By Elena Marsh
The first Yiddish name I remember loving was Goldie. It sounded like sunlight and a grandmother’s necklace at the same time — warm, familiar, and a little bit treasured. That is what draws me to Yiddish baby names as a parent and a name-meaning nerd: they often feel close to family life. They can be sweet, serious, affectionate, brave, funny, and old-soul all at once.
Yiddish baby names come from the language long spoken by Ashkenazi Jewish communities, a language braided from Germanic roots with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic, and Romance influences. I am not a linguist, so I treat these meanings carefully. The notes below come from our published baby-name directory records, with each name linked to its own page, and I point out when a name has more than one thread instead of pretending every meaning is tidy. If you want the full list, you can browse our Yiddish origin hub or start wider at the main baby names directory.
I gathered 35 Yiddish baby names from our live directory and verified every name page before including it. That matters to me because a name guide should not send you to a dead end. These are real published name pages, not a list copied from a random corner of the internet. Some names here are widely familiar, like Goldie, Zelda, and Wolf. Others are especially common within Orthodox or Ashkenazi Jewish communities, where a name may carry family memory, Hebrew roots, and a beloved everyday nickname all at once.
One gentle note before the list: Yiddish names are not costumes. They come from living Jewish families and a language with a long, complicated, beautiful history. If a name is part of your heritage, I hope this helps you hear it with new tenderness. If a name simply moves you, take the time to learn where it comes from and say it with respect.
Yiddish Baby Girl Names
Yiddish baby girl names often shine through affectionate endings: -y, -el, and soft nickname forms that families actually use. Many come through Hebrew names — Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, Judith — while others are word names from Yiddish itself, like gold, bird, deer, or sweet. Together they feel tender without being flimsy, and many have that vintage warmth parents are falling in love with again.
Goldie (GOHL-dee) — From Yiddish golde meaning ‘gold,’ or as an English nickname from the word gold, used as a given name for golden-haired or particularly precious children. Goldie is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. It has that sunny, old-photo-album sweetness I love: cheerful enough for a toddler, but substantial enough for a grown woman.
Zelda (ZEL-duh) — Short form of the Old High German Griselda, composed of gris (gray) and hild (battle), meaning ‘gray battle-maid’; also used in Yiddish as a form of Selda, meaning ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’. Zelda is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Because Zelda has Germanic and Yiddish threads, I would keep both stories in view rather than forcing the name into one neat box.
Mazikeen (maz-ih-KEEN) — Harmful spirits; the injurious ones; from Hebrew/Yiddish mazikim (harmful demons, spirits that cause harm) — popularized as the character name Mazikeen in the TV series Lucifer. Mazikeen is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. This one is bold and pop-culture-touched, so I would choose it only if the sound and the full story both feel right to your family.
Baila (BY-lah) — Dance, to dance with joy. Baila is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Baila has a light, celebratory movement to it, the kind of name that sounds as if it already knows how to smile.
Gitty (GIT-ee) — Good, joyful, a good thing. Gitty is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Gitty is short and affectionate, a good example of how many Yiddish names carry warmth in the ending as much as in the meaning.
Maven (MAY-vuhn) — Expert, connoisseur (from the vocabulary word, via Yiddish meyvn). Maven is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Maven is different from most names on this list because many English speakers know it first as a word for an expert.
Faigy (FAY-gee) — a Yiddish pet form of Faiga, from Yiddish ‘feygl’ meaning ‘bird’. Faigy is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Faigy is tender and birdlike, and it keeps the affectionate Yiddish pet-name feeling right up front.
Suri (SOOR-ee) — a Yiddish pet form of Sarah, from Hebrew meaning ‘princess, noblewoman’. Suri is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Suri is sleek and modern to the American ear, even while its Sarah connection reaches back much farther.
Malky (MAL-kee) — A Yiddish given name from Hebrew ‘malki’ meaning ‘my king’ or ‘my queen’, popular in Orthodox Jewish communities; also used as a Scottish diminutive of Malcolm. Malky is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Malky feels intimate and community-rooted; I would be especially careful to honor its Jewish use rather than treating it as just a trendy sound.
Rivky (RIV-kee) — Diminutive of Rivka/Rebecca. Rivky is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Rivky is friendly and quick, a familiar Rebecca-family name with a distinctly Yiddish shape.
Yehudis (yuh-HOO-dis) — Yiddish form of Hebrew Yehudit (Judith), meaning ‘woman of Judea’ or ‘Jewish woman’. Yehudis is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Yehudis feels dignified and deeply tied to Jewish identity, so it deserves to be chosen with that meaning understood.
