Hello Debbi,

Two possible explanations:

1. Originally those people were Sephardim or for some reason followed Sephardic customs. Sephardim use the form [name ben or bat mother's-name].

2. Those people were very sick when they died or suffered an accident. It is a Jewish custom, even between Ashkenazim, to say the healing blessing or prayer for sick people (misheberah avoteinu v'imoteinu - see http://www.jewishealing.com/healingprayer.html) using the mother's name instead the one of the father.

I suggest you submit this question to the General List, because there you will find rabbis and other very knowledgeable people about Jewish naming customs.

Regards
Tom

At 23:05 -0600 13.11.2006, H-SIG digest wrote:

Subject: Tombsone question
From: "Kormans" <korman3@comcast.net>
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 14:29:47 -0800
X-Message-Number: 3

I have two tombstones, a husband and wife who died in the early 20th century
in Esztergom. What surprised me is that the Hebrew names are Chaim son of
Raisal, and Beila daughter of Hannah. No mention of the father's names, only
the mother's names.

Usually the father's names, and not the mother's names, are on the
tombstones. Is there something that I am missing? I know who the parents of
both persons were.

Debbi Korman
Portland, Oregon

Moderator: As Tom suggests, please direct questions about Jewish customs and practices not specifically or uniquely associated with Hungarian Jews to JewishGen's general mail-list.