After my earlier lists of Hebrew names were published (see the Names page for a list of all name-related posts on this site), Rachel NewYork (moderator at the City-Data Judaism forum) reached out about me publishing the list of names that was included in Alexander Harkavy’s Yiddish-English-Hebrew Dictionary, published in 1925 (see it online at the Yiddish Book Center). After I started on it, Rachel sent me a complete transcription of the names, separated by gender, and transliterated into English. My list below is indebted to her transcriptions, but is different in several ways. The primary differences are that I have kept the book’s structure, and have also retained the nikud from the book (including unique Yiddish letter forms such as ײַ). Rachel’s lists separate each form into its own line, and includes English transliteration for every form. Her version is very useful, so if you want to, you can download her spreadsheet (she later also sent a second spreadsheet, comparing her transliterations to name currently in use by the Lubavitch community in Crown Heights, as found in publications of marriage and birth announcements). Those unable to read Hebrew will find her version eminently more usable for accessing the diminutive forms, as I have not transliterated those forms into English.
For the most part my table is true to the original from the book. I’ve made a few minor changes in formatting. There are some names where the Hebrew and English names don’t strictly correspond. In those cases I’ve written the actual name in brackets. For example, the name עלקע (Elka) is shown as “Ella”, so I’ve written the English as “Elka [Ella]”.
Sometimes the book lists two versions of the name, but really only one corresponds to the Hebrew letters, and one is the name that this name is derived from or related to in some way. In that case I’ve moved the original version into parenthesis. For example, “Dvossia, Deborah” becomes “Dvossia (Deborah)”. Keep in mind that the book itself lists related names in parentheses, so most of the related names come from the book, and I have only moved a few names into this format.
This page contains the female names. If you’d like to see the male names, go to 1925 Male Yiddish and Hebrew Names (Harkavy).
In the table below, the primary column is the Name column, second from the right (it is the only column with data in every row). The rightmost column is the English form the book, if given. Keep in mind that the English forms a century ago differed from what we might use today. Sometimes in the book there is simply a name, and a related name, meaning either the related name is what this name was derived from, or sometimes that the name is a different version of the same name. Moving from right to left the next column is the short form of the name, which isn’t shown very often, diminutives of the name (more common and sometimes plentiful), and finally the leftmost column shows the related name if there is one. You can sort by column and search. Sorting Hebrew doesn’t work as well as I’d like, as apparently it differentiates the nikud, which messes up the sorting, sorry.
| See | Diminutive(s) | Short form(s) | Name | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| איּטקע | איִטע | Itta | ||
| איִיִדל, איִיִדלע | Eidl, Eidla | |||
| אַלטיִנקע | אַלטע | Alta | ||
| אַסְנה | Asna, Asenath | |||
| אֶסְתּר | Esther (Stella) | |||
| באַדאַנע | Badanna (Theodora) | |||
| בַּתְיה | באַסיע, באַשע | |||
| בונע, בונציה | Buna, Buntzia (Bona) | |||
| ביִיִלקע | ביִיִלע | Beila (Blanche) | ||
| ביִנע | Binna | |||
| בלומקע | בלומע | Bluma (Flora) | ||
| ברײַנדל, ברײַנדעלע, ברײַנקע | ברײַנע | Bryna | ||
| בְּרָכקע | בְּרָכה | Berachah | ||
| שֶבע | בַּת-שֶבע | Bath-Sheba | ||
| באַשקע | בַּתְיה | Bithiah | ||
| גאָלדעצקע, גאָלדקע | גאָלדע | Golda (Aurelia) | ||
| גוטקע | גוטע | Gutta (Bona) | ||
| גיִטל, גיִטעלע, גיִטקע | גיִטע | Gitta | ||
| גליִקע | Glicka (Felicia, Beatrice) | |||
| גנעסיע | גנענדל | |||
| גנעסקע, גנעשקע, גנענדל | גנעסיע | Gnessia | ||
| געלקע | געלע | Gella | ||
| גרונקע | גרונע | Gruna | ||
| דאָברע | דאָבע | |||
| דאָברוש | דאָברע | Dobra (Bona) | ||
| באַדאַנע | דאַנע | |||
| דְבוֹרהלע, דְבוֹרטשע, דְבוֹרקע | דְבוֹרה | Deborah | ||
