Dear Rabbanim,
Are there any rules related to naming a baby (Ashkenazi)? Can/Should a person be named after two different deceased persons? If naming after a deceased person, should there be an additional name added?
Answer:
There are no hard and fast rules concerning naming after deceased people.
Some have the custom of naming children after deceased family members (or other distinguished people), thereby preserving the memory of the deceased and also serving as “inspiration” for the child. No additional name is necessary, and on the contrary, by adding names the child does not carry the deceased’s name in a precise way.
Naming after two deceased people is possible, and many do so by combining names. The child will not be named in a precise way after either of the two individuals, but his name will recall them both.
Best wishes.
