When & why did we start giving children more than one name?

Don’t know.

If it bothers you that much, don’t give your kids more than one name.

The Wolf

It’s brought down in halacha to add a name when naming after another person, in certain circumstances. Also, there are actually some phrase names in Tanach, so it’s not quite true that they all had only one first name.

Interesting topic, though.

I heared a taped shiur about names given by rav yissachar frand.

he said that the marshal criticized the then somewhat new practice of giving people more than one name.

I also saw in sefer nachlas shivah (the classic sefer on writting shtaros of all types) that the author also expressed surprise at the unusual practice in some places of giving more than one name.

it was also evident to me from this sefer that at that time, when a person’s name was changed due to illness, it was completely changed to a different name. not as we do, which is to add on an additional name before the current name.

also yes, you can find names in tanach and mishnah that are a phrase but it is still a single name.

If everyone had only a single name, it would get awfully confusing.

Are you shmendrick saying that 600 male names in Tenach is not sufficient choice of names to avoid confusion?

B’H I have 1 Hebrew name, and B’H my Dad has 1 Hebrew name, so it is so much easier when I receive an Aliya, to simply give the Gabbai 1 name for myself & 1 name for my Dad.

If someone does have a double or more names, I had a Pesack from Rav Melech Shachter ZT’L, that one ought to utilize all that person’s names, each time once calls or refers to or addresses that person. But he also said in no uncertain terms, how absolutely preferable it is to give a single name only.

My having 1 Hebrew name & my Dad having 1 Hebrew name, I have several times been called upon to be an “Eid” to sign Kesuvoh & Get, because the Mesader Kiddushin & Mesader Get did not wish to get involved with complex multi-names.

Perhaps, like our pronunciations, we borrowed the idea from our hosts.

Really Goq, which one? **guilty of soliciting personal info**

This is the first time I felt good about having only one name!

I know the Chasam Sofer wrote a teshuva about giving children more than one name, but it mustn’t have been all that bad as he gave his son 3 (Avrohom Shmuel Binyomin)…

Shmendrick – I have to wonder, when does tradition start? Is it the 18th Century (see thread on davening from phones…) or is it before then (as here)? Either tradition starts before the 18th Century, in which case 1 name only is traditional and learning from vilna Shas and wearing black and white is not, or it starts with the 18th Century in which case the reverse?

Shmendrick, many of thesingle name rabbonim also had jobs. How come that doesn’t count as tradition?

Bribi is a title. As are Abba and Mari.

Who had a number of names, including Re’uel, Petu’el, etc? (Hint: someone from Tanach.) Maybe we should start adding multiple names later, rather than at birth, to be fair to the traditionalists.

Shmendrick,

“Beribi” is not a first name. It is short for “ben Rebbi.”

I have long maintained that the only person you find in the Torah giving a double name is Paroah, who gave Yosef the name Tzofnas Poneach. Clearly giving two names is a goyishe zach.

It is my (granted limited) understanding that there are no real Halachos regarding names, though there are many minhagim. In that light, people can do what they wish, and should not be criticized. If you hold only one name should be give, by all means DO that. I know a young man with smicha in Monsey, who personally strongly holds by one name, but gave his recent child two. People should live and let live, where matters of Halacha l’Maiseh are not involved.

shmendrick, that was a decidedly unhalachic response to the astute and well reasoned post of Oomis. Also, please do not paint us all (we Torah yidden) as blindered and color blind. Some of us see halacha in vivid colors, and yes grey is one of them. Herd mentality is not the best way of seeking truth.

While we are on the subject of the Ch’Sofer, can someone please explain to me why many of his generations today, dont follow his derech re-gebrokst on Pesach?

The quality of baking the Maztos is far superior to what it probably was in the past and the incidence of unbaked flour is far remoter, so the reason necessitating a ban on gebrokt is far less necessary & called for.

“

nitpicker – “These are not exceptions at all.

these names are compounds with more than one part. not two names.”

The Noda B’yehuda provides these examples, look it up.

“

very interesting. in fact amazing.

the mahrshal (as i think I remember quoted by rav yissachar frand)

said there were none. so he didn’t see it same as as the noda b’yehuda.

to haleivy.

I am not sure why you addressed your comment to me, but I agree completely. My own second name is another example and I am sure it also was just a nickname, never used formally, in previous generations. As you say, these names eventually became actual

names used to call up or in shtaros. Still later they became stand-alone names in their own right, without the name they used to accompany.

benign, actually it means, great one.

As such, it is VERY appropriate if this chumrah can be instituted – that as a general rule we should only give one name, subject to exceptions of sholom bayis / avoiding machlokes, tzorech godol, hefsed merubah, sha’as hadchak etc. But that should be the EXCEPTION, not the rule.

The more you post, the more I become convinced that every time you say that something is a “very appropriate chumra” to institute, the more I become convinced that the exact opposite is true.

Either that, or (more likely) you’re just throwing the most outrageous things you can think of out there and seeing what gets reacted to.

The Wolf

Peleh Yoetz is probably referring to Hashem. The Meforshim disagree about Sar Shalom. Ish Boshes is one name, and so is Lo Ruchama. You couldn’t call them Ish or Lo, the name was both words; it isn’t two names.

Moshe, Tuvya and Avigdor are three names but they are alternative names. You won’t find him being called Moshe Tuvya ben Amram.

In the Gemara we find that the known names aren’t the original names. Lo Rebbe Meir Shmo Ela Rebbe Nehora’i Shmo. Abaye’s name might have really been Nachmeini, not Abaye.

Actually the pasuk says that Hashem, who is Pele Yo’etz, Kel Gibor, Avi Ad, said to call the baby Sar Shalom. So even if you count Sar Shalom as two names, that’s all he had.