Jack is back, but Ella is top girls’ name
IF YOU were worried that British baby names were increasingly inspired by the wilder fantasies of the celebrity set, fear not: Jewish parents are largely sticking to tradition.
A study of birth announcements placed in the JC in the year up to Rosh Hashanah has revealed that British Jews still prefer classic names for their newborns, albeit with some modern additions.
The name “Jack” topped the list for boys, just as it did last year, while new entry “Ella” led for girls, closely followed by “Noa”, “Eden” and “Leah”.
The top 10 list, compiled by mothers Naomi Goldman and Sarah Peston, co-founders of the Jewish Baby Direc- tory (JBD) website for parents, showed Hebrew names also trumped Yiddish ones.
“Yiddishe names are not popular for girls or boys in the UK,” said Finchley United Synagogue member Mrs Goldman, 35. “That is possibly because they are harder to integrate in wider British
society. She added: “Biblical names for boys haven’t dated in the same way that they appear to have done for girls.”
Rachel Taylor, of Borehamwood, named her daughter Ella. She said: “I didn’t realise that it was the most popular Jewish girls’ name. I don’t want her to feel like she is just one of many. It was for that reason that Jack wasn’t on our boys’ list! I’d hate to think there will be lots of Ellas in her class at school.”
Charlotte Singer, from Mill Hill, gave birth to her son, Jack, in May. She said: “We felt it was strong, classic and timeless and worked equally well as both a child and adult name. It was definitely our favourite but I’m quite surprised it’s so popular.”
Tamara Caplin, who has just made aliyah, chose Eden for her daughter 10 months ago. She said: “I’m surprised to hear it’s so popular because we haven’t met any other babies called Eden. We chose it because we loved it.”