Hello, My grandmother (Chasia Dobrish) whose name is from her grandmother who was born in Russia/Poland passed early this January and I am having a boy in the next week. We would like to name him something to honor her, and it be ideally the boy hebrew version of her name, which we believe to be Yiddish. Do you have any insight on what that name might be? Thank you!

Shalom, Thank you for your question. First of all, a big Mazal Tov! May the birth be a healthy and easy one, and may you bring your son up with love and Torah – and all the blessings found in the Torah. As to the name – it’s a wonderful idea to honor your late grandmother. Chasia is, as you thought, a Yiddish name. It is also found in the form of Chasha, Chassi or Chasa. It comes from the Yiddish word meaning “mercy” or “Merciful”. In Hebrew that is the name “Rachamim,” which is a common name for boys. Dobrish is also a Yiddish name, which is either a form of the name Devorah (the prophetess Deborah in English), or from the word meaning “good” which is equivalent to the Hebrew name “Tova”. In Hebrew there is no real male counterpart for Devorah, however “Tuvya” is a common name for boys which also means “good”. The name “Rachamim Tuvya” would then be a straight translation and masculine version of her name. Of course, you can play around with any versions of this, until you hit on something that sounds good to you. Again, Mazel Tov.