Name Generator > Character Names > American Names > Jewish American Names
Jewish American Name Generator
Are you writing a play, script or novel? Can you not find the right name for a fictional character? Then choose yourself a socially accurate and realistic name with our Jewish American name generator!
About Jewish Names
Jewish names have a history that goes back thousands of years, and originally revolved around the circumstances of a person's birth. Jewish names in the Biblical era would often adapt different parts of an ancestor's name (rather than being specifically named after an ancestor), and certain names in these times were viewed as shaping the destiny of the person who bore them, as well as illustrating their character. Jewish names in this era also used a patronymic system where the first name was followed by either 'ben' (son of) or 'bat' (daughter of), and then their father's name.
This system has lasted a long time and is still used in Jewish religious and cultural life, but during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, most Jews in Europe had to change their surnames to either European or specifically German surnames in exchange for the laws governing Jewish emancipation which removed much of the previously legal discrimination against Jews.
There are also differences between the naming traditions of Ashkenazi Jews (hailing from Central or Eastern Europe), who don't name their children after a living relative, and Sephardic Jews (originating from Spain or the Middle East), for whom having a related child named after them is viewed as a great honour. The custom of naming a child after a deceased relative is common in both Jewish groups, and is done so that the child will hopefully emulate the virtues of their namesake in their future life.
Jewish parents will often give their children a Hebrew name and a secular name that will be more generally used in ordinary life. Sometimes these two names are connected via their meaning, but it's more common now for parents to choose names that simply sound similar.
Many Jews who emigrate back to modern-day Israel change their names back to Hebrew names, in order to leave behind any traces of their life in the Jewish Diaspora. New Israeli names like Ari or Ilana are also rising in popularity among modern Jewish American parents. Whatever name is chosen, it is important to most Jewish parents that a child's name should have some kind of significance that will strengthen family bonds as well as their connection to the Jewish people's lengthy history.
This character generator uses historical US birth name data grouped by decade, listing the most popular names for each decade of birth, and for each ethnic group in the United States. This means our character names are historically and culturally realistic, making them perfect for writers, creators, and gamers who want to generate historical or minority characters accurately.
