Can I name my Jewish daughter Mary?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I would think it a little weird. I do know several people with very Christian names (Christopher, etc) but they are converts.

[Anonymous]

Mary was a common Jewish name for a long time. I have two great aunts with that name. It was often changed to Miriam or Malka.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People will assume she is Catholic for her whole life. She will have to explain she is Jewish her whole life. Do you want to saddle her with this?

Do you assume that everyone named Mary is Catholic? I don't.

NP - I don’t either and know plenty who aren’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mary was a common Jewish name for a long time. I have two great aunts with that name. It was often changed to Miriam or Malka.

+1 I get up in the middle east and so many people of non Christian religions have variations of the Mary name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People will assume she is Catholic for her whole life. She will have to explain she is Jewish her whole life. Do you want to saddle her with this?

This.

There are so many pretty variations of Mary - Miriam, Mari, Miri, Mar, Marija, Maja, Mia, Marika, Mareika. Even Rosemary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mary was a common Jewish name for a long time. I have two great aunts with that name. It was often changed to Miriam or Malka.

+1 I get up in the middle east and so many people of non Christian religions have variations of the Mary name.

Variations are fine. But "Mary" will be presumed Catholic by many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mary was a common Jewish name for a long time. I have two great aunts with that name. It was often changed to Miriam or Malka.

+1 I get up in the middle east and so many people of non Christian religions have variations of the Mary name.

This. It is used by many devout Muslims.

FWIW, I’m a lifelong practicing Catholic in my 40s. I only know one Christian girl named Mary. Many, many with the names of saints and biblical figures, including Salome (popular in the Republic of Georgia I’m told), but only one Mary under 30. The same way that I wouldn’t assume a Maya was Jewish, I think Mary (or variants) are ok for non-Christian girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mary was a common Jewish name for a long time. I have two great aunts with that name. It was often changed to Miriam or Malka.

+1 I get up in the middle east and so many people of non Christian religions have variations of the Mary name.

Variations are fine. But "Mary" will be presumed Catholic by many.

Why Catholic? Most of the Marys in the history of the US were mainline Protestants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People will assume she is Catholic for her whole life. She will have to explain she is Jewish her whole life. Do you want to saddle her with this?

This is BS. I know plenty of non catholic Marys.

[Anonymous]

My mother in law is a daughter of holocaust survivors and was named Manya (polish) and goes by Mary in English. it's fine.

[Anonymous]

I’m jewish too and I wouldn’t do it, OP.

[Anonymous]

Since the biblical Mary was Jewish, I don't see the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mary was a common Jewish name for a long time. I have two great aunts with that name. It was often changed to Miriam or Malka.

+1 I get up in the middle east and so many people of non Christian religions have variations of the Mary name.

Variations are fine. But "Mary" will be presumed Catholic by many.

+1. Variations are very different. Miriam and Malka wouldn't be unusual for a Jewish name - Mary would. If you like it, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be viewed as odd for a Jewish kid with two Jewish parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mother in law is a daughter of holocaust survivors and was named Manya (polish) and goes by Mary in English. it's fine.

Yes, my Jewish great-aunt from Poland was Manya (nickname for Maria) in Poland and became Mary in the US.

[Anonymous]

This is so weird to me. My family is super Catholic and when my brother named his son Joshua only the 80 year old's really made a comment about it being a Jewish name and the younger Catholics laughed at how absurd it would be to get rid of all the old testament names as names for our kids.

So I am on team "That is Absurd" to NOT name your child Mary.