Friday, September 11, 2020

Rare but Real (2019)

My favorite part of the SSA lists: finding fun rare names. :)
These are names from the very bottom of the charts, given to only 5 babies last year.
As always, they cannot have alternate spellings further up the charts, and they cannot have appeared on any other 'Rare but Real' lists (2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010)


Girls:

  • Anwen (AN-wen, Welsh)--"very beautiful"
  • Cassiana (kah-see-AH-nah, Italian, Portuguese, Latin)--feminine of Cassiano/Cassianus/Cassian
  • Eduarda (eh-DWAHR-dah, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian)--feminine of Eduardo/Edward
  • Fira (FEE-rah, Russian)--diminutive of Esfir/Esther
  • Hestia (HES-tee-ah, English)--from ancient Greek Hestía, "hearth". Goddess of the home and family in Greek mythology. 
  • Kyriaki (keer-ee-ah-KEE, Greek)--from ancient Greek, "of the lord"
  • Nicasia (nee-KAH-see-ah, Spanish, Galician)--from ancient Greek Nikasía, prob. from Nike, Greek goddess of victory, and/or the island of Nikasia
  • Setareh (set-ah-REH, Persian)--"star"
  • Tulia (TOO-lee-ah, Spanish, Polish)--from Latin Tullius, poss. "support"
  • Tvisha (TVISH-ah, TWISH-ah, Hindi)--from Sanskrit, "light, brilliance"
  • Ylva (IL-vah, Scandinavian)--from Old Norse, "she-wolf"
  • Zhenya (ZHEN-yah ['zh' like the S in "treasure"], Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian)--diminutive of Evgeniya/Eugenia
  • Zephyra (zef-EER-ah, English)--feminization of Zephyr, "west wind"

Boys:
  • Berend (BEH-rend, Dutch)--form of Bernard
  • Eliodoro (eh-lee-oh-DOH-roh, Italian, Spanish)--from ancient Greek Heliodoros, "sun gift"
  • Esmond (EZ-mund, English)--from Old English, "grace-protection"
  • Florin (floh-REEN, Romanian, German; floh-RAHN, French; FLOR-in, English)--from Latin, "flower" [very popular in Romanian; rather archaic & rare elsewhere]
  • Ives (IVEZ, English)--from Germanic, "yew"
  • Micaias (mee-KYE-as, Spanish, Portuguese)--form of Micaiah/Micah
  • Savin (SAV-in, English; sah-VEEN, [archaic] French)--masculine of Sabina [much more common as a surname in both languages]
  • Sotero (soh-TEH-roh, Spanish, Galician)--from ancient Greek, "savior"
  • Tekoa (teh-KOH-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)--prob. "sudden strike, sudden sound"
  • Yanai (yah-NYE, Hebrew)--"God answers". Also spelled Janai

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