The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, or deriving from the

Old German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

name ''

Haimo Haimo, also spelled Hamo, Heimo, Hamon, Haim, Haym, Heym, Aymo, Aimo, etc., is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. The Old French forms are Haimon, Aymon, Aimon, Aymes. It is a hypocoristic form of various Germanic names beginning with the r ...

''.

Hebrew etymology

Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim, Hayim, Chayim'', or ''Chaim'' (English pronunciations: , , ), is a

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

name meaning "life". Its first usage can be traced to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. It is a popular name among Jewish people. The feminine form for this name is Chaya ( he, חַיָּה ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ; English pronunciations: , ). '' Chai'' is the Hebrew word for "alive". According to

Kabbalah Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...

, the name Hayim helps the person to remain healthy, and people were known to add Hayim as their second name to improve their health. In the United States, Chaim is a common spelling; however, since the

phonemic In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language. For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-west o ...

pattern is unusual for English words, Hayim is often used as an alternative spelling. The "ch" spelling comes from transliteration of the

letter " chet", which also starts words like Chanukah, Channa, etc., which can also be spelled as Hanukah and Hannah. It is

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

to the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

word ('), with the same meaning, deriving from the same

Proto-Semitic Proto-Semitic is the hypothetical reconstructed proto-language ancestral to the Semitic languages. There is no consensus regarding the location of the Proto-Semitic ''Urheimat''; scholars hypothesize that it may have originated in the Levant (m ...

root. Hebrew letters are also used as numerals, and the Hebrew letters that spell "chai" also stand for the number 18. Thus, 18 is considered a

lucky number In number theory, a lucky number is a natural number in a set which is generated by a certain "sieve". This sieve is similar to the Sieve of Eratosthenes that generates the primes, but it eliminates numbers based on their position in the remaini ...

in Jewish culture. It is common to give gifts and contributions to charity in multiples of 18. Among

Argentine Jews The history of the Jews in Argentina goes back to the early sixteenth century, following the Jewish expulsion from Spain. Sephardi Jews fleeing persecution immigrated with explorers and colonists to settle in what is now Argentina, in spite o ...

, the Spanish name

Jaime Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...

(, a Spanish cognate of

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

) is often chosen for its

phonetic Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...

similarity to Haim. Hayim is a non-governmental organization that works on a voluntary basis to provide relief and support for pediatric oncology patients in Israel. The names '' Vivian'' and '' Zoe'' have a similar meaning.

L'Chaim toast

L'Chaim in Hebrew is a

toast Toast most commonly refers to: * Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat * Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken Toast may also refer to: Places * Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States Books * '' ...

meaning "to life". When a couple becomes engaged, they get together with friends and family to celebrate. Since they drink ''l'chaim'' ("to life"), the celebration is also called a l'chaim. The origins of the custom to toast this way may be traced to an account described in the Talmud, where R. Akiva said upon pouring cups of wine poured at a banquet a benediction of "Wine and life to the mouth of the sages, wine and life to the mouth of the sages and their students." Many reasons for this custom have been offered. One reason based on the

Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...

is to wish that the wine would be tied to the tree of life and not to the tree of death with which

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

had sinned. A second reason brought forward is that there was a common practice to make people who intend to kill drink wine and thereby be calmed, and therefore there is a custom to proclaim "to life!" over wine in the hope that it will prevent bloodshed. A third reason is that wine was created to comfort those who are in mourning (based on Proverbs 31:6) and there emerged a practice to toast thus when drinking in sad times in the hope that one day the drinker will drink wine in good happy times, and the practice of toasting this way subsequently extended to all situations.S.Z. Ariel (1960), ''Enẓiklopedyah Me'ir Nativ le-Halakhot, Minhagim, Darkhei Musar u-Ma'asim Tovim'', s.v. ""

Old German etymology

The earliest attested forms of this etymology occur in

, as ''

''. This Old German name was borrowed into

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

, including into the

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

dialect spoken in England, in forms including ''Haim''. This became one source of the English surname ''Haim'', along with variants like ''Hame'', ''Haim'', ''Haime'', ''

Haimes Haimes is an English language surname. Etymology According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'', the modern name ''Haimes'' originates in two different medieval names, which came to sound the same around the sixtee ...

'', ''Hains'', '' Haines'', ''Hayns'', ''

Haynes Haynes may refer to: People *Haynes (surname) Places In Australia: * Haynes, Western Australia In Canada: * Haynes, Alberta In the United Kingdom: *Haynes, Bedfordshire ** Haynes Church End In the United States: *Haynes, Arkansas * Haynes, Nort ...

