Which spelling? Tzipora v Zipora

[Anonymous]

I'm Jewish (albeit not very religious) and I've never heard the name in my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

YOU might not be conformist, and you might love the fact that Tzipora is offbeat, but your daughter is the one who has to live with it.

And I actually don't mind the name (prefer it Zipporah or Tzipporah). But it's almost like you chose a "weird" name just to demonstrate how unique and special YOU are.

Tziporah just isn't that weird. Unusual, certainly. But weird? It's a name from the bible.

OK, I have to disagree here. I grew up in Bethesda and went to college in New York. I'm not Jewish but I know a LOT of Jewish people. And I went to church and Sunday school every week through high school so my bible knowledge is let's say better than most. And I have never heard this name before in my life.

Have you heard the name Moses? Tziporah was his wife.

So?

Go and ask 100 people if they have heard of Moses (100) or Tziporah (5? ) and please report back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree many people won't know how to pronounce it, but who cares? They'll learn. There are several kids at my son's day care whose names are not pronounced at all like I expected. Their parents said them slowly and spelled them and now I can pronounce them. It wasn't that bad.

I voted upthread for Tziporah (and being Jewish, I do know how to pronounce it). I like it and think you should go for it. It is a little odd on a non-Jew -- everyone who is Jewish will assume she is not only Jewish, but Orthodox -- but it's not any worse than naming a non-Irish kid Colm or Domhnall or whatever. (Which my Jewish cousins did.)

If you are looking for other Hebrew names that might be easier to pronounce, Orly and Hadassah come to mind. But it sounds like you've made your choice, and it's a good one.

op- thanks! Based on the names in my kids' classes, i have become a lot braver about names. Between cultural names and kre8tive spellings and trendy names, i don't think either tzipora or zipora is that big of a deal. I mean even my 2 year old can say "pretzel" and that is the same tz, yes? I am interested in the orthodox assumption - do orthodox jews name their kids more obscure old testament names? our jewish friends and relatives all have pretty mainstream names.

PP you're quoting -- yeah, I think there's a greater tendency among the Orthodox to use either more obscure names, or Hebrew or Yiddish names (which often are the same thing). So while a Reform or Conservative Jew might name her daughter Rachel, an Orthodox Jew might use the Hebrew version, Rochel. Or to use an example from my life, if I were Orthodox I'd have named my son Shmuel instead of Samuel.

But, like I said, if you like the name there's no reason you can't use it. Just be aware that it signals "this girl is Jewish" very strongly indeed! Since you're seeking to honor that part of your daughter's heritage, that may be a good thing!

+1. I am Jewish (not Orthodox), and I have heard of the name and know how to pronounce it. I would definitely assume that anyone named any variation of Tziporah was Jewish, and would be surprised to learn they were not Orthodox.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoid a Silent T. It's not conventional and looking at your thread, it took me a minute to realize you expected the names to be pronounced the same.

It isn't a silent t.

[Anonymous]

Shorter PPs: "I wouldn't name my kid this, so you shouldn't either."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're not adverse to slightly off-beat Hebrew names, I always liked Orly, but i couldn't quite bring myself to do it.

Pnina is the one I like, and might have used if I'd had a girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish (albeit not very religious) and I've never heard the name in my life.

You should get out more. In addition to the biblical character, there is a contemporary Israeli politician.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish (albeit not very religious) and I've never heard the name in my life.

I'm not Jewish and I've heard this name. I mean, come on, I saw The Prince of Egypt when I was a kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're not adverse to slightly off-beat Hebrew names, I always liked Orly, but i couldn't quite bring myself to do it.

Pnina is the one I like, and might have used if I'd had a girl.

Sorry, that name is forever ruined by the slutty wedding dress designer Pnina Tournai (sp?). Also sounds too close to Panini.

[Anonymous]

Tziporah sounds Orthodox to me because it's a straight Hebrew transliteration and doesn't really have an Anglicized equivalent and those are the kinds of names only Orthodox people tend to use. Names like Yocheved, Batsheva, Yerachmiel, etc. are in the same category.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shorter PPs: "I wouldn't name my kid this, so you shouldn't either."

No...more like "if I met someone with this name, I might make incorrect assumptions about them and also have difficulty pronouncing it. I think that most people will react similarly and that this name will therefore not serve your child well."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shorter PPs: "I wouldn't name my kid this, so you shouldn't either."

No...more like "if I met someone with this name, I might make incorrect assumptions about them and also have difficulty pronouncing it. I think that most people will react similarly and that this name will therefore not serve your child well."

Ding ding ding!

[Anonymous]

I think if you are going with a Biblical name, you should use the Biblical spelling and not some alternate spelling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think if you are going with a Biblical name, you should use the Biblical spelling and not some alternate spelling.

OP can't use the biblical spelling, because the bible isn't written in English, or even in the Roman alphabet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shorter PPs: "I wouldn't name my kid this, so you shouldn't either."

No...more like "if I met someone with this name, I might make incorrect assumptions about them and also have difficulty pronouncing it. I think that most people will react similarly and that this name will therefore not serve your child well."

Shorter PP: "This name confuses me, so it will confuse other people., so you shouldn't use it."