Judah as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Judah

What is the meaning of the name Judah ?

The baby name Judah is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdʒuːdə/ (JOO-də).

Judah is Hebrew in Origin.

Judah derives from Hebrew Yehudah (יְהוּדָה), from the root y-d-h “to praise/thank.” Leah names her fourth son Judah in Genesis 29:35, saying, “I will praise the LORD,” so the name conveys “praise,” “thanksgiving,” or “he who is praised.” As ancestor of the Tribe of Judah and namesake of the Kingdom of Judah/Judea, it became central to Jewish identity; the ethnonym “Jew” (Hebrew Yehudi) ultimately comes from it.

Used throughout Jewish communities and by Christians via the Bible, the form Judah appears in English from the early modern period and has risen again in late-20th/21st-century usage. Variants include Yehuda/Yehudah (Hebrew), Judá (Spanish/Portuguese), Giuda (Italian), Juda (var. in some European languages), and the Greek/Latin Ioudas/Judas - now generally avoided as a given name due to New Testament associations. Short forms and related names include Jude and, in English, sometimes Judd.