'', ''Hammon'' and '' Hammond''.''The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'', ed. by Patrick Hanks, Richard Coates, and Peter McClure, 4 vols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), II, pp. 1168–67 .vv. ''Haim'', ''Haime'' . In 1881, 3 people in Great Britain bore the surname ''Haim'' and 67 the surname ''Haime''. Around 2011, the numbers stood at 94 and 173 respectively, with two bearers of the surname ''Haim'' in Ireland.

People with the given name Haim

Notable people with the name include: *

Haim Arlosoroff Haim Arlosoroff (February 23, 1899 – June 16, 1933; also known as Chaim Arlozorov; he, חיים ארלוזורוב) was a Socialist Zionist leader of the Yishuv during the British Mandate for Palestine, prior to the establishment of Isra ...

(1899–1933), Zionist politician *

Chaim ibn Attar Chaim ibn Attar or Ḥayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar ( ar, حاييم بن موشي بن عطار, he, חיים בן משה בן עטר; b. - 7 July 1743) also known as the Or ha-Ḥayyim after his popular commentary on the Torah, was a Talmudist ...

(1696–1743), the Or Hachaim *

Haim Bar-Lev Haim "Kidoni" Bar-Lev ( he, חיים בר-לב, 16 November 1924 – 7 May 1994) was a military officer during Israel's pre-state and early statehood eras and later a government minister. Biography Born Haim Brotzlewsky in Vienna and raised in ...

(1924–1994), Israeli military officer and government minister *

Haim Ben-Shahar Haim Ben-Shahar (חיים בן שחר) (born c.1935) is an Israeli economist, and former President of Tel Aviv University. Biography Ben-Shahar was born in Israel. He earned a Ph.D. in Banking and Finance from New York University. He is an econo ...

, Israeli economist and president of

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

Chaim Bloom Chaim David Bloom (; born February 27, 1983) is an American sports executive who is the Chief Baseball Officer for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously worked for the Tampa Bay Rays, most recently as Senior Vice Presid ...

(born 1983), American chief baseball officer for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Chaim Buchbinder Chaim Buchbinder (חיים בוכבינדר; also "Haim"; born 1943) is an Israeli former basketball player. He scored 6,044 career points, the 7th-most in Israel Basketball Premier League history. Biography Buchbinder played 11 seasons for Mac ...

(born 1943), Israeli basketball player *

Chaim Deutsch Chaim M. Deutsch is an American politician who served as a New York City Council Member for the 48th district from 2014 to 2021. He is a Democrat. The district includes Brighton Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, ...

, New York City Council member *

Chaim Elata use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...

, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering and president of

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...

, and chairman of the

Israel Public Utility Authority for Electricity The Israel Public Utility Authority for Electricity is a government authority charged with providing utility services, setting tariffs, regulation and oversight of the electricity market in Israel. History The Authority was established in 1996, ...

* Hyam Greenbaum, founder of the

BBC Television Orchestra The BBC Television Orchestra (1936–1939) was a broadcast orchestra founded in 1936 by conductor, violinist and composer Hyam Greenbaum and led by Boris Pecker. Hyam Greenbaum's wife Sidonie Goossens was the first solo harpist with the Orchest ...

* Chaim (Harvey) Hames (born 1966), professor of history and rector at

Haim Harari use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

(born 1940), Israeli

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experimen ...

; president of the

Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli unive ...

* Haim Hazan (1937–1994), Israeli basketball player *

Chaim Herzog Major-General Chaim Herzog ( he, חיים הרצוג; 17 September 1918 – 17 April 1997) was an Irish-born Israeli politician, general, lawyer and author who served as the sixth President of Israel between 1983 and 1993. Born in Belfast and ...

(1918–1997), Israeli president *

Chaim Koppelman Chaim Koppelman (November 17, 1920 – December 6, 2009) was an American artist, art educator, and Aesthetic Realism consultant. Best known as a printmaker, he also produced sculpture, paintings, and drawings. A member of the National Academy ...

(1920–2009), American printmaker *

Hyam Maccoby Hyam Maccoby ( he, חיים מכובי, 1924–2004) was a Jewish-British scholar and dramatist specialising in the study of the Jewish and Christian religious traditions. He was known for his theories of the historical Jesus and the origins of C ...

(1924–2004), British scholar *

Chaim Hezekiah Medini Chaim Hezekiah Medini (Jerusalem 1834 – Hebron, 1904), also known by the title of his chief halakhic work, ''Sdei Chemed'', was a rabbinical scholar during the nineteenth century. Biography His name was originally Hezekiah; Chaim, "life", was a ...

