On the Names of the Jews / קריאת שמות בישראל

Like other Semitic and Indogermanic peoples, the Jews gave names to their children either on the basis of conditions surrounding the new-born or in memory of persons of a preceding generation. With the beginning of the Diaspora, we encounter alterations of the traditional names, a phenomenon due to the increasing ignorance of Hebrew and to the influence of other languages. It thus happened that Ashkenazic Jews took the last syllable of a name for a diminutive, if that syllable contained a guttural or an "1"-sound; sometimes another diminutive was substituted for it, and sometimes it was completely eliminated (i. e., Mordechai = Mordche > Model, Mottel; Rachel > Rechltu or Recha). Similar changes occured with Roman names; thus, for example, Viola became Feigelein, and then, by misunderstanding, Feige and even Voegelein or Voegele. However, even modern so-called "scientific" etymologies are at times erroneous. For example, the name Feibusch is not Phoebus, as even Zunz assumed, but only a later development on German soil of the Judaeo-French Vives = Hayyim. The use of phe instead of original waw at the beginning of this name is a rather modern scribal usage, influenced by an altered pronunciation in eastern Germany that can be observed in other cases as well. The names Vivel, Vivelmann, Vissel, and Vissmann, all derived from Vives and its sister-name Vis, were originally written with a Hebrew waw and only in later times changed to Feivel, Feivelmann, Fishel, Fishmann — all with Heb. phe instead of waw. Due to different dialectical influences and misreadings, the same Vives was in the course of time even transformed into Beyfuss, Pupes, Feifer, Feis, Feish and Feisch. The original meaning of all these names is revealed by their usual surnames, which always have a relationship to life, resurrection, consolation, or light (the symbol of life), as, for example: Durant, Uri, Eliakim, Polyzoto, Zoe, Anastos, Paregoros, Consolo, Nehemiah. These names were originally bestowed on children born after the death of near relatives, particularly brothers or sisters. In case of a two-fold mourning in the family, or of the child's being orphaned from birth, he would be called Uri Sheraga or Shenei-Or ("double light"). This later name is not equivalent to Senior, as Shenei-Or contains an aleph whereas the Sephardic Sinior (a surname of Moses) does not. Mourning names were not simply names of consolation, but also had magic connotations. Names with such connotations, like Ger