The four most popular Israeli names of the last year were:
● Ori (אורי): An extremely popular name for girls and boys, this is a relatively new Hebrew name meaning “my light”.
● Yosef (יוסף): This is a classic boys’ name from the Bible which has been popular for millennia. It is the original Hebrew version of “Joseph”, the eleventh and favorite son of the patriarch Jacob. It literally means “he will add,” perhaps a prayer that God “will add” another son to the family.
● Tamar (תמר): A popular Israeli girls’ name that originates in the Bible, Tamar means “date palm”. Like many Hebrew names that became fashionable in the early 20th century, this agricultural name emphasizes the connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
● Avigail (אביגיל): Another classic name from the Bible, this refers to one of the wives of King David. Like many Hebrew names, it begins with the prefix avi meaning “my father,” a reference to God. The second half, gail, means “joy”, thus the name means “my father is joyous”.
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