Saturday, May 19, 2018

Rare but Real (2017)

Taking a brief break from number-crunching. :)
It's always fascinating to peruse the very bottom of the SSA list--the names given to only 5 babies last year.
Caveats: they can't have any more popular spellings further up, and it can't have appeared on any previous 'Rare but Real's (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010).

Boys:
  • Acamas (ah-KAH-mas, Greek [mythology])--prob. "untiring"
  • Caetano (kah-eh-TAH-noo, kye-TAH-noo [short 'oo's, like "foot"], Portuguese)--from Latin, "from Gaeta"
  • Carroll (KEHR-ohl, English)--from Irish surname Ó Cearbhaill, prob. "warrior"
  • Cygnus (SIG-nus, Greek [mythology])--"swan"
  • Froilán (froy-LAHN, Spanish, Galician)--poss. from Germanic, "lord"
  • Harel (har-EL, Hebrew)--"mountain of God"
  • Landric (LAN-drik, [medieval] English)--from Old English, "land-ruler" [probable source of the surname Landry]
  • Nuriel (noo-ree-EL, Spanish, Hebrew)--from Hebrew, poss. "light of God" or "fire of God"
  • Rasmus (RAHS-moos, Estonian, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Finnish)--from ancient Greek, "beloved"
  • Vasco (VAHS-koh, Spanish, Italian; VAHS-koo [short 'oo', like in "foot"], Portuguese)--from Spanish surname Velasco, prob. from Basque "little crow"; or poss. from Spanish vasco, "Basque".
  • Winfred (WIN-fred, English)--from Old English "friend-peace"
  • Yuval (yoo-VAHL, Hebrew)--original form of Biblical name Jubal, "stream" [unisex]
  • Zorion (soh-ree-ohn, Basque)--"happiness"

Girls:
  • Benedetta (beh-neh-DET-tah, Italian)--feminine of Benedict
  • Bithiah (bith-EYE-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--"daughter of God"
  • Edina (EH-dee-naw, Hungarian; eh-DEEN-ah, Bosnian) [separate derivations]
  • Eréndira (eh-REN-deer-ah, Spanish)--from Tarascan, meaning unknown
  • Fruma (FROO-mah, Yiddish)--"pious"
  • Maryse (mah-REESE, French)--form of Marie
  • Nashira (nah-SHEER-ah, NAH-sheer-ah, English)--from the star name; itself from Arabic, prob. "bringer of good news"
  • Nimue (NIM-oo-ay, Arthurian Mythology)--origin unknown, poss. a mangling of a Welsh name/word
  • Ninfa (NEEN-fah, Italian, Spanish)--from ancient Greek, "nymph"
  • Parthenia (par-THEE-nee-ah, English; par-t'hen-EE-ah, [ancient] Greek)--from ancient Greek, "maiden"
  • Tekla (TEK-lah, Hungarian, Polish, Scandinavian)--from Greek Theokleia "glory of God"
  • Véronique (vay-ron-EEK, French)--form of Veronica
  • Vika (VEE-kah, Russian, Ukrainian)--form of Victoria

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