# Why are Sidney, Ira, Irving, such common Jewish names? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 9, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715 "2011-02-09T00:36:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/21 "2011-02-09T03:51:52Z")
Let’s not forget the 3 Jewish inventors of automobile air conditioning. Henry Ford was an antisemite who refused to put the names Finkelstein, Goldberg, and Cohen in his cars, but they didn’t allow him to use their invention without having their names on it. That’s why, to this day, many air conditioning systems are still proudly emblazoned with their first names: Norm, Hy, and Max. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/22 "2011-02-09T04:00:04Z")
Kevin’s friend on The Wonder Years was Jewish, and he was named Paul. ‘Manny’ is a Jewish name, isn’t it? And ‘Lonny’? ---
**Author:** ![Anchuldigs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anchuldigs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anchuldigs)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/23 "2011-02-09T04:36:10Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Most completely unobservant Jews balk at naming their child after a disciple of Christ! A (Jewish) friend of mine went by “Mark” and I was like, “really?” and he said, “actually it’s Marcus.” Similarly you might encounter a person named “Jon” but it turns out to be short for Jonathan. Saul is a common, if old-fashioned, Jewish name, but Paul is not generally used by Jewish people at all in America. > > Another twist is that Jewish people, at least of Ashkenazi descent, won’t name a child after anyone who is still alive. So names have a “skip-a-generation” tendency and are prone to trendiness, since the universe of living relations tends to exclude a lot. > > BTW, in terms of little-old-man names, Max and Oscar are back in a big way. I know three Max’s under 5 years old. Mark, not Marcus, is a very popular name among Orthodox Jews. Paul isn’t unheard of either - I know 2 Orthodox Pauls myself. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/24 "2011-02-09T04:46:14Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Kevin’s friend on The Wonder Years was Jewish, and he was named Paul. > > ‘Manny’ is a Jewish name, isn’t it? And ‘Lonny’? My Jewish great uncles Emanuel and Moses became Manny and Maurice. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/25 "2011-02-09T05:25:37Z")
> [@Anchuldigs](#): > > Mark, not Marcus, is a very popular name among Orthodox Jews. Paul isn’t unheard of either - I know 2 Orthodox Pauls myself. I’d hardly call Mark very popular among Orthodox Jews. Here’s a Jewish (mostly Orthodox) [website](http://onlysimchas.com) used for engagement, wedding, and birth announcements. It has a useful search function which can provide some interesting anecdotal evidence here. First name includes Paul gives 53 Pauls, Paulas, Paulinas, etc. Conversely, first name David gives 1111 results. First name includes Mark gives 150 results, but a portion of those appear to be incorrectly entered last names. There are another 155 Marcs, including Marcus, Marcy, etc, while Moshe has 2156 results. 61 Matthews compared to 1976 Chaims. 2 people named Mary, 1587 named Miriam. You get the picture. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/26 "2011-02-09T06:08:36Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > but Paul is not generally used by Jewish people at all in America. We had a Senator here in Minnesota, [Paul Wellstone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wellstone), who was Jewish. As was his opponent the first time he was elected. In fact, it became a campaign issue as to ‘who was the better Jew’. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/27 "2011-02-09T06:12:38Z")
\*\* > [@Pyper](#): > > My Jewish great uncles Emanuel and Moses became Manny and Maurice. Yeah, and then they hired Alec Baldwin to motivate the sales staff… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/28 "2011-02-09T08:30:23Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Hijack here, but related… > > I have always wondered if an observant, religious Jew would name a son Paul, or Matthew, or another name closely associated with famous Christian Saints or historical figures. > > Yes, I am aware that Paul (Saul) and Matthew were Jewish. I had a Sefaradi coworker who was a Carlos and his sister a Paula; I know Carlos was observant. Mind you, my BFF is a very-Catholic Blanca Ester (“white” because she was so pale - still is, Ester because she was born on the feast of “St. Ester, queen” - so yeah, thereabouts of Purim) and my sister-in-law an observant, Catholic Judith (because her mother liked it). For me a Sefaradi Fernando would be more surprising, but Isabel happens to be a Jewish name. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/29 "2011-02-09T09:20:32Z")
(Overheard circa 1948) - So Florence, you hear that they’ve declared independence? - Really? What are they going to call the country? - They said it’s going to be called “Israel”. - Israel? I don’t know… why don’t they just call it Irving? ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/30 "2011-02-09T10:04:18Z")
Off the topic a bit, but did you notice “Ashkenazi” is half-Jewish and half-Nazi? But so was Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/31 "2011-02-09T12:48:01Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > Let’s not forget the 3 Jewish inventors of automobile air conditioning. Henry Ford was an antisemite who refused to put the names Finkelstein, Goldberg, and Cohen in his cars, but they didn’t allow him to use their invention without having their names on it. That’s why, to this day, many air conditioning systems are still proudly emblazoned with their first names: Norm, Hy, and Max. I know you know that we know that this is a joke, but since this is GQ, and we don’t want to trip up casual readers, [here’s the snopes link.](http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/ford.asp) ---
