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 with odd names (such as David Bowies son) 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. It is now well used. Another unusual name is Sabrina - which is of Welsh origin. In Celtic mythology, it is the name of the illicit daughter of King Locrine who was drowned by order of the King's 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 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. Another odd name is Unity. It was the name of Nancy Mitford's younger sister, who became a Nazi and tried to kill herself when war broke out between England and Germany. It means unity, oneness. An unusual name that I like is Candia. It sounds like a version of Candida but in fact was first used by an Englishman who was on his way to Candia, the old name for Heraklion in Greece. He gave the name to his daughter.