Rochel (ROKH-uhl) — the Yiddish form of Rachel, from Hebrew meaning ‘ewe’. Rochel is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Rochel keeps Rachel close but not identical, with the throaty middle sound that gives it its traditional texture.
Yitty (YIT-ee) — Jewish woman. Yitty is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Yitty is small and sweet on the page, but its meaning asks for respect because it points directly toward Jewish womanhood.
Raizy (RAY-zee) — Rose (diminutive of Raizel). Raizy is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Raizy has the rose image parents often love, softened by a familiar Yiddish nickname ending.
Sury (SOOR-ee) — Lady, princess, noblewoman. Sury is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Sury is graceful and compact, with the Sarah-family sense of nobility in a softer everyday form.
Hindy (HIN-dah) — Deer. Hindy is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Hindy is gentle and nature-rooted, with the old image of a deer or hind tucked inside it.
Chany (CHAN-ih) — Yiddish pet form of Chana/Channah (Hebrew Hannah), from the root ḥ-n-n meaning ‘grace, favor, compassion’. Chany is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Chany is warm and gracious, a pet form that still carries the beautiful Hannah meaning of favor and compassion.
Raizel (RAY-zil) — ‘Little rose / rose’, from German Rose + Yiddish diminutive -el; Yiddish equivalent of Hebrew Shoshana. Raizel is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Raizel feels like a keepsake name to me: rose-sweet, old-fashioned, and unmistakably affectionate.
Shaina (SHAY-nuh) — beautiful, pretty. Shaina is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Shaina is one of the clearest Yiddish compliments-as-names: beautiful, simple, and easy to say.
Gittel (GIT-ul) — good, virtuous. Gittel is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Gittel carries goodness without sounding abstract; it feels like a virtue name in a cardigan.
Shaindy (SHAYN-dee) — beautiful, pretty. Shaindy is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Shaindy is a more distinctly Yiddish sister to Shaina, bright and affectionate with the same lovely meaning.
Faiga (FAYG-a) — bird. Faiga is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Faiga is the root that helps make Faigy make sense, a bird name with a firmer, more traditional sound.
Hinda (HIN-dah) — Deer / hind (female deer). Hinda is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Hinda is soft and old-world, with the image of a gentle deer right in the meaning.
Zissy (ZEES-sih) — sweet. Zissy is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Zissy is almost impossible not to hear as affectionate; “sweet” is both the meaning and the mood.
Shayna (SHAYN-a) — Beautiful, lovely. Shayna is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Shayna is familiar beyond Orthodox communities too, but it still carries its Yiddish meaning beautifully.
Golda (GOHL-da) — Gold. Golda is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Golda is strong, historic, and glowing without being frilly; it has the same golden root as Goldie with a more grounded finish.
Yiddish Baby Boy Names
Yiddish baby boy names often keep Hebrew classics close while changing the sound into an Ashkenazi form families recognize: Dovid for David, Avrohom for Abraham, Binyomin for Benjamin, Shulem for Shalom. Others feel like affectionate everyday forms, the names relatives actually say across a table. I love that balance — history in the root, warmth in the way the name is spoken.
Dovid (DOH-vid) — Beloved, dear one. Dovid is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Dovid feels familiar if you know David, but the vowel shape keeps its Ashkenazi sound close to the surface.
Shaya (SHAY-ah) — Gift of God; Yiddish form of Isaiah. Shaya is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Shaya is gentle and bright, with a soft sound that works well in English while still feeling rooted.
Mendel (MEN-duhl) — a Yiddish pet form of Menachem, from Hebrew meaning ‘comforter’. Mendel is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Mendel has a scholarly, sturdy feel, partly because so many families know it through Rabbi Menachem Mendel and other historic bearers.
Avrohom (av-ROH-hum) — Ashkenazi Hebrew/Yiddish form of Abraham, “father of a multitude (of nations)”. Avrohom is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Avrohom is one of those names where spelling tells a story, carrying Abraham through Ashkenazi pronunciation and family tradition.
Wolf (WOOLF) — Wolf. Wolf is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Wolf is strong, spare, and easy to picture on a little boy or a grown man, with a meaning no one has to decode.
Shulem (SHOO-lem) — Yiddish form of Hebrew Shalom ‘peace’, from root sh-l-m. Shulem is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Shulem is one of my favorites for meaning alone; peace is a beautiful wish to place in a child’s name.
Binyomin (been-IHOHM-een) — Son of the south. Binyomin is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Binyomin is close to Benjamin but keeps the Ashkenazi shape of the name, which can be exactly the point for some families.
Hershy (HEHR-shih) — Pet form of Hersh/Hershel, from Yiddish hersh meaning deer or stag. Hershy is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Hershy is friendly and boyish at first glance, but the deer or stag meaning gives it a quiet woodland strength.
