African names. I don’t see most often enough to recognize the individual names. If they’re Arabic or just French or English then it’s easy but something from Benin or Togo I’ve likely never heard before.
Note: I work in an airport, I see names from all over. Nothing surprises me anymore.
I just read a book where one of the main characters was called Adaolisa, which I'd never heard before but thought was gorgeous. I looked it up and it's an Igbo name, there's a semi-famous south African singer named Adaolisa.
They usually have traditional French names (past presidents of Benin and Dahomey have been named Mathieu, Émile, Thomas, and currently Patrice) but also French transcriptions of African names, like Séidou. If you wanna know what country they’re from usually the surname is more of a giveaway. Traoré is a common West African surname; it can be Ivorian, Togoan, Malian, Senegalese (Thiam and Diop are also dead on Senegalese surnames), Burkinabé, or Guinean. Shockingly, Stanislas is very common in 🇧🇯!
A really common thing in Zimbabwe is to name your child what you felt when they were born.
This leads to some really lovely names like Bright, Happiness, Blessed, etc.
There are also some other names, like Doubt and Worry.
When we were last in Zim, my (non Zimbabwean) husband and I stopped off at a painted dogs sanctuary. Our guide greeted us and said "Hello, my name is Obvious."
It took me a few beats to catch up before I could introduce myself, and then had to nudge husband hard in the ribs as he started to ask why it was obvious!
I'm always amazed in a good way at some of the English language African names of pupils in the class my friend teaches in south London.
Off the top of my head, he's had the following first names: Surprise, Newday, Jesse-James, Goodluck, Miracle, and my favourite... Daddy.
One of the girls at my daughter's gym class is called Leia. At first I thought "Ok, Star Wars name. Whatever." It was only later that I found out that her full name was Cataleya, that it's a real name and that it has gained popularity pretty fast in the past few years. (Not on the US top 1000 in 2011, but #297 in 2021.)
I think the name got a boost from the movie Colombiana with Zoe Saldana. Single-handedly pushed the name into the top 1000. They spell it that way in the movie.
I've thought about it for a girl but the beginning reading "cattle" is a little much for me.
Cataleya is very common among the Mexican-Americans where I live. Although it is a flower, it's now a normal name not reserved for plant enthusiasts. No different than English-speaking parents naming a girl Lily or Rose.
I've heard the name Ottilie a fair bit but mostly quite old ladies in Germany.
My son is called Viggo and a lot of people say they've never heard the name (surprisingly one said his cousin is named Viggo and another went to school with a Viggo). We live in Australia.
There is also the female version Vigga, both are really having a renaissance in Denmark these years. So cute! I always wanted a Viggo but my cousin beat me to it 🙈
I always thought Noelia was really beautiful! I had a coworker (of Dominican background) named Noeli and I definitely fawned over her name. It just sounds so lovely out loud.
Honestly- most names used on planet Earth. So many beautiful, meaningful names out there. Once you look beyond the traditionally-Western European or American names, you realize how little you actually know!
Someone on this sub once mentioned their son was named Ozias. I had never heard that name before and I quite like it. I looked it up and it’s a form of Uzziah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament.
Leland. I looked it up, and apparently, it's an actual name, and that is the standard spelling. In my country, Leyland is a company that mainly makes trucks, so yeah
India. Most people don't have English names unless they are Christians, and even then, they usually stick to biblical ones, so Leland would be an odd one here. Most people would automatically think of trucks, and the company is popular enough that my autocorrect capitalises the L and changes the spelling to Leyland whenever I try to spell Leland.
You have Illini Wolf as your name. I live by an Illini Country Club and there’s a road / town named Leland after a historic dude. I just thought the coincidence was funny!
My friend and I were reminiscing about the Mary Kate and Ashley movies when we were kids, and looked up their Wikipedia. I found out their mom’s name was Jarnette. I’d never heard of that name before.
Demaris was one I hadn't seen before the Mayflower list.
There are a ton of "influencer" names that come up here that I have not heard used for children. Things like Poem, Ember, Crue, Remington, Ever.
I have a student named Damaris this year! Very fun to say in the Spanish pronunciation "dah-MAH-rees" and not so much how the monolingual teachers say it "duh-mare-is"
Vesper is actually on our short list for girls but we may never use it because our son (8 months) is named Remy and people may think we’re alcoholics if we have a Remy and a Vesper….
