Reply To: Jews Who Are Known By Their Non-Jewish Name

In Ashkenaz, the custom was that everyone had a secular name. Four weeks after birth there was a special ceremony at home for giving the child this name, called Chol Kreish. The name was used everywhere, except in schul. A boy had a Shem Kodesh that was used for a Aliyah, that he was given at his Bris. Since women do not get Aliyos, they do not need a Shem Kodesh. Therefore, it was always more common for women to have a Shem Chol and no Shem Kodesh. For example, the daughter of the MaHarshal, her name was Valentina. There are boys who are named today after an ancestor whose name was Yitzchok Aizek, Shlomo Zalman, Dov Ber, Yehuda Leib. Really their Shem Kodesh was just Yitzchok, Shlomo, Dov, Yehuda. Their Shem Chol was Aizek, Zalman, Ber, Leib.
Today,