I grew up in a city that has a large Jewish population. Names such as David, Jacob, Noah Etc.. meant you were Jewish and these names were past down generations. You wouldn’t call your kid a ‘Hebrew’ name if you weren’t. When I left my city and became a mother, I just couldn’t fathom why a non-Jew would call their child Isaac. But we also have a large Greek population, Italians, French, Irish etc. People stuck to the names ‘belonging’ to their cultures.
For instance, my Greek friends were named after their grandmothers/grandfathers. So Johanna, Aspasia, Maria, just kept doing the rounds for years. It’s a way to keep your culture and tradition despite living in a completely different part of the world.
. I know. I know.)
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