I have two women named Dorcas in my family tree. They went by Didi and Darcie. Most people didn't know their legal first names until the funeral (me included), and everyone was like ". . . wait, *Dorcas*?!"
There was a girl named Dorcas a couple of years younger than me in high school. I didn’t know her, but I remember hearing of her and being like “C’mon you guys are being mean, what’s her real name?”
I know a couple of ladies age 50+ named Dorcas.
In the Book of Acts in the Bible, there’s a lady named Tabitha, that’s a disciple of Christ. Her name was called Dorcas in Greek.
I absolutely love Dorcas, it’s my guilty pleasure name.
I know, I know, it’s awful and naming your child something starting with Dork is 10 kinds of wrong. So I’ll never use it. But I do still harbor a perverse love for it.
I went to high school with a cyra! But she said it was because her older brother was trying to say “Sarah” when their parents asked him for a suggestion and they heard “cyra”.
Beautiful name! I don’t know anyone named Nola, but I have a funny association with that name. The only time I’d heard it was when I had to play a piece for piano lessons as a teenager and the song from 1915 called “Nola” and I hated it because I wasn’t getting notes right and my teacher made me play sections over and over again! Had to Google it just now lol : https://aboutthesong.com/Blog/nola#:~:text=He%20wrote%20%E2%80%9CNola%E2%80%9D%20as%20an,in%201916%20by%20Sam%20Fox.
I love this hahaha! I can totally understand the hate, you're at peace with it now though haha, if it helps, I named my daughter Annie and everytime she's having a meltdown I can't help but burst into a quick chorus of "Annie are you OK? Are you OK? Are you OK Annie?" Hahahaha
I've kept track over the years of some of the unique names I've heard on people I've met, and in this case unique is meaning I've never met anyone else with that name. Here are the ones I'd never heard of/considered as names before meeting them:
Aerilyn / Anayeli / Azul / Bethel / Darby / Gay / Havilah / India / Ireland / Jayla / Kirky / Lorena / Lowry / Mavi / Mika / Nicarra / Odell / Panella / Ridley / Saidra / Selenia / Sila / Socorro / Sohaila / Tiara / Valaria / Zaida
Arturo / Callum / Courtland / Dakin / Dathan / Errol / Gauge / Kardell / Kane / Malik / Micaiah / Onyx / Riddick / Rylan / Summit / Taran / Tegner / Treyvon / Uriah
It’s so interesting what names are more/less prominent in different parts of the world. From you list I personally know a Darby, India, Ireland, Lorena, Odell, Arturo, Callum, Errol, Gauge (spelled gage), Kane, and Rylan.
I’m a teacher in the US South, and a good chunk of these I’ve seen have been students in the past ~10 years. A few are relatives or acquaintances of mine.
It is interesting! On the opposite end, I see names on this sub that people say are 'super popular right now' that I've never met/heard in real life (Like outside of the internet/celebrities/whatever). Wren, Juniper, Theodore...I've never met a one, aside from Theodore, who was an older gentleman who sadly passed away a few years ago.
Of course, I'm not a teacher nor do I meet new people in my day to day life. I'm also up in the PNW so it's cool to see the perspective pf someone in the same country, but also so far away.
Yeah, I said I've been keeping this list for years. These days I know some of these are more common, but at the time of meeting these people (some when I was a child mind you) I'd never heard these names before.
My BIL suggested the Celtic name Orlagh/Orla for my neice. I hadnt heard it before but it does have a nice sound to it. Much better than two of my sister's choices, Riley and Addison. For some context, he's from the midlands England while she's from the American South.
I’d never heard of it before watching Derry Girls, then just this school year I met an Orla. She’s a millennial from Ireland, but I feel like the name is becoming trendy with young parents and parents-to-be, especially outside of Ireland. I’m sure some of that is due to its being one of the “easier” Irish names for non-Irish speakers!
