The Impact of Globalization on Naming Practices in Israel

Changes in naming patterns within a specific society reflect socio-cultural shifts within that society. In the 21st century, globalization has become a fundamental aspect of life in both the Western world and Israel, thus significantly influencing the selection of personal names for newborns. This socioonomastic study employs a qualitative research method that involves analyzing discussions, articles, and interviews with parents. The findings indicate that the influence of globalization is evident throughout the name-selection process, especially in the psychological, linguistic, and sociological factors that inform the choice of a specific given name and its preference over other names. A significant trend that emerged from the research findings is the desire of parents in Israel to create a balance between two polarized identities―the local Israeli national identity versus a Western global identity. This results in a new integrative identity reflected in the creation of “bipolar” names that highlight the intention to bridge the two poles through various linguistic dimensions. These include an orthographic-phonetic dimension―Hebrew names that are easy to write and pronounce in English; an etymological dimension―global names that originate in Hebrew; a semantic dimension―foreign names that have meaning in Hebrew; and a lexical dimension―names that are similar or identical in form in both Hebrew and English. The significance of this research lies in its exploration of the relationship between enduring social processes and the naming decisions made by parents for their newborns, offering insights into the complex effects of globalization on Israeli culture.