Mendy (MEN-dee) — comforter, consoler. Mendy is published in our directory with its own pronunciation and meaning page. Mendy feels approachable and kind, a comforter name with an easy playground sound.
How to Choose Yiddish Baby Names with Care
The first question I would ask is not whether the name is fashionable. It is whether you understand the story you are carrying. Yiddish baby names often sit at the meeting point of language, faith, family memory, and everyday affection. A short name like Mendy may point back to Menachem. A bright name like Goldie may be both a literal golden word and an English-friendly nickname. A name like Yehudis carries Jewish identity right in the meaning.
Say the name out loud with the pronunciation from its More4Kids page. Then say it with your last name. Then imagine explaining it to a curious child someday. That explanation does not have to be academic; it just needs to be honest. “Your name means peace.” “Your name means sweet.” “Your name comes from the way our grandparents said Sarah.” Those small stories are often enough.
It also helps to notice whether you want a name that blends easily or one that stays clearly traditional. Goldie, Zelda, Wolf, Maven, and Shayna may feel familiar to many English-speaking families. Names like Rochel, Yehudis, Avrohom, Binyomin, and Shulem keep a more distinctly Ashkenazi sound. Neither path is better. They simply carry different amounts of explanation into the world.
For background on the language itself, I like starting with careful, educational sources such as YIVO’s introduction to Yiddish and Encyclopaedia Britannica’s overview of the Yiddish language. They are not baby-name lists, but they help place these names inside a real language and culture rather than treating them as a style trend.
Yiddish Baby Names and Meanings: A Few Patterns to Notice
A few patterns show up again and again in Yiddish baby names. First, affectionate forms matter. Rivky, Chany, Malky, Mendy, Hershy, and Gitty are not lesser versions of names in family life; they can be the names people actually use with love. That is one reason this group feels so intimate.
Second, many meanings are blessings in miniature. Shulem points to peace. Chany carries grace and compassion. Zissy means sweet. Shaina and Shayna mean beautiful. Golda and Goldie shine with gold. These meanings are simple, but simple is not the same as shallow. A child can grow into peace, sweetness, goodness, or beauty in many ways.
Third, several names carry more than one language layer. Yiddish names often meet Hebrew roots, Germanic sounds, and local family use. Zelda is a good example: it can be discussed through Germanic Griselda and through Yiddish use connected to blessedness or happiness. In a guide like this, accuracy means leaving room for that complexity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are popular Yiddish baby names?
Popular Yiddish baby names in our directory include Goldie, Zelda, Dovid, Baila, Shaya, Mendel, Suri, Malky, Rivky, and Avrohom. Some are familiar far beyond Jewish communities, while others are especially rooted in Ashkenazi or Orthodox family use.
What do Yiddish baby names usually mean?
Yiddish baby names often mean warm, concrete things such as gold, bird, deer, sweet, peace, beauty, goodness, or comfort. Many also come through Hebrew names, so a Yiddish everyday form may carry the meaning of Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, Abraham, Benjamin, or Shalom.
Are Yiddish baby names only for Jewish families?
Many Yiddish baby names are deeply tied to Jewish language, faith, and family tradition, so they deserve thoughtful use. Some names, like Goldie, Zelda, Wolf, and Maven, are also used more widely. The respectful path is to learn the name’s background before choosing it and avoid treating living heritage as a costume.
Where can I find more Yiddish baby names?
You can browse the full More4Kids Yiddish baby names origin page for the larger list, then open each name page for meaning, pronunciation, and popularity details. This article highlights 35 verified names, but the directory includes many more.
A Warm Send-Off
Yiddish baby names reward careful listening. Some sparkle right away — Goldie, Zissy, Shayna. Some feel sturdy and ancestral — Avrohom, Binyomin, Dovid. Some sound like a blessing you can say every day — Shulem for peace, Chany for grace, Mendy for comfort. The best one for your family may not be the rarest or the trendiest. It may be the name whose meaning you can imagine telling your child with a full heart.
If you are choosing from heritage, I hope these Yiddish baby names help you feel the thread between generations. If you are simply learning, I hope they invite respect for a language that has carried jokes, lullabies, arguments, prayers, recipes, and family names across centuries. Take your time. A meaningful name should feel less like a label and more like a small inheritance.
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Elena Marsh
Elena Marsh is a writer, historian, and lover of names and where they come from. A mom of two, she went down the rabbit hole of name meanings and the cultures and stories behind them, and now writes warm, parent-to-parent guides to baby names from around the world. She researches and sources every meaning, and writes as a curious fellow parent rather than a credentialed linguist.
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