Naming Kids Similar to Living Relative

Question

In Ashkenazik circles, can a child be named similar to a living grandparent?
How close is too close?

Examples:

David & Davida
Mira & Meira
Chana & Chanan
Gila & Gilaad
Misha & Moshe
Bella & Beila
Eli & Eliezer

EDIT:

My question is really: can the names sound alike? or is more about meaning of the name?

@user6781 Unless it's Eliana or some other female-specific name that starts with "Eli" ....if you follow the pattern, it seems that all the names are male-female pairs, in which case this question is relateld but not duplicate. — MTL, Jul 24 '14 at 15:03
Simcha -- maybe that should be clarified by editing if my guess is correct. — MTL, Jul 24 '14 at 15:04
Also related: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/12906/5323 (but again, neither duplicate if the question is "naming kids after living relatives of the opposite gender") — MTL, Jul 24 '14 at 15:06
@user6781 - I can't say about current "name practice", but "Eli" and "Eliezer" where originally, 2 different people. Eli was the Kohen who "watched" Shmu'el and Eliezer was Avraham's servant. — DanF, Jul 24 '14 at 15:24
@DoubleAA - I got it. Tough to determine when Hebrew is transliterated, n'est-ce pas? — DanF, Jul 24 '14 at 18:10

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 24 '14 at 17:25

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Maaseh shehaya. My chavrusa who's wife's name is Faigel wanted to name his daughter Faiga. Now, the Aruch Hashulchan already said they are two different names, Faigel which means bird in Yiddish and Faiga which is a fig. My chavrusa asked me to pose his situation to Reb Dovid Feinstein who I was going to see. Reb Dovid said not to name the child a similar name. He said the reason we don't name the same name is because of ayin haraa and by the time people figure out that they are actually two different names it will be too late, the damage done by the initial shock will be irreversible.

answered Jul 24 '14 at 17:25

user6591

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What ayin hara applies to similar names? – Double AA Jul 24 '14 at 17:29
Apparently thats the reason we don't do it. Should i rhetorically ask what ayin hara applies when two brothers get aliyos one after another. – user6591 Jul 24 '14 at 17:53
@user6591 - "Should i rhetorically ask what ayin hara applies when two brothers get aliyos one after another. " You can't, because I'll give you an answer that my son told me ... "He looked at me funny!" – DanF Jul 24 '14 at 18:13
Glad it helped. – user6591 Jul 24 '14 at 22:59

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited Jul 24 '14 at 15:44

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I personally know of an Ashkenazi father whose name is Eliezer and his sons name is Elozor. I believe these people follow Halacha. So I conclude that according to at least one as yet unknown Halachic authority there is no Halachic issue so long the name is different.

edited Jul 24 '14 at 15:44

Double AA

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answered Jul 24 '14 at 15:27

Gershon Gold

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Do you have any reason to think these people are Halachik authorities or do you know upon whose Halachik ruling they relied? – Double AA Jul 24 '14 at 15:32
These are people that follow Halacha, and I am certain they asked. – Gershon Gold Jul 24 '14 at 15:36
Are they Ashkenazi? – Double AA Jul 24 '14 at 15:42
Yes they are Ashkenazi. – Gershon Gold Jul 24 '14 at 15:42

Naming Kids Similar to Living Relative

2 Answers2