In a special joint project with the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, KKL-JNF reveals the rarest and the most popular names among men and women in Israel since 1948 (the year of Israel's declaration of independence) – some names came from the bible, others are based on the unique color of scent of the plants, and several symbolize the Jewish presence in the country.
Among women, the most popular name is Tamar, after the palm tree, with 40,000 Israeli women. Among men, 23,641 are named Alon, after the oak tree, which has massive presence in the Israeli landscape.
The popular names in the survey for women include:
Men
| Name |
Number of people with the name since 1948 |
| Alon (Oak) |
23,641 |
| Oren (Pine) |
13,280 |
| Illan (Tree) |
12,967 |
| Erez (Cedar) |
9,561 |
| Rotem (Retama) |
5,836 |
| Shaked (Almond) |
4,356 |
| Mor (Myrrh) |
2,833 |
| Dolev (Plane-tree) |
2,317 |
Women
| Name |
Number of people with the name since 1948 |
| Tamar (Palm) |
39,930 |
| Ella (Terebinth) |
14,707 |
| Hadas (Myrtle) |
13,838 |
| Rotem (Retama) |
12,181 |
| Ilana (Tree) |
11,054 |
| Iris |
9,518 |
| Shaked (Almond) |
9,637 |
| Mor (Myrrh) |
9,022 |
Aharon Bar, Director of Pedagogy and Guidance in KKL-JNF: "Names from the world of nature, some of biblical origins, testify to our people's strong connection to their environment and their history. In fact, the holiday of Tu BiShvat came ahead of its time, since today we are aware of the great importance of tree-planting as part of the fight against the climate crisis. We are excited to celebrate the holiday this year, and wish all the Israeli citizens and forests a happy Tu BiShvat!"
Oak Tree. Photograph: Ya'akov Shkolnik, KKL-JNF Photo Archive
Almond Tree Flowers. Photograph: Michael Hori, KKL-JNF Photo Archive