(1834–1904), the Sdei Chemed – Talmudic scholar and halachist *

Haim Palachi Haim Palachi ( he, חיים פלאג'י yi, חיים פאלאדזשי; Acronym: MaHaRHaF or HaVIF) (January 28, 1788– February 10, 1868) was a Jewish- Turkish chief rabbi of Smyrna (İzmir) and author in Ladino and Hebrew. His titles include ...

(or Palagi, 1788–1868), Torah scholar *

Hyam Plutzik Hyam Plutzik (July 13, 1911 – January 8, 1962), a Pulitzer prize finalist, was a poet and Professor of English at the University of Rochester. Books *''The Three'' (Yale University Prize Poem, 1933). New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press ...

(1911–1962), English poet and academic *

Chaim Potok Chaim Potok (February 17, 1929 – July 23, 2002) was an American author and rabbi. His first book ''The Chosen'' (1967), was listed on ''The New York Times’'' best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies. Biography H ...

(1929–2002), American Jewish author *

Haim Revivo Haim Michael Revivo ( he, חיים מיכאל רביבו; born 22 February 1972) is a retired Israeli football player who played as a midfielder, and a businessman. Sports career Revivo is Jewish and was born to a traditional Mizrahi Jewish fa ...

(born 1972), Israeli former international footballer * J. Hyam Rubinstein (born 1948), Australian mathematician *

Haim Saban Haim Saban (; he, חיים סבן; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli-American media proprietor, investor, and producer of records, film, and television. A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an e ...

(born 1944), Israeli-American media mogul *

Haym Salomon Haym Salomon (also Solomon; anglicized from Chaim Salomon; April 7, 1740 – January 6, 1785) was a Polish-born Jewish businessman and political financial broker who assisted the Superintendent of Finance, English-born Robert Morris, as the prim ...

(1740–1785), primary financier of the American Revolution *

Haim Starkman Haim Starkman (חיים שטרקמן; born in Jaffa, Palestine, July 11, 1944) is an Israeli former basketball player. He played the guard position. He played in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, and for the Israeli national basketball team ...

(born 1944), Israeli basketball player *

Chaim Leib Shmuelevitz Chaim Leib Halevi Shmuelevitz, ( he, חיים לייב שמואלביץ ;1902–1979) — also spelled Shmulevitz — was a member of the faculty of the Mirrer Yeshiva for more than 40 years, in Poland, Shanghai and Jerusalem, serving as Ros ...

(1902–1979), Mirrer Rosh HaYeshiva *

Chaim Topol Chaim Topol ( he, חיים טופול; born September 9, 1935), also spelled Haym Topol, mononymously known as Topol, is an Israeli actor, comedian, singer, film producer, author, and illustrator. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye the ...

(born 1935), Israeli actor *

Hayyim Tyrer Hayyim ben Solomon Tyrer () was an important Hasidic rabbi and kabbalist, and is today remembered for several well known Hasidic works. He is also known as "Hayyim of Czernowitz", after his time there. He was a pupil of Rabbi Yechiel Michl ( ...

(died 1813), rabbi *

Chaim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( he, חיים עזריאל ויצמן ', russian: Хаим Евзорович Вейцман, ''Khaim Evzorovich Veytsman''; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born biochemist, Zionist leader and Israel ...

(1874–1952), Israeli president *

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...

(born 1949 as Chaim Witz), Israeli-American co-founder of

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

H. M. Wynant H. M. Wynant (born Chaim Winant; February 12, 1927) is an American film and television actor. Biography Wynant was born in Detroit, Michigan. He made his feature film debut as an Indian in Samuel Fuller's ''Run of the Arrow'' (1957). In the ...

(born 1927 as Chaim Winant), American actor *

Chaim Zlotikman Chaim Zlotikman (חיים זלוטיקמן; also "Haim"; born March 17, 1957) is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He played the shooting guard position. He scored 5,812 career points, 10th-most in Israel Basketball Premier Leagu ...

(born 1957), Israeli basketball player

People with the surname Haim

Aaron ben Hayyim Aaron ben Hayyim was an exegete who lived in the first half of the nineteenth century at Grodno, Russia. He wrote ''Moreh Derek'' (He Who Shows the Way), tracing the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, their wanderings in the desert, and the partit ...

(fl. 1836), Russian exegete * Aharon Ibn Hayyim (1545–1632), Biblical and Talmudic commentator * Alana (born 1991),

Danielle Danielle is a modern French female variant of the male name Daniel, meaning "God is my judge" in the Hebrew language. Variants *Dana – Czech, German, Romanian Polish *Danette – English *Daniela – Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, English, Germ ...

