What's in a (Jewish) Name?

For Crypto-Jews who returned openly to Judaism, use of a Jewish name,  perhaps the one they had before converting, perhaps one their parents  had secretly given them, or perhaps one they adopted upon their return  to Judaism, was clearly an important aspect of their renewed identity.  How important is our name to our identity today? How important was a  Jewish name to a Jew’s identity throughout the ages? What, in fact, is a  “Jewish name”? We can think about – and perhaps discuss – these  questions while studying the case of a Portuguese Jew, a former  converso, residing in the Ottoman Empire. He inquired about the use of  his Christian name in correspondence with business connections and  family who are located in Iberia. His concern was that the appearance of  his Jewish name in any correspondence might endanger the recipient, or  his own property being managed there. Does the use…