For whom shall a newborn be named - a living or deceased relative? Should a Hebrew name sound like the given secular name? What name may or may not be chosen?

These conundra and others are explained succinctly by Alfred J. Kolatch in his popular tome The Name Dictionary: Modern English and Hebrew Names (1967). In the appendices of the book Kolatch discusses the history and development of personal names, the sources of our names, and renders relevant statistics and trends. Also included is both a Hebrew and transliterated index of Hebrew names. Kolatch differentiates the Ashkenazic custom of naming a child after a deceased relative from the Sephardic practice of naming a child after a living relative. Noting that the Sephardic Jews (Italian, Portuguese, French, North African, and others of Eastern countries) were less superstitious than their Ashkenazic brethren, Kolatch offers examples to show that their offspring are often named after living grandparents, and even after the child's parents. It seems that the Ashkenazim have avoided this practice because they identified the name more closely with the soul than the Sephardim. They felt that it was dangerous to name the child after a living person because it would rob the living of his full life and would upset the spirit of the dead.

In earlier times, "naming" was an easier occupation because children were given Biblical or Hebraic names. Therefore the Hebraic Avraham was simply known as Abraham. Today, as Jews live in a secular world and have freely adopted secular names, the task has become more difficult. Often a secular name is selected today on the basis of similarity in sound with the Hebrew name. Another possibility is to make the secular and Hebrew name conform in meaning. When Greek became the vernacular of the Jews in the third century B.C.E., many Jews assumed Greek names which corresponded with the Hebrew only in assonance. Thus, Menachem became Menelaus; Joshua became Jason. At the same time, many Greek and Latin names were adopted by translating the Hebrew into Greek. The Hebrew Tobiah became the Greek Agathou, both meaning "good"; Nathaniel became Theodotion, both meaning "God given"; and Zadok became Justus, both meaning "justice."

Whatever the decision regarding a Hebrew name, Kolatch has provided for nearly all the possibilities - both in English and in Hebrew. The Masculine and Feminine names are discussed in full, both with respect to their English definition and their Hebraic equivalents. It is a book that serves well, and fulfills the Jewish promise - "from generation to generation".