Haim can be a first name or surname originating in
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
or derived from the
Old German
Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...
Chayyim ( ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim, Hayim, Chayim'', or ''Chaim'' (English pronunciations: , , ), is a
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. It is a popular name among Jewish people. The feminine form for this name is Chaya.
'' Chai'' is the Hebrew word for "alive". According to
Kabbalah
Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...
, the name Hayim helps the person to remain healthy, and people were known to add Hayim as a second name to improve their health.
In the United States, Chaim is a common spelling; however, since the
phonemic
A phoneme () is any set of similar speech sounds that are perceptually regarded by the speakers of a language as a single basic sound—a smallest possible phonetic unit—that helps distinguish one word from another. All languages con ...
pattern is unusual for English words, Hayim is often used as an alternative spelling. The "ch" spelling comes from transliteration of the
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
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 that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language.
Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...
to the
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
word ('), with the same meaning, deriving from the same
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Semitic languages. There is no consensus regarding the location of the linguistic homeland for Proto-Semitic: scholars hypothesize that it may have originated in the Levant, the Sahara, ...
root.
Common secular replacements for the name Haim include Heinrich and Harvey. Among
Argentine Jews
The history of the Jews in Argentina goes back to the early sixteenth century, following the expulsion of Jews from Spain. Sephardic 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) 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.
The names '' Vivian'' and '' Zoe'' have a similar meaning.
Old German
The earliest attested forms of this etymology occur in
Old German
Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...
, as Haimo. This Old German name was borrowed into
Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th Anglo-Norman dialect spoken in England, in forms including Haim. This became one source of the English surname Haim, along with variants like Hame, Haim, Haime, Anglo-Norman language">Anglo-Norman dialect spoken in England, in forms including Haim. This became one source of the English surname Haim, along with variants like Hame, Haim, Haime,
Haines, Hayns, Haynes (surname)">Haynes Haynes may refer to:
People
*Haynes (surname)
Places
Australia
* Haynes, Western Australia
Canada
* Haynes, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Haynes, Bedfordshire
**Haynes Church End
United States
*Haynes, Arkansas
*Haynes, North Dakota
*Hayne ...
, Hammon and Hammond (surname)">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 [s.vv. ''Haim'', ''Haime'']; .
In 1881, three 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
*
Haim Arlosoroff
Haim Arlosoroff (23 February 1899 – 16 June 1933; also known as Chaim Arlozorov; ) was a Socialist Zionist leader of the Yishuv during the British Mandate for Palestine, prior to the establishment of Israel, and head of the Political D ...
(1899–1933), Zionist politician
*
Haim Bar-Lev
Haim "Kidoni" Bar-Lev (; 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 Zagreb, Bar-Lev made al ...
(1924–1994), Israeli military officer and government minister
*
Haim Ben-Shahar
Haim Ben-Shahar (; born c. 1935) is an Israeli economist, and former President of Tel Aviv University.
Biography
Ben-Shahar was born in Mandatory Palestine. He earned a Ph.D. in Banking and Finance from New York University in the United States.
...
(born 1935), Israeli economist and president of Tel Aviv University
* Haim Hanegbi (1935–2018), Israeli political activist
*
Haim Harari
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(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 experi ...
; president of the Weizmann Institute of Science
*
Haim Hazan
Haim Hazan (; born 1947) is a professor of sociology and social anthropology at Tel Aviv University in Israel. His research focuses on old age as a social phenomenon. He is also an active partner at the Herzog Institute for the Study of Aging and ...
(born 1947), Israeli professor of sociology and social anthropology at Tel Aviv University
* Haim Hazan (basketball) (1937–1994), Israeli basketball player
*
Haim Hazaz
Haim Hazaz (; 16 September 1898 – 24 March 1973) was an Israeli novelist.
Biography
Haim Hazaz was born in the village of Sidorovichi, Kiev Governorate in the Russian Empire, the same village of future prime minister Yitzhak Rabin's fami ...
(1898–1973), Israeli novelist
* Haim Palachi (or Palagi, 1788–1868), Torah scholar
* Haim Revivo (born 1972), Israeli former international footballer
*
Haim Saban
Haim Saban (; ; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli and American media proprietor, investor, musical composer and producer of records, film, and television. A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an ...
(born 1944), Israeli-American media mogul
* Haim Starkman (born 1944), Israeli basketball player
Hayim Nahman Bialik
Hayim Nahman Bialik (; January 9, 1873 – July 4, 1934) was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew language, Hebrew and Yiddish. Bialik is considered a pioneer of modern Hebrew poetry, part of the vanguard of Jewish thinkers who gave voice ...
Haym Salomon
Haym Salomon (also Solomon; April 7, 1740 – January 6, 1785) was a Polish-born American merchant best known for his actions during the American Revolution, where he was the prime financier to the Continental Congress. Born in Leszno, Polish– ...
