Is Emanuel a Jewish name?

RGM · 20-05-2012 11:24AM #1

My great-grandfather passed away while his wife was pregnant with my grandfather. That, combined with some rumored differences between my great-grandmother and her husband's family, has resulted in my mother's family being completely in the dark about that section of our family tree.

However, I recently managed to confirm the identity of my great-grandfather, his parents, and even his mother's parents. It's been very interesting and exciting to discover things even my grandmother didn't know.

But to get to my question. My great-great-great-grandfather was Emanuel Toland (or possibly Tolan), born in Ireland. My first thought based on his first name was that he was likely protestant, rather than Catholic. But then I thought, wait, isn't that a Hebrew name?

I don't live in Ireland, so I'm asking you. Is Emanuel a Jewish name? Or protestant? Or should I not assume anything from it?

Chucken · 20-05-2012 12:06PM

It is Hebrew. The prophet Isaiah envisioned the name of the Messiah as being Immanuel in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it is another name for Jesus Christ.

The translation is "God is with us"

RGM · 20-05-2012 12:54PM

Chucken wrote: »

It is Hebrew. The prophet Isaiah envisioned the name of the Messiah as being Immanuel in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it is another name for Jesus Christ.

The translation is "God is with us"

Right, but what I'm asking is would you assume that someone born in Ireland with the name Emanuel is Jewish?

There are plenty of Hebrew names that are quite common among non-Jewish people (David, Daniel, etc). Emanuel is a bit rarer, which is why I'm wondering if it would carry certain connotations.

pinkypinky · 20-05-2012 12:57PM

What timeframe are we talking about here?

A lot of Jews came to Ireland from Eastern Europe and some ending up staying in the last 3 decades of the 19th century. Often you see their original surname changing slightly but they stick with traditional first names.

shanew · 20-05-2012 12:59PM

There are about 300 occurrences of the firstname Emanuel in Dublin City parish records - both Catholic and Church of Ireland. So was not an exclusively Jewish firstname

Shane

RGM · 20-05-2012 01:01PM

shanew wrote: »

There are about 300 occurrences of the firstname Emanuel in Dublin City parish records - both Catholic and Church of Ireland. So was not an exclusively Jewish firstname

Shane

Thanks, that answers my question. I don't think I've ever met someone with that name which is why it kind of threw me. Appreciate the help.

Is Emanuel a Jewish name?

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