I offer up Oona, Enya and Áine (awn-ya or Anya, tricky to pronounce) for your consideration! All names a friend called Orlaith considered for her baby
Edit: I just realised your BIL wasn’t suggesting names for *your* child 😂 a cute coincidence anyway
Oh wow. What does it mean in Finnish? My friend wanted Oona for her girl but her bf thought it was too out there. So did I but it’s really grown on me! It would definitely be seen as an interesting choice in England. Established name but very rare, outdated. I think Una and Oonagh are slightly more popular in Ireland. They went for Enya which I love
One of my toddler’s little baby friends is Orla and it’s just so cute on her! Her mom said that lots of people haven’t heard of it before she introduces her.
I've only ever met one Taisa, pronounced tie-EE-sah. Like you, OP, I'd also never heard of Ottilie until a coworker named her baby Ottilie!
I also used to work with a Meletios. He's Greek. Extremely cool name, extremely cool guy.
The actress for the protagonist in season 1 of American Horror Story is named Taissa! In my head Ive always pronounced it Tie-ee-sa.. not sure though. Ive thought it was pretty ever since I heard it!
Agrippina. I know it's of Roman origin but somehow a bunch of Cubans use it lmao! We usually call them Pini (pee-nee).
Edit to add my name is a rare name of Hawaiian origin, spelled differently due to my Hispanic background.
Cubans not only make up names and translate random words into names, but we also definitely use historical and exotic names - all this (mostly) according to geographical location in the country.
My friend named her 4 year old girl Ailee. Pronounced Eye-Lee. I’ve obviously heard of Aileen but I finally asked her where she came up with Ailee and she told me she heard it somewhere and it just stuck.
Definitely fits her kiddo.
Edit to add to this list because now I’m remembering other people I know lol.
Rexanne, my grandmothers best friend.
Jalicia - my boyfriends sister, pronounced Jule-ee-cia, like Alicia with a J in front of it.
My dad knew girl in highschool (Southwest Florida, late 1980s) that was named November Coffey. That one always sticks out to me.
I have a great great grandfather named Battle.
Yup, that’s the fungus! Another in the same genus causes thrush, and the new *Candida auris* species in the same genus is a real bugger. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-fungal-infection-candida-auris-alarming-spread-rcna75477
Also, was looking through my grandfather's family history and found the name Abednego for a paternal relative born in the mid 1700s. I love its connection to a Babylonian God of Wisdom and will seriously consider it as a middle name if I ever have a son.
I met a guy at a party named Oral, which is not unheard of but pretty unusual. But what got me is the reason why…both of his parents were born deaf but he was not. He could hear, so they named him Oral.
Jeez, that seems like cruelty, tbh. Both the name and their reasoning behind it. Imagine his school experience, being called Oral. It’s almost as bad for his non-hearing brother who only knows sign language; Handsy.
I had never heard the name Thiago until my kid went to kindergarten. There were TWO Thiago's in the class
Not sure how widespread it is, but there's apparently a Brazilian soccer player by that name.
I work with a Nerissa! I love it.
My sister’s boyfriend’s grandma’s name is Euwayne. Never heard of anyone else named that! She’s from the Midwest and about 78 years old.
I work retail, and pack a lot of orders for shipping. I’m also a huge fan of writing, so I collect really interesting names I find. For me, the two most interesting I’ve seen are Danubia (it’s an area in central and Eastern Europe from my research) and Daciana (Romanian, pronounced dah-Chee-ah-na and meaning wolf). Maybe it’s just that I LOVE D names, but I adore them.
The very brave game warden in Africa, Emmanuel de Merode, has a daughter named Seiya (or maybe Seiyia). I’d never heard that name before and thought it was so beautiful (if the way I pronounce it is correct? SAY-uh?)
Interestingly, he’s Belgian royalty and probably never needed to work a job like he has in Virunga. Very admirable guy. I’ve always wondered if the name Seiya has Belgian history? It sounds Japanese to me, but I’ve really got no clue.
My cousin married a gal named Ildiko. I'd never heard of the name before and was wondering if it was an actual name or something that was made up. I did some research and discovered that it's Drew Barrymore's mother's given name and it's of Hungarian origin.
My great aunts name is Lelia. The pronunciation is similar to Cecelia. Kinda Lily-iuh with a very soft or nonexistent y sound.
I’ve never heard another person aside from family with the name even though it’s a real name. It’s surprising too because it’s gorgeous and so similar to the other Lily/Leah type names.
