Our ancestors used a variety of given names, often because their names were
different in different languages. Rachel, for example, would be Rajzla (with the -
le diminutive) in Yiddish. Most often, if the name wasn't Yiddish, it was a
'sounds'like' name, like Helen or Helena for Haja. Chale would sound like Haja
(with the -le diminutive), both being related to the Hebrew Chaya.
Of course, fashion was also an issue, with Fannie being popular so that many women
of all sorts of names used Fannie. Sam was the same for men. My grandmother
Matilda was named Rosa at birth.
Her grandmother had 20 different names recorded on her children's birth
certificates: Reis, Rosa, Rachel, Regina, all sorts of R names...and Teresa.
Matilda was named Rosa for her. I guess anything was OK.
Sally Bruckheimer
MODERATOR NOTE: Look at the JewishGen Discussion Group archives for lots of
discussions about names, their equivalents and the changes names went through
