Can I name my Jewish daughter Mary?

[Anonymous]

You can. And I'm Catholic, and I wouldn't assume she was Catholic. Mary was the most popular name for girls from 1880 until 1961--obviously plenty of non-Catholics were naming their kids Mary. As people have pointed out, it's a name that exists in some form across all the Abrahamic faiths. (And may have originated from the Egyptian language.)

https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-278650.html

https://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/my-jewish-daughter-mary/

[Anonymous]

What is MTM's metal M? Google didn't bring anything up, and I am unfamiliar with a 'trend' store abbreviated MTM...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is MTM's metal M? Google didn't bring anything up, and I am unfamiliar with a 'trend' store abbreviated MTM...

This was my only question, too.

[Anonymous]

I think it's great and honestly, these days how much can you tell by a person's first name anyhow!

Meanwhile, one alternative would be Mairin, which is Irish. It gets you to Mair very quickly and is still sweet.

PS- I know a Jewish Maria. She was named for a close friend of the family. It was fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is MTM's metal M? Google didn't bring anything up, and I am unfamiliar with a 'trend' store abbreviated MTM...

This was my only question, too.

Non OP, but I think the reference is to the M on the wall of Mary's apartment in The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

[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.

This.
For all kinds of reasons, it has fallen out of fashion to do this in many pockets of the jewish community. but i know at least 2 multi-generational Jewish Marys. one has a hebrew name miriam and the other malka.
we forget, in the not so distant history (um, and even in other parts of the country currently) how important it is to be able to 'pass' as nonjewish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IT's a Catholic name. I would think it weird and I'm not even Jewish.

Mary, mother of Jesus, was a Jew so what makes you think it's an exclusive Roman Catholic name?

OP, I know a Jewish woman who named her kids Matthew and Mark. Name her Mary if this is what you like.

[Anonymous]

what about marianna?

[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.

This.
For all kinds of reasons, it has fallen out of fashion to do this in many pockets of the jewish community. but i know at least 2 multi-generational Jewish Marys. one has a hebrew name miriam and the other malka.
we forget, in the not so distant history (um, and even in other parts of the country currently) how important it is to be able to 'pass' as nonjewish.

Another Jew here with a great-aunt named Mary. Her siblings were Rosalie (called by her Yiddish name Rutzie), Sarah, and my grandfather Adrian. All fine names.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is MTM's metal M? Google didn't bring anything up, and I am unfamiliar with a 'trend' store abbreviated MTM...

This was my only question, too.

Non OP, but I think the reference is to the M on the wall of Mary's apartment in The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

GOTCHA. well, approximately 0% of the population will get the reference, since it looks exactly like all other wall alphabet letters

[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.

This.
For all kinds of reasons, it has fallen out of fashion to do this in many pockets of the jewish community. but i know at least 2 multi-generational Jewish Marys. one has a hebrew name miriam and the other malka.
we forget, in the not so distant history (um, and even in other parts of the country currently) how important it is to be able to 'pass' as nonjewish.

Another Jew here with a great-aunt named Mary. Her siblings were Rosalie (called by her Yiddish name Rutzie), Sarah, and my grandfather Adrian. All fine names.

I'm sure that's true. But it doesn't change the fact that for her whole life, a significant portion of people will think "Mary" is Christian, and will be surprised she is Jewish.

If OP is ok with that -- go for it. But I think OP should put a little more thought into the meaning of names in connection with her Jewish heritage. If OP is secular in many respects, names may be one of the few ways to continue to connect the child to her heritage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IT's a Catholic name. I would think it weird and I'm not even Jewish.

Mary was a Jew.

No. Miriam was a Jew.The specific Anglicized version of that name has fully been co-opted by Catholics.

Just as Jesus wasn't actually called Jesus. That version of his Amamaic name is distinctly Christian.

Exactly. Should a Jew name her son Jesus? Obviously that would be absurd. Nobody will blink an eye at a Jewish Joshua, however.

[Anonymous]

How about Mariam or Maryam? I like it better than Miriam. But it's all the same name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Catholic here...our Mary was a Jew. I don't think it's weird at all.

our? really?

Seriously. She doesn't belong to Catholics.

True but Mary has a unique and special position in Catholicism. Protestants have crititicized it even.

[Anonymous]

How about Marin?