(born 1989) and

Este Haim Este Haim (born 14 March 1986) is an American musician and composer. She is best known as a member of the pop-rock trio Haim, which Este formed with her younger sisters Alana and Danielle. Este is Haim's bass player and a vocalist. She co-write ...

(born 1986), members of the American band

Haim The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name ''Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim ...

Corey Haim Corey Ian Haim (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010) was a Canadian actor. He starred in a number of 1980s films, such as '' Lucas'', ''Silver Bullet'', ''Murphy's Romance'', ''License to Drive'' and '' Dream a Little Dream''. His role alongsi ...

(1971–2010), Canadian actor *

David Bar-Hayim David Hanoch Yitzchak Bar-Hayim (Hebrew: דוד חנוך יצחק ב"ר חיים; born Mandel; born 24 February 1960) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi who heads the Shilo Institute (''Machon Shilo''), a Jerusalem-based rabbinical court and institute ...

(born 1960), Israeli rabbi * Karima Mathilda Haim or

Mathilda May Mathilda May (born Karin Haïm; 8 February 1965) is a French film actress. Early life May was born in Paris, France. Her father, playwright Victor Haïm, is of Sephardic Jewish ( Greek-Jewish and Turkish-Jewish) descent. Her mother is the Sw ...

(born 1965), French actress * Mordechai "Moti" Haim, former Israeli footballer, father of the band members of Haim *

Nahshon Even-Chaim Nahshon Even-Chaim (born May 1971), aka Phoenix, was the first major computer hacker to be convicted in Australia. He was one of the most highly skilled members of a computer hacking group called The Realm, based in Melbourne, Australia, from the ...

or Phoenix (born 1971), Australian computer hacker *

Ofir Haim Ofir Haim ( he, אופיר חיים; born April 21, 1975) is an Israeli former footballer who manages the Israel national under-19 football team. He has been the head coach of the Israel U-19 since the beginning of the first qualifiers round, ...

(born 1975), Israeli football player *

Paul Ben-Haim Paul Ben-Haim (or Paul Ben-Chaim, Hebrew: פאול בן חיים) (5 July 1897 – 14 January 1984) was an Israeli composer. Born Paul Frankenburger in Munich, Germany, he studied composition with Friedrich Klose and he was assistant conductor t ...

(1897–1984), Israeli composer *

Philippe Haïm Philippe Haïm (born 2 September 1967, in Paris) is a French film director, writer and composer. He sometimes is also actor, as in ''Comme un poisson hors de l'eau'' (1999). Filmography * 1986 : '' Maine Océan'' * 1991 : '' Les Naufragés' ...

(born 1967), French film director, writer and composer *

Salim Haim Salim Haim (1919–1983) was a dermatologist Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical asp ...

(1919–1983), Iraqi dermatologist * Solayman Haïm (1887–1970), Iranian lexicographer, translator, playwright and essayist *

Werner Haim Werner Haim (born 21 February 1968) is an Austrian former ski jumper. Career In the World Cup he finished 32 times among the top 10, his best result being a victory from Liberec in January 1990. He finished ninth in the overall World Cup that se ...

(born 1968), Austrian ski jumper * Yehuda Ben-Haim (1955–2012), Israeli boxer *

Yehoyada Haim Yehoyada Haim ( he, יהוידע חיים; born 1941 in Iraq) is a retired Israeli diplomat and former ambassador to India and China, and non-resident ambassador to Mongolia. He studied in the United States at Georgetown University, where he recei ...

(born 1941), Israeli diplomat *

Yosef Hayyim Yosef Hayim (1 September 1835 – 30 August 1909) ( Iraqi Hebrew: Yoseph Ḥayyim; he, יוסף חיים מבגדאד) was a leading Baghdadi ''hakham'' (Sephardi rabbi), authority on ''halakha'' (Jewish law), and Master Kabbalist. He is best ...

(1832–1909), Sephardic Rabbi *

Ze'ev Ben-Haim Ze'ev Wolf Goldman, later known as Ze'ev Ben-Haim ( he, זאב בן-חיים) (28 December 1907 – 6 August 2013), was a leading Israeli linguist and a former president of the Academy of the Hebrew Language. Biography Ben-Haim was born in M ...

(born 1907), Israeli linguist *

Zemah ben Hayyim Zemah ben Hayyim ( he, צמח בן חיים), or sometimes Zemah b. Hayyim, was Gaon of Sura from 889 to 895. He was the stepbrother and successor of Nahshon ben Zadok, and has become known especially through the reply which he made to the inqui ...

(fl. 889–895), Gaon of Sura * Zigi Ben-Haim (born 1945), American-Israeli sculptor and painter

References