Can Israel Be A Given Name?

Israel can be a boy's name as well as the name of a country. In fact, in the Old Testament Israel was the name given to Jacob by God after he had wrestled with an angel. In Hebrew the name means "he who strives with God," and according to the Bible was meant to reflect Jacob's new power and status. Thereafter Jacob's descendants were known as the Children of Israel, a term which came to be applied to all Jews, was the name of their historic homeland and is now the name of the Jewish state founded in 1948.

It has usually been regarded as a Jewish name. In the 17th century the Puritans, especially in America, often adopted Israel as a given name, reflecting their enthusiasm for all Biblical and especially Old Testament names. Now, however, it is almost always a Jewish name. There is no feminine equivalent.

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