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Why are we called "the Jews"? Did Hashem pick out this name for us? What does the word "Jew" mean?

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see the discussions on this question: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/8646/… – Menachem Feb 26 '12 at 17:34

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It's from "yehudah", because most of the Jews nowadays are from the shevet of yehudah.

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We are not arguing saying the same thing focused on different points. – SimchasTorah Apr 15 '10 at 0:06
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Jew come from the Name Yehuda in most languages it is something similar to Yehuda, it represents anyone who denies Avodah Zara.

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The name Jew actually comes from Judea, which is a place. The place of course is named after Yehuda. But importantly, in the age of Hellenization, the concept "ioudaios" (Jew) shifted from being an ethnic-geographic marker to a religious-cultural one. Thus, Judaism itself was Hellenized to become a religion where people or groups could join. (see Shaye Cohen, The Beginnings of Jewishness)

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We are called Jews from the time we returned from exile in Babylon. Since then, the Tribal system is over, and just one People exist: The People of Israel (the new Israel) the Jewish People. This People, although made up by the main stem of Judah, it constitutes of a few tousands from the other Tribes, and two thirds of the Levites, plus the properly converts from the Gentiles.

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Please read existing answers before submitting your own. Your point about most Jews nowadays being from the Tribe of Judah was already made by wayon. (Also, a couple of other points: we were "one People" before the Babylonian exile too - our nationhood goes back to the Giving of the Torah at Sinai. Nor are we now a "new Israel"; on the contrary, we're a pale shadow of what we should be - a nation comprised of 12 tribes, each of which uses its unique talents in the unified service of G-d.) – Alex Nov 23 '10 at 19:38
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I have read all the answers and they do not depict a satisfactory response to the issue. We were not one nation before the Babylonian exile. We were composed of two kingdoms. The one of the North, called Israel or Ephraim, also known by the name of Tent of Joseph, according to Psalm 78:67, and Judah, the kingdom of the South. (Psalm 78:69) We became one nation or one people, the Jewish People, only after we returned from Babylon. At the time of the giving of the Torah, yes, we were one nation of Israel, but don't forget the split at the time of Rehoboam, son of Solomon into two Houses. – Ben Masada Nov 25 '10 at 0:41

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