| דוואָסקע, דוואָשקע | דוואָסיע, דוואָשע | Dvossia (Deborah) | ||
| דײַכע | Dycha (Judith) | |||
| דִינקע | דִינה | Dinah | ||
| דריִיִזל, דריִיִזעלע | דריִיִזע | Dreiza (Drusilla) | ||
| האָדעס | האָדל | Hodel (Hodas) | ||
| האָדל | האָדעס | Hodas (Hadassah) | ||
| חַנה | האַנע | |||
| הַדַסה | Hadassah | |||
| היִנדל, היִנדקע | היִנדע | Hinda | ||
| העניע, הענע | הענדל | |||
| הענדל, הענעלע, הענקע | העניע, הענע | Henia, Hannah (Anna) | ||
| העסיע | Hessia (Hannah, Anna) | |||
| וויִכנע | Vichna | |||
| זלאַטעלע, זלאַטקע | זלאַטע | Zlatta (Aurelia) | ||
| זִלְפּה | Zilpah | |||
| זעלדעצקע, זעלדקע | זעלדע | Zelda | ||
| חאַסקע, חאַשקע | חאַסיע, חאַשע | Hassia (Hannah, Anna) | ||
| חַוהלע, חַווקע | חַוה | Eva [Chava] | ||
| חוואלעס | Hvolas | |||
| חַיהלע, חײַטשע, חײַקע | חַיה | Hya (Vivian) | ||
| חיִנקע, חיענקע | חיִנע, חיענע | Hena (Grace) | ||
| חיסע | Hissa | |||
| חַנציע, חַנטשע, חַנקע | חַנה | Hannah (Anna, Nina) | ||
| טאָלצע | Toltza (Dulcia) | |||
| טאַמאַרקע | טאַמאַרע | Tamara (Tamar) | ||
| טײַבל, טײַבקע | טויבע | Tauba | ||
| טיִלע | Tilla | |||
| טעמקע | טעמע | Temma (Tamar) | ||
| טרײַנע | Tryna (Catharine) | |||
| טשאַרנע, טשערנע | Charna, Cherna | |||
| יוֹכְבד | יאַכנע, יאָכע | |||
| יְהוּדיתקע, איִטקע | יוטע, איִטע | יְהוּדית | Judith | |
| יהוּדה | יודל | Yudel | ||
| יְהוּדית | יוטע | Yuta | ||
| יאָכקע | יאָכע, יאַכנע | יוֹכְבד | Jochebed | |
| יענטל, יענטקע | יענטע | Yenta | ||
| חאַסיע, חאַשע | כאַסיע, כאַשע | |||
| לֵאהלע, לֵאהקע | לֵאה | Leah | ||
| ליִבקע | ליִבע | Libba | ||
| ליובע | Luba | |||
| מאַטל, מאַטע, מיִיִטע | Mattl, Matta, Meita (Virginia) | |||
| מאַלע | Malla | |||
| מאַריאַשקע | מאַריאַשע | Mariasha (Mary) | ||
| מִיכלע | Michla | |||
| מִינדל, מִינדעלע, מִינטשע, מִינקע | מִינע | Minna | ||
| מִירל, מִירקע | מִירע | Mirra | ||
| מַלְכּהלע | מַלְכּה | Malka (Regina) | ||
| מְנוּחקה, נוּחל, נוּחקה | נוּחה | מְנוּחה | Menuha | |
| מעניע | Menia (Menuha) | |||
| מערקע | מערע | Mary | ||
| מִרְימקע | מִרְים | Miriam (Mary) | ||
| מְנוּחה | נוּחה | |||
| נְחַמְקע, נעכל | נעכע | נְחַמה | Nehama | |
| נְחַמה | נעכע | |||
| סאָסקע | סאָסיע | Sossia | ||
| סטיִרקע | סטיִרע | Stirra (Stella) | ||
| סיִמעלע, סיִמקע | סיִמע | Simma | ||
| סלאַווע, סלאָווע | Slava, Slova | |||
| עטל, עטעלע, עטקע | עטע | Etta (Esther) | ||
| עלקעלע | עלקע | Elka [Ella] | ||
| עשקע | Eshka | |||
| פיִיִגעלע | פֿויגל | Fogl | ||
| פֿיִיִגע | Feiga | |||
| פײַע | Pya (Zipporah) | |||
| פעסל, פעשקע | פעסיע, פעשע | Pessia, Pesha (Bess, Elizabeth) | ||
| פערע | פערל | Perl (Margaret) | ||
| פֿראַדל | Fraddl | |||
| פֿרומקע | פֿרומע | Fruma | ||
| פֿריִיִדל, פֿריִיִדעלע, פֿריִיִדקע | פֿריִיִדע | Freida | ||
| צאַרטל | Tzartl | |||
| צִבְיהלע | צִבְיה | Tzivia | ||
| ציִיִטעלע | ציִיִטל | Tzeitl | ||
| צִינקע | צִינע | Tzinna | ||
| ציִפקע | ציִפע | Tzippa (Zipporah) | ||
| ציִרל, ציִרקע | ציִרע | Tzirra (Sarah) | ||
| צִפּוֹרה | Zipporah | |||
| קוניע | Kunia | |||
| קיִיִלע | Keila | |||
| קריִיִנדל, קריִיִנעלע | קרוינע | Krona | ||
| רעדל | ראָדע | Roda (Rosa) | ||
| ראַלע | Ralla (Rachel) | |||
| ראָניע | Ronia (Rosa) | |||
| ראַשל, ראַשקע | Rashl, Rashka (Rachel) | |||
| רִבְקהלע | רִבְקה | Rebecca | ||
| ריִיִזל, ריִיִזעלע, ריִיִזקע | רויזע | Rosa | ||
| רָחֶלע, רָחקע, רעחל, רעכל | רָחל | Rachel | ||
| רָחע | Rocha (Rachel) | |||
| ריבה | Riva (Rebecca) | |||
| רײַכל | רײַכע | Rycha | ||
| רײַנקע | רײַנע | Ryna | ||
| רײַצל, רײַצקע | רײַצע | Rytza (Grace) | ||
| ריִסע | Rissa (Rebecca) | |||
| ריִקל, ריִקלע | Rickl, Rickla | |||
| רָחל | רעכל | |||
| בַּת-שֶבע | שֶבע | |||
| שיִיִנדל, שיִיִנקע | שיִיִנע | Sheina (Pulcheria) | ||
| שִפְריִנקע | שִפְרה | Shifra (Bella) | ||
| שפריִנשקע | שפריִנשע | Sprintza (Hope) | ||
| שָׂרהלע, שֶׂרהלע, שֶׂרל, שֶׂרקע, שֶׂרקה | שָׂרה | Sarah | ||
| תָּמר | Tamar | |||
| Zissl, Zissla, Zissa (Dulcia) |
I just wanted to express my utmost gratitude. I’ve never quite known what my great-grandmother’s Hebrew name was (she does not have a gravestone), and my grandma was always very uncertain. She knew it was something to do with “Pearl” and was pronounced “Pereh/Perah/Peruh”. With the help of this webpage I have worked out that it was the yiddish diminutive for Pearl that you list here.
Glad this was helpful.