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Spiritually-speaking, each of us is given shem ivri (עִבְרִישֵׁם), a "Hebrew name," when we cross over into the freedom we have in Yeshua. The name we are given by God is "child of God" (יֶלֶד אֱלהִים) and "friend of God" (אהֵב יְהוָה), which is a general term of God's love for us... There is a personal name given by the Lord to his faithful followers, but that is given in the world to come (Rev. 2:17). As for the Jewish custom of giving a Hebrew name (as opposed to a common name) to a child, first it derives from the Torah (e.g., Yehoshua ben Nun [Joshua, son of Nun]), but later it became part of traditional Jewish practices, used for ceremonial law purposes (such as for use in a ketubah (marriage contract), when making an oath in a bet din (Jewish lawcourt), etc.), and is the name used for other religious functions. The Hebrew name generally consists of three separate names: the child's name, the mother's, and the father's (for example: "Yochanon ben Rivkah v'David" [John the son of Rebecca and David] which may be shortened to "Yochanon ben David" [John the son of David]). If the person is a kohen (a physical descendant of Aaron), the name is followed by "ha-Kohen" - e.g., Yochanon ben David ha'kohen." If the person is a physical descendant of the tribe of Levi, the name is followed by "ha'Levi" - e.g., "David ben David ha'Levi."
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