Thursday 8 September 2022

Unusual names

 Just a short blog on unusual names. I am inclined to like them, although some people feel that giving children very odd or unusual names isn't fair to them.  Some famous kids have changed their names to something mundane.  Other unusual names have been liked and taken up and become very popular.

One such is Zara, which derives from the Arabic Zahr for flower.  Princess Anne gave it to her daughter and it became a popular name though it was very modern for a royal. 

Another unusual name is Sabrina - which is of Welsh origin. In Celtic mythology, it is the name of the illicit daughter of  a King, Locrine who was drowned by order of the Kings wife.  Her name was given to the River Severn, - or the story may be a way of explaining the origin of the name Severn. 

Ianthe is the name of one of the poet Shelley's daughters, and is a Greek name, meaning Violet Flower. 

Dulcie is a rather old fashioned name that was used in Victorian times but was considered unusual. It was popular in medieval times.  It comes from the Latin for sweet.

Allegra is a rarely used name;  it means happy or lively.  It was probably invented by the poet Byron for his daughter, who died in childhood. 

Romayne and Romola both mean Roman woman and are occasionally used, one by the actress Romola Garai,

I hope to write a few more blogs on unusual names, for men as well as women


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