Ely, Ezra, Reuben - old testament names but not Jewish

[RTchoke]

I love Ely (fullhane Elias), Ezra and Reuben but not only are we not Jewish - our surname is very Welsh.

What do people think of using these names for non-Jewish kids? And are there others I might like but have not thought of?

We were planning on using Ezra and are not Jewish (or Welsh for that matter :)) I just think it's a great name. Old Testament names aren't just used by Jewish families, although I'd be wary about some of the more obscure one. I don't know about Elias but Reuben has been relatively popular for a while.

Ezra is my choice for (mythical) next ds, and we are not Jewish. My ds has an old testament, Jewish though more mainstream name (and would have been Ezra were it not for my partner thinking it was too weird). I think Ezra is fine and Reuben is quite popular, as is Elijah (prefer this to Eli). Would probably avoid something like Reuven if was not Jewish, or more obviously Jewish names like Israel, Yitzhak etc (only because I would not feel I had any cultural claim to these names, whereas most old testament names are also part of christian tradition).

Isn't it usually Eli?

People might think you're Jewish, but does that matter?

the old testament is the book of both religions...

Seeker - I think it's Eli but DH reckons Ely makes the pronoucistion easier! Glad you agree with me.

Ely would be Ellie, surely?

Eli is usually pronounced E - Lie in the west. In Israel however I always heard it pronouned 'Ellie' (for a male).

Ely ( a place-name) is pronounced E - Lee

Anyway it doesn't matter about being Jewish or not. There is a rich tradition in this country of using biblical names, most of which are lovely. There are a few that might sound a bit 'out there', but Eli, Ezra and Reuben are good.

There are a lot of old testament names about and certainly not all used by Jewish people. Isaac is one I hear lots at the moment. Go with what you like. My kids have an old testament name, a spanish name and a diminuitive(sp?). We aren't Jewish or Spanish and knew we were using an abbreviation, but we liked those names the most!
I did have one Jewish friend say ds1's name made him think of an old Jewish bloke and the passport control in Spain were very excited by dd's name, but that just made me laugh.

If it helps, I'm Jewish and use a Welsh name! ;)

Ely is a place in Cambridgeshire, pronounced EE-lee.

Eli and Elias are separate people in the Bible.

Eli is pronounced EE-lye.

There's a strong welsh tradition of using old testament biblical names. Go ahead with whatever name works for you. I like Rueben best out of the ones you list.

You aren't going tonpronounce it Ellie, are you, OP? Tell me you're not.......!

No, no, no not Eee-lee, I want an Eeee-lie. I agree with you all on the spelling. Will show DH this thread. There was an Eeee-lie, spelt Ely, in DD's nursery last year which is why DH thinks it's spelt like that.

I didn't know Eli was a name of itself in the bible. Always assumed it was a nn for Elias or Elijah.

Ha ha, I read the title, and thought you wanted old testament names that weren't Jewish. I was thinking of Nebuchadnezzar or Ishmail, perhaps.

ds's best buddie is an Eli (for Elijah) pronounced E-lie. I assumed that your Ely was either Ellie or E-lee. It also looks a bit odd to me.

Isn't the old testement... Well Jewish? Must dig out my theology notes.

I know a few non Jewish Ruben/Reubens.

The lesser used names would strongly suggest Jewish, but not it's not an inevitable association as the more frequently encountered names are also used by Christian and Moslem families. Eli is not so common, but your other suggestions strike me as Hardyesque as much as Old Testament.

I wouldn't go for Ely because of the place name.

Yes, it's Jewish. As indeed was Jesus, his mam and all the disciples. One of the first big barneys in the early church was the admittance of non-Jews into the fold. (Sorry this should be on the history thread...) The fact that Jesus is regarded by Christians as the messiah prophesied in the Old Testament makes those books special in Christianity.

Beautiful names in the Old Testament.

I would pronounce Ely as the place on the Fens too.

Lots of Old Testament names are widely used regardless of the bearer's religion- Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Rachel, Adam , Ruben, Sarah, Seth, Noah...

I like Eli, I reckon it'll take off now Chris Evans has raised awareness of it.

All well used names amongst my Christian friends. I particularly like elias at the moment.

Both our two have old testament/Jewish names. We are both CoE however have grandparents on both sides who were Jewish.

Well, I suppose the obvious OT name that works with Welsh surnames is David...

I like the names.

But if I saw Ely I'd pronounce it like the town. E-lee.

I know what meditrina means about Hardyesque!