Granted, we our daughter is a gem, but her middle name is actually in homage to the grandmother she never knew.
In Ashkenazic tradition, one of the greatest expressions of love is naming a newborn in memory of someone who has passed away. This can come in the form of using the same exact name or a derivative of the original name, e.g., choosing a feminine form of a masculine name–“Alexandra” for “Alexander,” for example. Another way this may be done is to give the child a name which starts with the same letter as that of the ancestor’s. This Jewish tradition can be found throughout my husband’s family’s tree.
“A name in Judaism is not merely a form of identification, but an opportunity to manifest the soul of a loved one who is no longer physically present.” –Rabbi Daniel Cohen
My husband’s maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Bantit. She died in March of 1957. Her daughter Beryl Ruth Stern (1930-1986)—my husband’s mother—gave birth to her first child ten months later. In honor of her late mother, her baby boy—my husband—was given the middle name Bruce. The name, beginning with a “B,” is in homage to Beryl’s mother’s maiden name—Bantit—also starting with a “B.”
I never had the privilege of meeting Beryl. By all accounts, she was an intelligent, kind, hard-working, talented, patient, positive person who was devoted to and proud of her family. Once her three children were older, she became very successful in public relations. She was killed in a fire at the age of fifty-six. The tragedy took place less than two weeks before my husband’s thirtieth birthday. I met him seven years later.
When our daughter was born, we honored the memory of the grandmother she never knew by giving her the middle name “Beryl.” She loves her middle name. And she loves telling those who ask how she happened to have been given what is considered a rather old-fashioned name today.
Gertrude Bantit Stern (1905-1957) and her husband Joe chose the name Beryl for their newborn in 1930. Although the citation above claims that the name “gained popularity primarily in English-speaking countries in the late 19th century,” [emphasis my own], the graph below indicates that its popularity grew precipitously after that and was at its zenith in about 1920.
While used almost exclusively as a girl’s name, it can be used for a boy as well.
Most people, if they’ve heard of the stone, they think of beryl as a green stone, as described above. In fact, there are a variety of colors in the beryl family. Composed of beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈, beryl is the primary source of beryllium and is highly valued in gemology for its durability, with a Mohs hardness of 7.5–8. Each variety of beryl has its unique appeal and value, making it one of the most significant and popular gemstone families in the world.
As much as I love the name “Beryl” and its association with a gemstone, I have to wonder Beryl liked her name. My husband tells me that, as a young girl, she was often taunted with rounds of this refrain from the Beer Barrel Polka:
When we were at Miller Park in Milwaukee watching the Mets play the Brewers, or when we watch the Mets play in Milwaukee on TV and we hear the fans singing that song, I always think of her.
My husband has told me so many stories about his mother. They clearly shared a special relationship. I so wish I had gotten to meet her. My daughter feels the same way. But I think of this remarkable woman every time I see my daughter write her full name or her middle initial.
Written for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Week 22 is “A Name With Meaning.” We genealogists work a lot with names. But sometimes, we run across a name that has special significance, either because of it being a namesake or because of what the name means. Who in your family history has a name with a special meaning?
