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Saturday, May 20, 2017

Rare but Real (2016)

Let's take a quick break from statistical analysis. ;)  I'm always fascinated to see what rarities we can encounter down at the very bottom of the SSA lists, the names given to only 5 babies.
My only restrictions are that they can't have other spellings further up on the list, and I can't have mentioned it on a previous 'Rare but Real' (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
Let's see what we can find....

Boys:
  • Adoniah (ad-oh-NYE-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--form of Adonijah, "my Lord is Yahweh"
  • Aldwin (AHLD-win, Germanic)--older form of Edwin, "old friend"
  • Aniceto (ah-nee-SEH-toh, Portuguese, Spanish; ah-nee-CHEH-toh, Italian)--from Greek, "unconquerable"
  • Arvo (AHR-voh, Finnish)--"value"
  • Astraeus (as-TREE-us, [Latinized] Greek)--"star"
  • Baird (BEHRD, English)--from Scottish surname, prob. "bard"
  • Enver (en-VEHR, Turkish, EN-vehr, Albanian)--from Arabic, "brighter"
  • Erling (AHR-ling, Norwegian, EHR-ling, Danish, Swedish)--"descendant of the chief"
  • Hezron (HEZ-ron, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"enclosure"
  • Janvier (zhawn-vee-AY, French)--"January"
  • Joris (YOHR-is, Dutch, German; zhoh-REES, French)--form of George
  • Liav (lee-AV, Hebrew)--"my father"
  • Lonán (LOH-nawn, Irish)--"blackbird"
  • Remiel (REM-ee-el, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"mercy of God"
  • Stelios (STEL-ee-ohs, Greek)--"pillar"
  • Wystan (WIS-tan, [archaic] English)--"war stone"

Girls:
  • Abiela (ah-bee-EL-lah, Spanish)--from Biblical Hebrew, "God is my father"
  • Aelia (EYE-lee-ah, AY-lee-ah, EE-lee-ah, Latin)--original form of Elia, "sun"
  • Aureliana (ow-reh-lee-AH-nah, Spanish, Italian)--from Latin, "golden"
  • Ceridwen (keh-RID-wen, Welsh)--origin uncertain, poss. "blessed poetry", "poetry woman", or "crooked woman". 
  • Cipriana (chee-pree-AH-nah, Italian; sip-ree-AH-nah, Portuguese, Spanish)--from Latin, "of Cyprus"
  • Eleri (eh-LEHR-ee, Welsh)--origin unknown, poss. "very bitter" or a form of Hilarius/Hilaria
  • Elisama (el-ee-SAH-mah, Portuguese)--from Biblical Hebrew, "God has heard" [the original name, Elishama, is masculine in the Bible]
  • Faustine (foh-STEEN, French)--from Latin, "lucky"
  • Gilia (JILL-ee-ah, [medieval] English, JEEL-yah, [medieval] Italian)--feminine of Egidio/Giles or poss. from Germanic, "merry"
  • Isidra (ee-SEE-drah, Spanish)--form of Isadora
  • Kirsi (KEER-see, Finnish)--short form of Kirstin or Kirsikka
  • Lalitha (lah-LEET-hah, Indian [Tamil])--from Sanskit, "charming"
  • Lilias (LIL-ee-as, Scottish)--form of Lillian
  • Nino (NEE-noh, [ancient] Greek, Georgian)--unknown origin, poss. related to Nineveh, and/or the Babylonian goddess Nina. [also a boys' name in many languages]
  • Sarit (sah-REET, Hebrew)--diminutive of Sarah
  • Stana (STAH-nah, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, Italian)--short form of Slavic -stan- names, "become, happen"
  • Tabea (tah-BEH-ah, German)--short form of Tabitha
  • Velia (VEH-lee-ah, Italian)--origin unknown, poss. from Latin, "veiled", or from the ancient Greek town of Velia

Unisex (I know, I don't usually have a unisex category, but I just happened to notice one name given to exactly 5 boys & 5 girls, and it intrigued me):
  • Yunuen (yoo-noo-EN, Spanish)--from an island in central Mexico, poss. from Tarascan, "crescent"

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