Why Do Jews Choose Both Secular and Jewish Baby Names?

Jewish baby names are complicated. Why? Well,European Jewish) tradition of having two names.
Jewish parents not only have to choose a secularThis goes back as early as the 12th century. The
name for their babies but a Jewish one as well.Ashkenazi have had a long history of being
Once again it's more difficult for the chosenmisunderstood within the gentile (non-Jewish)
people. There is a new modern way of gettingcommunity. Jews lived in shtetl communities (small
around this - opt to have a name that can bemostly Jewish towns) and spoke their own
used for both such as: Aaron, Ezra or Levi. But,language in the community called Yiddish - a
why is it that Jews have historically chosen toGermanic language written in Hebrew. My
have 2 names for their babies? Let me tell you agrandmother grew up in the shtetl of Lodz but did
story...not learn to speak Polish until she was forced to
Before our son was born, my wife and I werewhile in a concentration camp so that she could
trying to decide what to name him. A familycommunicate with the Polish guards. On the other
member had just passed away and we werehand her father owned a textile factory and
trying to figure out how to name our son afterspoke Polish well. Many Jews worked and often
her. She wanted to name our son's Jewish nameowned businesses, outside shtetl. The nature of
after her but I said I wanted to name his secularthe insular communities breeded mistrust and
name after her. My wife told me that the Jewishmisunderstanding to the gentile community. As
name is more important then the English, so Isuch many Jews who worked outside the shtetl
asked the woman I had spent the past fourdecided to adopt a secular name so that they
years with , "what is my Jewish name?" and shecould be understood and their name be
had NO idea...pronounced by the outside world.
There is a long Ashkenazi (Central and Eastern