**Author:** ![AshenLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@AshenLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AshenLady)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/32 "2011-02-09T15:50:11Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > How about Sylvia, Lillian, and Irene? is there a baby born in the last 20 years with any of those names? Lillian (Lily) has had a resurgence in the past 10 or so years, like old fashioned names like Emma, Rachel, Emily, Katy, Isabella, Sophie and Sophia, along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![AshenLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@AshenLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AshenLady)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/33 "2011-02-09T15:56:24Z")
**Top 10 Girls’ Names of 2010** [ol] [li]Sophia[/li][li]Isabella[/li][li]Olivia[/li][li]Emma[/li][li]Chloe[/li][li]Ava[/li][li]Lily[/li][li]Madison[/li][li]Addison[/li][li]Abigail [/li] **Top 10 Boys’ Names of 2010** [li]Aiden[/li][li]Jacob[/li][li]Jackson[/li][li]Ethan[/li][li]Jayden[/li][li]Noah[/li][li]Logan[/li][li]Caden[/li][li]Lucas[/li][li]Liam[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/34 "2011-02-09T16:29:16Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Most completely unobservant Jews balk at naming their child after a disciple of Christ! A (Jewish) friend of mine went by “Mark” and I was like, “really?” and he said, “actually it’s Marcus.” See, to me Mark is a Jewish name because I know of 3. None are even remotely Orthodox though. The most common names I see among Jewish people roughly my age (21-28) are David, Michael, and Sarah. Good god, Caden, what an ugly name. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/35 "2011-02-09T16:37:20Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Most completely unobservant Jews balk at naming their child after a disciple of Christ! A (Jewish) friend of mine went by “Mark” and I was like, “really?” and he said, “actually it’s Marcus.” Similarly you might encounter a person named “Jon” but it turns out to be short for Jonathan. Saul is a common, if old-fashioned, Jewish name, but Paul is not generally used by Jewish people at all in America. > > Another twist is that Jewish people, at least of Ashkenazi descent, won’t name a child after anyone who is still alive. So names have a “skip-a-generation” tendency and are prone to trendiness, since the universe of living relations tends to exclude a lot. > > BTW, in terms of little-old-man names, Max and Oscar are back in a big way. I know three Max’s under 5 years old. I’m Jewish. My great grandfather was named Paul. My mom is named Paula in his honor. I know several Pauls who are Jewish. My dad is Howard so there’s another name that takes from the Brits. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/36 "2011-02-09T16:50:30Z")
A century ago, Jewish parents may have been giving their kids names they associated with the WASP aristocracy. But today? Among the Jewish families I know, a lot of the kids now seem to have old-fashioned, Hebrew names or (this blows my mind) Irish names! I have no idea where all the Jewish Seans, Aidans, Caitlins and Shannons came from! ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/37 "2011-02-09T17:39:59Z")
My great grandparents: Saly +Selma My great uncles :Erich and Rudolf My grandfather: Fritz Jonas (who went by FJ or Fred) My mother and her siblings: Judith Selma, Paul, Erica My mother’s cousin: Peter Erich Saly You definitely get the whole named-after-dead-relatives theme. For my grandfather (who left Germany for South Africa in the 1930s and married my grandmother in 1944) it wasn’t about sounding less Jewish, it was about sounding less_German_. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/38 "2011-02-09T17:42:00Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > A century ago, Jewish parents may have been giving their kids names they associated with the WASP aristocracy. But today? Among the Jewish families I know, a lot of the kids now seem to have old-fashioned, Hebrew names or (this blows my mind) Irish names! > > I have no idea where all the Jewish Seans, Aidans, Caitlins and Shannons came from! My little brother’s middle name is Sean. He’s David Sean Extremely Jewish last name. My mom said it was either Sean or Neil and she hated Neil so she talked my dad into Sean. His Hebrew name is the very Jewish Chaim Yankel. I think Irish names were simply popular in the 1970’s and Jews, like other parents, liked them. I know personally many Colleens, Meagans, Kellys, Erins, Dylans, Liams, Brians and Kevins. Most of the people in question were not of Irish ancestry. Caitlin and Aiden are this generation’s Jennifer and Jason. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/39 "2011-02-09T18:02:33Z")
True Story: a branch of my family came to the US and they wanted to change their last name to something that “sounded less Jewish.” They chose Steinberg. :smack: Their original last name actually doesn’t sound Jewish at all to Americans. It sounds italian. (something like “Crispini”) :smack::smack: I’ve never met a Jewish Paul, I’m amazed that someone knows three. And I live in New York City, we’re not exactly short on Jews (In my old neighborhood, I could walk to four different Yeshivas). ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715/40 "2011-02-09T18:37:55Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The explanation I have heard is that these were common “American” names around the peak of European Jewish immigration to the U.S. Jews gave those names to their children so they would fit in, and later they became known as Jewish name. Ira’s popularity peaked in the 1880s and Sidney and Irving were both at the peak of their popularity in the 1910s. I think that fits into that explanation. I think **Marley** has it right. My paternal grandfather was named Ira. He was born in the 1880’s in rural Arkansas. He was not Jewish and this was not a family name being passed on. I always wondered how he came by that name and the only way this makes sense would be if it was popular at the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sidney-ira-irving-such-common-jewish-names/570715.md?page=3)