Hephzibah

[Chunkamatic]

We have just been discussing girls names... even though we're convinced we are having a boy!

Think we have decided on Martha Edith, but we both really love the name Hephzibah... it's a hebrew name that means something like 'my delight is in her'. It would be shortened to Effie or Eppie, but we're not sure we're brave enough.

Your thoughts please.....

It is growing on me, in fact it is lovely.

But are you sure it is greek? I thought it was an old hebrew name? Meaning: "My love is with her'

umm but Noah is lovely was just thinking about it today funnily enough

I'm having Hephzibah if my bump is another dd. I've wanted it since I was a little girl.

Hepzibah is what they nearly call the baby in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

I like it. More than Hannah which is what they actually call her.(not that I dislike Hannah)

Yes, makes me think of Carrie's War too.

It's a bit pretentious if you ask me.

Love it!

Martha lovely too, though.

DH loves Hepzibah. I have others I like more, but if you both like it go for it!

Great but think of the child in reception learning to write her name...

I like it, but it comes across rather masculine to me for some reason, when I saw the title I thought it was a boy's name!
I think it would be shortened to Hep too, which I think is rather sweet.

Euphemia good Scots name - also shortened to Phemie whioh I like.

I once looked after the loveliest lady called Hephzibah in a rest home I worked in years ago. She was Heppy for short.

So it's thumbs up from me

Was a shock at first but it grows on you. Hep as a short form would be lovely. I like the name Edith. It sounds so strong and capable.

Piffle- people often cite that as a good reason for not giving children out of the ordinary names. I don't see it myself; so what if it does take a couple more weeks at the age of 5 to learn how to write it? You get long term benefits throughout your life of having an unusual name (memorability for example). Surely a couple of weeks in reception are not worth rethinking a child's name...

I knew someone who had two children called Hephzibah and Tegwyn. I thought they were two of the ugliest names I'd ever heard. Particularly as they called the elder "Heppie" which sounded like a disease.
I suppose I wouldn't have minded Hephzibah so much if they were actually Jewish and fans of the Menuhin family, but they weren't. And Tegwyn is just AWFUL even if you are welsh (which they WEREN'T either!)

Poor children

I really like Hepzibah.

I had a great aunt called Hepzibah - she was Epsie or Hepzi for short - lovely!

Hatrick - I like Silas.

What about Abraham (Abe)?, Caleb? Seth? Jehosophat? (Joe)

I don't like Jed.

You could have twins called Silas and Eppie and have a whole "Silas Marner" theme going on
"Eppie in de tole hole" etc

WOW - i am overwhelmed with the positive responses for Hephzibah !!! I think we might just be brave anough to use it over Martha...!!

Interesting fact about seven brided for seven brothers - My name is Hannah !!!

I think it is hideous sorry

Martha Edith is very "th" ish

If you have a th in your surname it would be bad eg Thatcher

My grandmother - sister to Hepzibah - was called Hannah!

My partner (100% Ashkenazy Alsatian Jewish) has lots of friends who gave their children hyper-Jewish names - Ariel, Tsiporah etc - when they were going through a fundamentalist-let's-live-in-a-kosher-home phase in the early part of their marriage - and now regret it . Hephzibah would be one of those names in my book - is that how you want your child to be perceived by the outside world?

FWIW, my name is Anna and my sister's is Rachel and our father is called David, and in lots and lots of countries we get asked whether we are Jewish. Only in England are Old Testament names common currency for Christians.