(This list has been reviewed by Rav Elazar Meyer Teitz, Shlita)
Transliterations are based on the principles set forth in the Shulchan Aruch (EH 129) and its Mepharshim, classic Sefarim (such as the Ohalei Shem), and traditions, conventions and Pesakim issued by Gedolei Yisrael and Rabbanim Muvhakim (especially in regards to writing of, L’Havdil, Gittin).
New Jersey - נוא דזשערזי
New York - נוא יארק (Manhattan is written this way as well – old tradition)
Connecticut – קאנעטיקאט (as the per the writing of the Connecticut River for Gittin in Springfield, MA)
Teaneck – טינעק (Psak of Rav Schwartz and Rav Teitz)
Bergenfield – בערגנפילד
Garfield – גרפילד
Fair Lawn – פער לאן (these are two separate words; Psak of Rav Schwartz and Rav Teitz)
Rockleigh – רקלי
Passaic – פאססעיק (there is an old tradition to write this way)
Livingston – ליווינגסטאן (established by Rav Schwartz and Rav Teitz)
New Rochelle - נוא ראשעל (as Gittin are written in this town; Psak of Rav Schwartz and Rav Teitz)
Tarrytown - טעריטאון
Mahwah – מאווא
Spring Valley - ספרינג וואלי (an old tradition as reported from Rav Landesman).
Closter - קלאוסטר
Englewood - ענגלוואוד
Tenafly – טענאפליי
Cliffside Park – קליפסייד פארק
Paramus – פערעמאס (as per a ruling of Rav Teitz)
Fort Lee – פארט לי (this is an old tradition)
East Rutherford – איסט ראטערפארד (ruling of Rav Teitz)
Newark – נוארק (this is a very old tradition)
Lakewood – ליקוואוד (as established by Rav Eliashiv)
Brooklyn – ברוקלין (old tradition)
Bronx – בראנקס
East Brunswick – איסט בראנזוויק
Edison – עדיסאן (established by Rav Schwartz and Rav Teitz)
River Vale – ריווער וויל (two words)
West Orange – וועסט ארענדזש (ruling of Rav Teitz; some write with an Alef after the Reish)
Great Neck - גריט נעק
Elizabeth – עליזאבעט (old tradition)
Staten Island – סטעטן איילענד (Rav Moshe Feinstein)
Scarsdale – סקארסדיל
Woodbury – וואודבערי (as per a ruling from Rav Peretz Steinberg)
New Windsor – נוא ווינזר
New Brunswick – בראנזוויק נו (established by Rav Nota Greenblatt)
Monsey – מאנסי (Rav Moshe Feinstein and Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky)
Cedar Grove - סידר גראוו
Stamford – סטעמפארד (old tradition)
Linden – לינדען (a ruling of Rav Teitz; Rav Teitz recalls his father writing this way)
Woodland Park - וואודלענד פארק
White Plains - ווייט פלינס (Psak of Rav Schwartz and Rav Teitz)
Yonkers – יאנקערס (this is an old tradition)
Mamaroneck – מעמעראנעק (as per the river in Gittin written in White Plains).
Pearl River - פערל ריווער
Highland Park - פארק היילענד
Patterson – פעטערסאן (old Minhag)
Montebello – מאנטעבעלאו
For a partial guide on how to transliterate English words into Hebrew characters please see https://www.koltorah.org/halachah/transliterating-english-names-for-ketubot-by-rabbi-chaim-jachter
The Beit Shemuel (addendum to Even Ha’Ezer 129, Sheimot Nashim) writes that one should take the same care in the writing of the names of the man and woman in a Ketubah as one would in the writing of a Get. Many Sefarim and Teshuvot have been written regarding the proper spelling of names including a lengthy addendum to Even Ha’Ezer 129, authored by the Beit Shemuel. Thus, one may not randomly determine the spellings of the names of the Chatan and Kallah. Similarly, there are established rules and practices regarding the appropriate transliterations of non-Hebraic names and words. The Rama and Beit Shemuel to Even Ha’Ezer 129 present many of these rules according to the Ashkenazic tradition.
