Naming children is
one of the basic, loving acts of parents.
The source of the name can vary from person to person and country to
country. Nature, on a selective basis,
is one of these sources.
Flowers are
apparently universal. In English,
relatively common flowery names include Camelia, Lilly, Rose, Heather, Jasmine
and Iris, to name a few. Granted, there
are some Petunias, Hollies, and Daisies. Israeli parents use many of these
names too. You can find girls named
Vered (rose), Iris, Yasmin, Dalia, Rakefet (cyclamen), among others.
Yet, there are
some differences in naming habits between English and Hebrew speaking parents.
Anglo-Saxons have no problem with some basis herbs, such as Basil or Rosemary. Yet, trees are taboo, except for maybe Hazel,
which is more nut than tree inspired. By contrast, Israelis love trees as a
source of names. To name but a few, there is no problem to find an Oren,
(pine), Erez (cedar), Ela (terebinth), Hadas (myrtle), Dolev (plane tree), Shaked
(almond), or Tamar (palm). Israelis are
even open to a grain, Shibolet (wheat flower), while the English-speaking world
prefers to leave them on the table.
On one hand, this
English prejudice against tree seems unjustified. A boy strong as elm or cedar
or a girl as sweet as a palm or perfect like an almond would be a
blessing. On the other hand, I would not
wish Redwood, as magnificent as it is, on my child. I would not want him to have peeling skin and
become so wide that car could drive between his legs, not to mention to live
hundreds of years. So, as naming goes, it is often better to go with the more
pedestrian among them, especially flowers.
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