Faivel

פֿײַװל

• Gender: Male
• Origin: Yiddish
• Meaning: living

• Faivel is a spirited Yiddish name meaning "living" or "bright," carrying the kind of warmth and energy that defined the shtetl naming tradition at its best. If it sounds familiar, you might be thinking of the brave little mouse from the animated classic "An American Tail," which introduced the name to a whole generation of moviegoers. But Faivel's roots go far deeper than Hollywood, stretching back centuries through Ashkenazi communities across Eastern Europe.

  It has the same adorable old-world energy as favorites like Herschel and Mendel but with a pop culture hook that gives it instant recognition. A name that honors your great-great-grandfather while making your kid the most charming one at preschool — what more could you want?

• Alternate Spellings: Fievel, Feivel, Faivl, Feivl, Fayvl, Fayvel
• Potential Sibling Name:
  Feya
  ,
  Etta
  ,
  Mendel
  ,
  Elya
• Theme: life