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Baby names

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Original poster

Would you assume an Elijah was Jewish?

50 replies

bytheMoonlight · 25/02/2012 13:45

Not that it matters, but by the umpteenth time of asking, he might be a bit fed up of it.

Would you?

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Eskarina · 25/02/2012 15:32

No, the only two I have known have been from an African Christian background.
Lovely name!

Kellywestie · 25/02/2012 15:30

No - it's a lovely name too.

CecilyP · 25/02/2012 15:29

Why wouldn't you expect Jewish people to give their children an old testament name, ragged?

ArielNonBio · 25/02/2012 15:28

No.

manicinsomniac · 25/02/2012 15:25

No, not nowadays.

10 years ago I might have assumed you were either Jewish or Evangelical/Pentecostal Christian but it's more popular now.

PestoPenguin · 25/02/2012 15:22

No

(and it's a lovely name Smile)

AlmaMartyr · 25/02/2012 15:19

No, I wouldn't. I have a (very common) old testament name and have been asked a couple of times but I don't mind.

Lovely name :)

ragged · 25/02/2012 15:17

I have a nephew called Elijah (no Jewishness in the family).

Weirdly enough, i know a lot of Jewish people who called their sons Joshua. Which is quite funny. I'd expect it from Catholics,maybe.

CecilyP · 25/02/2012 15:16

I also don't think people go round asking others if they are Jewish. Not if they have an old testament name - or for any other reason, really.

picnicprime · 25/02/2012 15:04

Elijah's a nice name, by the way!

giraffesCantDonateBoneMarrow · 25/02/2012 15:04

no, I had no idea it was a Jewish name tbh

ViolaCrayola · 25/02/2012 15:03

No.

picnicprime · 25/02/2012 15:01

I would assume you were either Jewish or Christian if I thought about it. But I probably wouldn't. I doubt I'd bother asking the child! (And we are Jewish.)

Tooblunt2012 · 25/02/2012 14:56

Yes.

Casmama · 25/02/2012 14:54

No but then I am useless with connotations between names and religions.

tummytickler · 25/02/2012 14:52

I have a 9 year old Elijah (and an Amos). Nobody ever asks me if we are Jewish, but dh has been asked if he married a Jewish woman when people find out his sons names (this is at work, normally, where he meets a lot of people, so there is a lot of friendly 'getting to know you' chit chat). Dh just says yes, and it's not mentioned again, and i know he doesn't really mind. It's not all the time.
Nobody has ever asked ds, or me though.

CecilyP · 25/02/2012 14:49

No; apart from anything, it is popular enough to make the top 100 this year. Seems part of a trend of looking for more obscure biblical names.

LaFilleSurLePont · 25/02/2012 14:49

No.

FilterCoffee · 25/02/2012 14:37

No

SayBoo · 25/02/2012 14:09

Nope. I know two - one Irish, one mixed race Jamaican/English.

TeaTowelQueen · 25/02/2012 14:07

No, lovely name by the way

MrsJohnDeere · 25/02/2012 13:56

No

diddl · 25/02/2012 13:55

No.

Surf25 · 25/02/2012 13:49

No

I know Elijahs from Christian and non-Christian families and none from Jewish families and wouldn't assume a particular religion.

EdithWeston · 25/02/2012 13:47

Not necessarily Jewish - I think it's quite widely used by Christians too.

Yes, I think it remain a name with far stronger religious connotations than say Samuel or Daniel.

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