Two responsa of the Noda BiYehuda dramatize the necessity of appropriate transliterations. In one Teshuva (volume one, Even Ha’Ezer 87-88), the Noda BiYehuda was strongly inclined to rule that a particular Get was invalid because the name of the city (Piltz) was not transliterated properly. In another responsa (volume two Even Ha’Ezer 124), Rav Landau disqualified a Get because the wife's name (Toltza) was improperly transliterated. It is obvious from the aforementioned sources that it is wrong to arbitrarily transliterate non-Hebraic names and words in a Get or even a Ketubah. Rather, the transliterations for a Ketubah must be prepared well in advance of the wedding in accordance with the rules set forth in the Shulchan Aruch and its Meforshim.
There are also established practices regarding the transliterations of English names. Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin (see Kitvei Harav Henkin 1:229-236) describes at length how to transliterate English names according to the Ashkenazic tradition. Rav Henkin’s list of transliterations of English names serve as an important benchmark for Mesadrei Gittin, and although it is very significant, debate exists regarding many of his transliterations. Many of these debates are recorded in Rav Mendel Senderovic's Ha-Aretz L’Areha (Rav Senderovic is the Rosh Kollel of the Milwaukee Kollel and is an active Mesader Get). This remarkable Sefer lists the towns and cities across North America where there exists a tradition to write Gittin. The Sefer records and discusses how the names of the places and its rivers are transliterated from English to Hebrew characters. Rav Senderovic records and analyzes the many debates that exist regarding this area of Halachah. He also presents the sources of these debates, which are scattered throughout the twentieth century responsa literature in works such as the Igrot Moshe, Minchat Yitzchak, and many obscure volumes of responsa.
One should note that the Sephardic tradition differs significantly from the Ashkenazic tradition of transliteration. The transliteration of the letter J is one example of this phenomenon. The Sefer entitled Shem Chadash is an invaluable resource regarding Sephardic practices of transliteration.
Writing English Names in a Ketubah
A Mesader Kiddushin must transliterate English names for a Ketubah in a number of contexts. He must transliterate the name of the place where the Ketubah is written. Of course, if there is an accepted (by Talmidei Chachamim) manner of transliteration of the locale where the Ketubah is written, one should abide by that tradition. A Mesader Kiddushin must transliterate the family names of the Chatan and Kallah if it is his practice to record the family names in the Ketubah (see Teshuvot Igrot Moshe Even Ha’Ezer 1:178, Teshuvot Chelkat Ya’akov 1:161, and Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik's ruling recorded in Nefesh HaRav pp. 259-260). If either party is a Ba’al Teshuvah, that party's father might not have a Jewish name and his English name must be used and appropriately transliterated.
It is worthwhile noting that one should exercise great caution regarding writing the Jewish names of non-observant Jews in Ketubot. Unfortunately, many non-observant Jews rarely use their Jewish names, and experience demonstrates that they often err when inquired for their Hebrew names. For example, they often forget that they have a second Jewish name. Similarly, one should be skeptical of claims of non-observant Jews that they are either a Kohen or Levi (see Teshuvot Igrot Moshe Even Ha’Ezer 3:26). In order to avoid writing an invalid Ketubah in such circumstances, the Rav must prepare the Ketubah well in advance of the wedding to adequately research these issues. For further discussion of this issue, see this author’s essay that is printed in the volume fifteen of the Israeli Torah journal Techumin (pp.297-300).
Accordingly, it is incumbent upon the Mesader Kiddushin to master the Halachot of transliteration. The following is an outline of some of the Halachot and practices regarding transliterating English names into Hebrew characters. It should be emphasized that this list is not exhaustive and one must check one's transliterations with a competent Posek. It is recommended that one consult with a Mesader Get, as MeSadrei Gittin have extensive training and experience in this challenging area of Halachah.
Some of the Rules
The goal is to transliterate the name as coherently as possible into Hebrew characters. This poses a significant challenge when dealing with sounds that do not exist in Hebrew (as traditionally spoken by Ashkenazim) such as the J or TH sounds. Poskim have attempted to transliterate these sounds into the closest Hebrew equivalents (see Get Pashut 129:142 citing the Raanach).
