Hadassah — Meaning, Origin & Everything to Know

Hadassah pairs an easy sound with real substance: in Hebrew it means 'myrtle tree'. Hadassah appeals to families after a name with real roots — here, the Hebrew word for 'myrtle tree'. As a daughter's name, Hadassah suggests beauty, delicacy and natural grace and travels comfortably across languages.

What Does the Name Hadassah Mean?

The name Hadassah translates as 'myrtle tree', a meaning inherited from Hebrew.

Historically, Hadassah took shape among Hebrew speakers, for whom naming a daughter was an act of meaning. As it travelled, Hadassah kept its 'myrtle tree' sense intact, handed down to honour relatives and express a hope for the child.

In current use, Hadassah sits easily in any classroom or workplace while still carrying its original idea of 'myrtle tree'. The result is a name in Hadassah that feels both usable and meaningful — its appeal in the 2020s in a nutshell.

Symbolically, Hadassah leans toward beauty, delicacy and natural grace, with its Hebrew roots adding heritage to that idea.

Origin & Etymology of Hadassah

Hebrew · Hebrew

Trace Hadassah back and you reach Hebrew and the meaning 'myrtle tree'. As Hebrew communities moved and mixed, Hadassah travelled with them — sometimes keeping its spelling, sometimes adapting, but holding its meaning.

Hadassah holds a meaningful place in the Hebrew tradition, its sense of beauty, delicacy and natural grace tied to long-standing cultural values.

How Hebrew names are chosen

Jewish naming splits along a line that surprises people who assume one custom: Ashkenazi families, from central and eastern Europe, avoid naming a child after a living relative and name instead for the dead, often a grandparent, sometimes only matching the initial letter. Sephardi families, tracing to Spain, Portugal and North Africa, do the opposite and name for living grandparents — frequently in a set order, the first son for his father's father, the first daughter for his father's mother. A boy's Hebrew name is announced at the brit milah on the eighth day, a girl's at a naming in synagogue. Once it has been announced the name is treated as fixed. The reasoning offered for naming after the dead is that it keeps the name in use and ties the child's soul to the person remembered; it is custom rather than religious law.

How to Pronounce Hadassah

HA-das-sah — Hadassah is usually said in 3 parts — HA · das · sah. A Hebrew name: the 'ch' (where present) is a soft throat sound, and vowels are pronounced fully.