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My husband and I are Ashkenazic (not Sephardic) Jews and we are planning to name our daughter Isabelle or Ellie for short, after my husband’s deceased grandfather, Ilya. My living mother's name is Bella and she believes that these two names, Isabelle and Bella, are equivalent. In her opinion, by naming our daughter Isabelle we will be naming her after my mother and thus will bring misfortune to my mother. We both feel strongly about using this name and stressed many times that we are not naming my daughter after my mother. However, we would like to hear from Ashkenazic rabbis regarding this matter.

Click here for a(n) Orthodox answer by Rabbi Benjamin J. Samuels
Click here for a(n) Conservative answer by Rabbi Eric Yanoff
Click here for a(n) Reform answer by Rabbi Debra Kassoff