1) The letter T is transliterated as a Tet (Rama Even Ha’Ezer 129:31).
2) The letters TH are transliterated as a Tet (Rav Henkin p.229).
3) The letter J is transliterated either as a Daled-Zayin (Rav Henkin p.229 and Teshuvot Igrot Moshe Even Ha’Ezer 1:132) or Daled-Zayin-Shin (Teshuvot Melamed Lehoil 3:41, Teshuvot Yabia Omer 4:E.H. 13, Teshuvot Minchat Yitzchak 1:103, and Get Mesudar p. 215 regarding James). This debate has not been resolved and variation exists even regarding the transliteration of cities and rivers in Gittin (see discussions of Los Angeles, Jacksonville, Lakewood (river), and Rochester (river) in Ha-Aretz L’Areha).
4) The letters CH (as in Charles) are transliterated as Tet-Shin (Beit Shemuel Sheimot Nashim letter Tet).
5) Both the V and W are transliterated with two Vavim (see Rama E.H. 129:34 and Rav Senderovic’s discussion of transliterating the towns of Lakewood and Woodbourne).
6) The letter K is transliterated using a Koof (based on Rama E.H.129:31; see many examples in Beit Shemuel's list of names in his addendum to E.H.129).
7) The long A vowel (such as in the name Abe) is transliterated using only one Yud (Pitchei Teshuva to Beit Shemuel's Sheimot Nashim Even Ha’Ezer 129, letter Pei and discussions of Milwaukee (river), St. Louis, Dayton, and Santa Fe in Ha-Aretz L'Areha).
8) The short A vowel (such as in the names Harry and Gary) might be transliterated with an Aleph or an Ayin (see Rav Senderovic's discussion of Miami Beach, Santa Fe, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Dallas, and San Antonio).
9) The long E vowel (such as in the name Leo) is transliterated with a Yud.
10) The short E vowel (such as in Mexico) is transliterated (by Ashkenazim) using an Ayin (see the many examples in the Beit Shemuel).
11) The long I vowel (such as in ice or Michael) is transliterated using two Yuds (see the many examples in the Beit Shemuel).
12) The short I vowel (such as in the word bit) is transliterated using one Yud (see the many examples in Rav Henkin’s list).
13) The long O vowel (such as in the name Joe) is transliterated using only an Aleph or using both an Aleph and a Vav (see Rav Henkin p. 137 regarding the name Rose, Teshuvot Minchat Yitzchak 1:103, and Ha-Aretz L’Areha regarding Boca Raton and Teaneck’s Overpeck Creek).
14) The short O vowel (such as in the word short) is transliterated with an Aleph (see the many examples in the Beit Shemuel).
15) The long U vowel is transliterated using a Vav (see the many examples in the Beit Shemuel).
16) The short U vowel (such as in Bud) is transliterated using an Aleph (such as when transliterating New York's Hudson River).
17) Please note that there is an ongoing debate regarding the transliteration of the short u sound followed by an R such as in Jersey or Herbert or Shirley. Some write a Yud (Rav Shteinberg of the RCA), Vav Yud (Rav Moshe and Rav Henkin), or an Ayin (Satmar). Rav Melech Schachter adopted a compromise view. He used an Ayin when the corresponding vowel in English is an E (such as Herman or Herbert) and the Vav Yud combination for other vowels such as an I (as in Shirley and Irving). For a Ketubah it seems best to use an Ayin since the Vav Yud combination seems quite strange to those not immersed in this area of Halachah. Halachah wishes for us to avoid, if possible, Pesakim that appear strange to the broader observant Jewish community (Sanhedrin 5b and Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De’ah 242:10).
Conclusion
It should be emphasized that one should regard this presentation as a mere introduction to a challenging area of Halachah. We have not broached even a quarter of the issues that a Posek must address when dealing with questions of this nature. I suggest for all Rabbanim involved in Siddur Kiddushin to establish a relationship with a Posek whose expertise extends to this complex area of Halachah.