In various religious customs, a child is given a name Hebrew. This name Hebrew is what is used in Jewish faiths to call people to the Torah. This name Hebrew, also called the Jewish name, is also used in certain prayers. The prayer for the sick, or the memorial prayer, for example, would use a person's Jewish name. In addition to religious ceremonies and certain prayers, the name Hebrew is often used on legal documents (making the Jewish name the person's legal name) or the Jewish marriage contract, called the ketubah. The giving of a name Hebrew is most common in Orthodox Judaism and Israeli culture.

In more mainstream Jewish traditions, parents often give their children both a name Hebrew for use in religious ceremonies and a secular name for use in the "gentile world." This is why it would not be uncommon to hear a child at a Synagogue, when asked his name by a religious official, say, "You mean my secular name or my Hebrew name?" As they get older, children learn when to use which name.

To avoid confusion, many Jewish parents choose a name Hebrew for their children that start with the same letter as their secular name. Other times, the name Hebrew is actually interpreted in order to get the secular name of the child. Usually, the Jewish names come from Biblical names and some more modern Israeli names.

According to Jewish Law, a person who was never given a Jewish name by his or her parents need not fret. That person can give himself a name Hebrew. To establish the new Jewish name, the friends must refer to him or her by the Jewish name for at least 30 days. Many people reach adulthood before coming to their Jewish heritage in terms of the faith, so it is important for them to understand how to give themselves a name Hebrew. Using the Jewish letter of the law, a person would only need to go to his friends and declare that "my Hebrew name is" and then give the name. In turn, his friends would call him by that name.

Currently, in Israeli culture, there is a trend toward monosyllabic names that don't sound like they are Hebrew. Most of these names do not have a religious or literarily Jewish connotation. The names are then pronounceable by most people, allow the children to feel comfortable, and yet still allow them to have a Jewish name. These names often are names that are given to both boys and girls. In the modern Israeli culture, this is a way of showing equality between the sexes.

In Jewish and Israeli culture a name Hebrew holds great religious and cultural significance. However, in today's world it is necessary for children to feel comfortable in a western and gentile world. In order to accomplish that, there are two new trends: the giving of both a secular and a Jewish name or the use of more names that are Hebrew, but don't sound so much so. Both methods allow the cultures to maintain their religious beliefs and traditions without jeopardizing the futures of their children. By doing so, the Israeli and Jewish traditions have positioned themselves to maintain themselves in tradition and belief.