KVELLER
Why Are Jewish Names so Popular in The Netherlands?
by Cnaan Liphshiz
September 24, 2021

As he lists the names of his many grandchildren, Joop van Ooijen recites what sounds like a roll call at a typical Israeli classroom. Yair, Yael, Lael, Odelia, Netanya, Yoaz and Shilon are some of his grandkids with modern names, favored by the Israeli middle class. Baruch, Moshe, Elisheva and Yehuda are among the classics, popular with religious Jewish parents all over the world. But neither the Van Ooijens nor their 16 children are Jewish. They are a Protestant Christian family in a small town in the Netherlands, which is among a handful of places in Europe where it’s common for non-Jews to have names that are widely perceived as being distinctly Jewish. READ MORE