“What’s in a name?” finds its origins in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette. A Shakespeare I’m not. Nor do I aspire to become one. But with the second book of the holy Torah beginning with “Oon doss zynen dee nemmen foon dee keender foon Yisroel” (And these are the names of the Children of Israel), I feel it appropriate to see what the Yiddish language has to say about the various usages of the Yiddish word “nommen” (name). Below are five terms:
Nommen-tzettl (nametag). Being the sentimental old fool that I am, I decided to put together a 50th reunion several years ago. Spending a year in Israel on a pilot program during high school was a rarity in the late 1960s. Nostalgia triumphed when the reunion came to fruition. My assistant wisely suggested that those in attendance wear a nommen-tzettl together with a picture of each of us as a 15-year-old. After studying my own nommen-tzettl long and hard, I realized that without this nommen-tzettl, no one could have been expected to recognize me because I barely recognized myself.
Tzoonommen (nickname). I was always under the impression that tzoonommen was an added name which was given to an individual suffering from a life-threatening illness. Just as Rafael, Chaim, and Azriel were added Hebrew names given to the severely ill, so too were there Yiddish names that were given to those who were sought by the angel of death, particularly children. Among those Yiddish names I personally recall are “Alter” and “Zaydeh.” After all, the angel of death was coming for an infant, but this was an “alter.” The angel of death was searching for a toddler. Didn’t the angel of death realize that this is a Zaydeh? Each name was a tzsoonommen. Zaydeh was my mother’s cousin, firmly ensconced in Sao Paulo. Alter, who was old enough to have been my grandfather, was a mover and shaker within the Yiddish days School in my hometown.
Nommen sheeldl (nameplate). Sheeldl is the diminutive form of sheeld. It should be pointed out that “schild” is the German word for sign. A nommen sheeld is a sign with one’s name on it. What is smaller than a sign with one’s name on it? A plaque or a plate. Hence the diminutive sheeldl. Personally, I would have recommended that a nommen sheeldeleh to be a place card. Alas, my recommendation would have been “tabled.” Teeshcartl (table card) is the proper word for place card.
A nommen foon der haftorah (a name that’s one for the books). Time was, names such as Jedidiah, Zadok, and Hezekiah were associated with Appalachian Mountain folk. Since the mountain dwellers read the good book regularly, they understood these names were from the bible. But even if they were fully conversant in Yiddish, never would any of these mountain folk have vociferated “A nommen foon der haftorah!” Last month, my wife became a great-aunt yet again. The name given to the newborn was literally a nommen foon der haftorah – first chapter of Jeremiah to be exact.
Geshemt (He made a name for himself). Unlike any of the previous examples, this Bonafide Yiddish word is taken from the Hebrew word “shem” (name). Typically, when a Hebrew word is used even though a Yiddish one is readily available, it relates to holiness. A Sefer Torah is not placed on a tish; it is placed on a shulchan. If someone hott geshemt, it implies that he made a name for himself in mastery over the Talmud or he is sought after because he is recognized as a brilliant decisor of halacha.
I am grateful that a tzoonommen was never needed in my immediate family. And I can live without requiring a nommen-tzettl or a nommen sheeldl. After all, how many hobben geshemt (made a name for themselves) in our society? But with the name “Shawn,” I don’t even qualify for anyone to remark “a nommen foon der haftorah.”
Rabbi Shawn Zell has recently returned to New Jersey, after serving at a pulpit in Dallas. He possesses certification in teaching Yiddish. Rabbi Zell is the author of three books.
