Chayyim (Hebrew: חַיִּים Ḥayyīm, IPA: [ħaˈjim]), also transcribed as Haim, Hayim, Haymi, Chaim is a name of Hebrew origin; It comes from a word meaning "life". Its first usage can be traced to Middle Ages. It is a popular name amongst Jewish people.[1] The feminine form for this name is Chaya. [2]
"Chai" is the Hebrew word for "life". According to Kaballah, the name Hayim helps the person to remain healthy, people were known to add Hayim as their second name to improve their health. (Among Serbians, the name "Vuk", meaning "Wolf", as well as Idir ("he will live") among Kabyles, was for similar reasons given to weak and ill neonates.)
In the United States, Chaim is a common spelling; however, since it is not phonetic, Hayim is often used as an alternative spelling. The "ch" spelling comes from Yiddish as in Chanukah, Channa, etc., which can also be spelled as Hanukah and Hannah. It is cognate to the Arabic word حياة (ḥayāt), with the same meaning, deriving from the same Proto-Semitic root.
L'Chaim in Hebrew is a toast meaning "to life". When a couple becomes engaged, they get together with friends and family to celebrate. Since they drink l'chaim ("to life"), the celebration is also called a l'chaim.
Hebrew letters are also used as numerals, and the Hebrew letters that spell "chai" also stand for the number 18. Thus, 18 is considered a lucky number in Jewish culture. It is common to give gifts and contributions to charity in multiples of $18.
The given name may refer to: