Baby Name Poll Results

Hay-vah. What about the name Haven?

Probably pronounced hay-vah, but it looks like hahv-ah like the word have. Thats a little weird, but I don’t hate it.

Horrid name (really)?

If you can’t figure out how to pronounce it, neither will anyone else. That’ll just create a lifelong headache for your child.

Pronounce it whichever way you like the best. People will call her by how she says it. I like it.

The name is not pronounced Hay-va. It should be like Chava, which is also Hebrew, and pronounced closer to HA-va, CHA-va, HAW-va with the stress on the first syllable. It is related to the names Eva (pronounced E-va), Ava, and Eve. A friend of mine is named Chava. I think it is very pretty and unique. Please do not say "HAY-va" or "HAYV-a" – that pronunciation just hurts my ears. ;-)

Congratulations to you and your sweet baby and family!

Btw the first syllable should not rhyme with "have.". It is closer to hah-/haw. Hebrew names are sometimes difficult to pronounce in English, but they can still sound nice. e.g. - Rachel: the ch sound is never quite right, but that does not make it a poor choice for a name either. Juliana also sounds different in English, German, and Spanish.

If you like the name for your little girl, that is important. Hava is beautiful, traditional, meaningful, and not over-used. I prefer the spelling Chava, but Hava is an accepted variant.

Enjoy your dear little girl and her beautiful life!