Ehud (Hebrew: אֵהוּד) is a Biblical given name, that has become common in Israel. Its etymology remains unknown.

The name "Ehud" did not appear as a first name among Jews until the 20th century. During the era of Zionism, and nation-building there was encouragement to adopt names of Jewish heroes and ancient warriors, including Ehud, as a result, it has gained popularity in contemporary Israel. Two prime ministers of Israel have had it as a first name: Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert.

Israelis named Ehud are often nicknamed "Udi".

While the earliest known use is the Hebrew judge, the etymology is unknown. According to Amos Hakham, medieval rabbis favored one of two improbable explanations. Some, like the Vilna Gaon, claimed that the original name was אחוד‎ (Eħud), but the letter חħet had become a הhe and thus relates to 'unity' אחד‎. Others claimed that the name relates to 'glory' הוד‎.[1] The modern Israeli Hebrew verb, 'he sympathized' אהד‎ is unrelated to the Biblical name Ehud.[2] Eliezer Ben-Yehuda coined this verb, deriving it from the Arabic cognate hawadah, 'he treated with indulgence' or kindness. None of the above claims are accepted by contemporary linguists as legitimate etymologies or translations for the name.[1]

Ehud can refer to the following people

References

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  1. ^ a b Hebrew Language Detective: ohad and ehud. Balashon (2007-01-16). Retrieved on 2012-05-26.
  2. ^ Klein, Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language