Shalom y’all! I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my Hebrew name and wanted to get some thoughts from the community.
When I was born, I was given the name Fronkel ben Avram, named after my great-grandfather Frank. He came to the U.S. from Hungary in the early 1900s and was a big figure on my dad’s side of the family.
This summer, I visited his grave for the first time, and I found out something that surprised me — his Hebrew name wasn’t Fronkel (which I always thought sounded pretty Yiddish), but Fivel. That kind of shook me, because I’ve carried that name my whole life thinking it was his.
Also, I recently learned that Avram isn’t typically used as a Hebrew name anymore, since in the Torah, G-d changes Avram’s name to Avraham. I never really thought much about it before, but now I’m wondering if I should consider updating my name to Fivel ben Avraham — to both honor the actual name my great-grandfather had, and to align with tradition a bit more.
I’m also the last male in the family with our last name, and my son is the only other one left in the line. So this feels a little bigger than just a name — it’s about memory, legacy, and getting it right.
Is there a process for changing a Hebrew name if it’s not tied to a conversion or serious life event? And more importantly, is this something worth doing, or should I just stick with the name I was given?
Appreciate any thoughts or guidance — thank you!
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