an aesthetic choice you may disagree with]. Mazal Tov!
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Thanks for all the responses! You are so kind and creative. The baby was born today. He’s healthy and awesome!
Thank you so much for your wonderful input! To be continued. . . .
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