(1740–1785), primary financier of the American Revolution
Chaim Deutsch
Chaim M. Deutsch (born April 15, 1969) is an American politician who served as a New York City Council Member for the New York City's 48th City Council district, 48th district from 2014 to 2021. He is a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat. ...
(born 1969), New York City Council member
* Chaim Elata (born 1929), professor emeritus of mechanical engineering and president of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and chairman of the Israel Public Utility Authority for Electricity
* Chaim Hames (born 1966), professor of history and rector at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
*
Chaim Herzog
Chaim Herzog (; 17 September 1918 – 17 April 1997) was an Israeli politician, military officer, lawyer and author who served as the president of Israel between 1983 and 1993. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Dublin, the son of Ireland' ...
(1918–1997), Israeli president
* Chaim Kanievsky (1928–2022), Haredi rabbi and leader in Israel
*
Chaim Koppelman
Chaim Koppelman (November 17, 1920 – December 6, 2009) was an American artist, art education, art educator, and Aesthetic Realism consultant. Best known as a Printmaking, printmaker, he also produced sculpture, paintings, and drawings. A membe ...
(1920–2009), American printmaker
* Chaim Hezekiah Medini (1834–1904), the Sdei Chemed – Talmudic scholar and halachist
*
Chaim Potok
Chaim Potok (February 17, 1929 – July 23, 2002) was an American author, novelist, playwright, editor and rabbi. Of the more than a dozen novels he authored, his first book '' The Chosen'' (1967) was listed on ''The New York Times'' Best ...
(1929–2002), American Jewish author
*
Chaim Leib Shmuelevitz
Chaim Leib Halevi Shmuelevitz, (; 1902–1979) — also spelled Shmulevitz — was a member of the faculty of the Mir Yeshiva (Poland), Mirrer Yeshiva for more than 40 years, in Poland, Shanghai and Jerusalem, serving as Rosh yeshiva during i ...
Chaim Topol
Chaim Topol (; 9 September 1935 – 8 March 2023), mononymously known as Topol, was an Israeli actor and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye, the lead role in the stage musical ''Fiddler on the Roof'' and the Fiddler on the Roof ...
(1935–2023), Israeli actor
*
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( ; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization and later as the first pre ...
(1874–1952), Israeli president
* Chaim Winant, birth name of H. M. Wynant (born 1927), American actor
* Chaim Witz, birth name of
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...
(born 1949), Israeli-American co-founder of the band Kiss
* Chaim Zlotikman (born 1957), Israeli basketball player
Danielle
Danielle is a modern French female variant of the male name Daniel, meaning "The God(dess)" in the French language.
The name "Daniel" originates from the Hebrew Bible and is associated with the prophet Daniel. In Hebrew, the name is composed of ...
(born 1989) and Este Haim (born 1986), members of the American band
Haim
Haim can be a first name or surname originating in Hebrew or derived from the Old German name Haimo.
Etymology Hebrew
Chayyim ( ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim, Hayim, Chayim'', or ''Chaim'' (English pronunciat ...
*
Corey Haim
Corey Ian Haim (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010) was a Canadian actor who rose to fame in the 1980s as a teen heartthrob. He starred in '' Silver Bullet'' (1985), '' Murphy's Romance'' (1985), '' Lucas'' (1986), '' License to Drive'' (1988 ...
(1971–2010), Canadian actor
* Emmanuelle Haïm (born 1962), French harpsichordist and conductor
* Karima Mathilda Haim or Mathilda May (born 1965), French actress
* Mordechai Haim (born 1954), former Israeli footballer, father of the band members of Haim
*
Ofir Haim
Ofir Haim (; born 21 April 1975) is an Israeli former Association footballer, footballer and manager who head coaches both the Israel national under-19 football team, Israel national under-19 team and the Israel national under-20 football team, I ...
(born 1975), Israeli football player
* Philippe Haïm (born 1967), French film director, writer and composer
* Salim Haim (1919–1983), Iraqi dermatologist
* Solayman Haïm (1887–1970), Iranian lexicographer, translator, playwright and essayist
* Werner Haim (born 1968), Austrian ski jumper
* Yehoyada Haim (born 1941), Israeli diplomat
* Aharon Ibn Hayyim (1545–1632), Biblical and Talmudic commentator
*
Yosef Hayyim
Yosef Hayim (1 September 1835 – 30 August 1909) ( Iraqi Hebrew: Yoseph Ḥayyim; ; or Yosef Chaim) was a leading Baghdadi ''hakham'' ( Sephardi rabbi), authority on ''halakha'' (Jewish law), and Master Kabbalist. He is best known as author of ...