Choosing an Identity 

I’ve often wondered if those of us who choose our own names get the same celestial assistance. It’s a very unusual feeling to contemplate what name you’d like to be called for the rest of your adult life — which is what I found myself doing after having finally been cleared for conversion.

What would my new name be?

My middle name, Ann, translated nicely into Chana. So that name basically resolved itself.

But what about my first name, Erin? I’d always been fond of my unique but not unusual name, (Irish in origin, it means “peace,”) but it was definitely tricky to find an equivalent for. I started by considering the “E” names: Elisheva, Eliana, Esther, Elana… (yes, I know that’s not exclusively an “E” name, but I wanted to have as many options as possible). They’re all lovely, but none of them felt like, well, me.

So the E names were out. Next, I figured I’d try to find a name that was similar in meaning to Erin. I liked the meaning of my name, and felt it did represent my personality. I’d always had a strong desire to avoid conflict and make peace whenever friends or family weren’t getting along.