Ask the Rabbi
- Family and Society
- The Jewish Household
- Names and Name Changing
Question
What is the female equivalent of Yehuda Leib for a girl?
Answer
Yehudit (the English form is: Judith) is obviously the female parallel of Yehuda, and was used in the past, e.g. one of the heroines of Chanuka. Leib literally means lion in Yiddish, which was the symbol of the tribe of Yehuda, hence the common pairing: Yehuda Leib or Aryeh Leib (lion in Hebrew and Yiddish). If you wish, you can add the name Liviah (לביאה), which is Hebrew for lioness, and also sounds very similar to Leib, so you really keep both names. So if you want 2 names: Yehudit Liviah (the "h" at the end is obviously optional for it's silent. Mazal Tov!!
Giving the name Adam
Rabbi Moshe Leib Halberstadt | Cheshvan 3, 5771

Translating a Yiddish name to a Hebrew one
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Iyyar 5, 5774

The Name Ro’i (Reish, Alef, Yud)
Various Rabbis | 13 Adar I 5765




