Ehud (Hebrew: אֵהוּד) is a Biblical given name, that has become common in Israel. Its etymology remains unknown.
The name "Ehud" did not appear as a first name among Jews until the 20th century. During the era of Zionism, and nation-building there was encouragement to adopt names of Jewish heroes and ancient warriors, including Ehud, as a result, it has gained popularity in contemporary Israel. Two prime ministers of Israel have had it as a first name: Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert.
Israelis named Ehud are often nicknamed "Udi".
While the earliest known use is the Hebrew judge, the etymology is unknown. According to Amos Hakham, medieval rabbis favored one of two improbable explanations. Some, like the Vilna Gaon, claimed that the original name was (Eħud), but the letter ħet had become a he and thus relates to 'unity' . Others claimed that the name relates to 'glory' . The modern Israeli Hebrew verb, 'he sympathized' is unrelated to the Biblical name Ehud.[1] Eliezer Ben-Yehuda coined this verb, deriving it from the Arabic cognate hawadah, 'he treated with indulgence' or kindness. None of the above claims are accepted by contemporary linguists as legitimate etymologies or translations for the name.[2]