Yiddish is older than the English we speak, although it did not fully come into its own, building a literature of its own, until the mid-nineteenth century since which recent time it has produced an impressive body of stories, poems, novels, essays, and social criticism.
Yiddish is the Robin Hood of languages. It steals from the linguistically rich to give to the fledgling poor. It shows not the slightest hesitation in taking in house guest to whom, it give free room and board regardless of genealogy, faith, or exoticism (Rosten, Leo. 1968. The Joys of Yiddish. New York: Pocket Books. xvi).

Around the tenth century, Jews from what is now the from what is northern France, who spoke Old French and, of course, Hebrew, migrated to towns along the Rhine, where they began to use the local German dialect (Rosten, Leo. 1968. The Joys of Yiddish. New York: Pocket Books. xx)

Yiddish Baby Names is set up to search for names and meanings. In the SEARCH box on the home page, enter the quality you would like exemplified in your child or simply the name itself. Click the SEARCH button and enjoy the results.

Here are a few of the books used to research the etymology and meanings of the names on this site.

Feldblyum, Boris.
Russian-Jewish Given Names.
Teaneck: Avotaynu, Inc. 1998.

.

.

Gorr, Shmuel.
Jewish Personal Names.
Bergenfield: Avotaynu, Inc. 1992.

.

.

Kolatch, Alfred J.
The New Name Dictionary – Modern English and Hebrew Names.
Middle Village: Jonthan David. 1994.

.

.

Kolatch, Alfred J.
The Complete Dictionary of English and Hebrew First Names.
Middle Village: Jonthan David. 1984.

.

.

Rosten, Leo.
The Joys of Yiddish.
New York: Pocket Books. 1968.

.

.

Sidi, Smadar Shir.
The Complete Book of Hebrew Baby Names.
San Francisco: Harper. 1989.
Sarahleah has done a painting for every single name in this book.

.

Weinreich, Uriel.
Modern English-Yiddish Yiddish-English Dictionary New York: McGraw-Hill. 1968.

.

For a complete list of the Bibliographies used on this site click here .

.

Additional resources: .

Diamant, Anita.
The New Jewish Baby Book: Names, Ceremonies, & Customs-a Guide for Today's Families
New York: Jewish Lights Pub. 1994.

.

Diamant, Anita..
What to Name Your Jewish Baby. align=left>
New York: Jewish Lights Pub. 1989

.

.

Kolatch, Alfred J.
Best Baby Names for Jewish Children
Middle Village: Jonthan David. 1998.

.

.

A Gentle Reminder About Copyrights:
All digital representations of any Hebrew Letters by Sarahleah products, as well as cropped versions used throughout this site for promotional purposes, are fully protected by international copyright law. Please do not reproduce them in any form without permission of Hebrew Letters by Sarahleah. Thank you!