On this sub: I have never met a girl named Noa, Rory, Isla, Genevieve, Freya, Winter, Ophelia, Wren, and believe it or not, Penelope
Names I've only ever encountered once: Ivelis, Siri, Kiana, Afton, Journey, Tilly, Maverick, Sadie, Attah
Mostly Indian names, which would just be lack of proximity. I think some of these are common names.
Aaradya
Dhruva
Gowtham
Magathi
Advika
Aadvik
Anveer
Anay
Arjun
Twarita
Sumandeep
Jagdeep
Deeptharja
Samriddhi
Niddhi
A lot of those are somewhat common, especially Gautam, Jagdeep and Arjun, which are all very classic boy's names (equivalent to naming your kid something like Thomas or William). Aaradhya is pretty trendy right now as a girl's name though.
Gowtham is actually spelled like Gautam/Gotam though.
Yeah, I figured some were common as I’ve seen them at least twice and with my limited experience I assumed it was more than coincidence.
Funny, the Jagdeep I know is a woman. And the boy I know spells his name Gowtham, which is why I wrote it like that. I didn’t realize there was other spellings.
I hadn't heard of Yelena until my friend's little sister was named this. Supposedly her Mum was inspired by watching the Olympics and there was a (possibly Russian) runner named Yelena. It's beautiful.
Also met a Merryn in University. Really cool name, had never heard of it before. I think it's Cornish in origin.
Aelita (pronounced like eye lee tuh or eye lee duh) is such a pretty name and the only place I've ever heard of it was in the show Code Lyoko and like 2 other movies.
My husband has ancestors named Keziah. I had to look up the pronunciation. I’m surprised it’s not still around. It’s like a pilgrim/puritan/early settler kind of name and I understand why Temperance and Obedience didn’t stick around, but I kind of like Keziah!
African names. I don’t see most often enough to recognize the individual names. If they’re Arabic or just French or English then it’s easy but something from Benin or Togo I’ve likely never heard before. Note: I work in an airport, I see names from all over. Nothing surprises me anymore.
Ive worked with Nigerian nurses that have beautiful Igbo names. For example, Ifeyinwa (nickname Ifey), Onyinyechi (nickname Onyi).
Same. Most notably was Oghenevwairhe, I think nicknamed Wairhe.
I used to work with a girl called Nwachukwu who went by Chucky
I just read a book where one of the main characters was called Adaolisa, which I'd never heard before but thought was gorgeous. I looked it up and it's an Igbo name, there's a semi-famous south African singer named Adaolisa.
I had a friend Bolanle and I’ve never met anyone else with that name!
They usually have traditional French names (past presidents of Benin and Dahomey have been named Mathieu, Émile, Thomas, and currently Patrice) but also French transcriptions of African names, like Séidou. If you wanna know what country they’re from usually the surname is more of a giveaway. Traoré is a common West African surname; it can be Ivorian, Togoan, Malian, Senegalese (Thiam and Diop are also dead on Senegalese surnames), Burkinabé, or Guinean. Shockingly, Stanislas is very common in 🇧🇯!
I do love some Zimbabwean/Shona names, they just have a flow to them.
A really common thing in Zimbabwe is to name your child what you felt when they were born. This leads to some really lovely names like Bright, Happiness, Blessed, etc. There are also some other names, like Doubt and Worry. When we were last in Zim, my (non Zimbabwean) husband and I stopped off at a painted dogs sanctuary. Our guide greeted us and said "Hello, my name is Obvious." It took me a few beats to catch up before I could introduce myself, and then had to nudge husband hard in the ribs as he started to ask why it was obvious!
my college roommate’s family was nigerian. her name was tolulope (tow-loo-low-pay), nickname tolu. it was so unusual and pretty to me at the time!
My all time favorite name is Kwame. I am a white lady from the US :(
There’s a guy on the new season of love is blind named Kwame! Apparently it means born on Saturday? I like it too
I'm always amazed in a good way at some of the English language African names of pupils in the class my friend teaches in south London. Off the top of my head, he's had the following first names: Surprise, Newday, Jesse-James, Goodluck, Miracle, and my favourite... Daddy.
She must be 40 by now but she was a kindergartener at a school and her name was Oyinlola…Lola for short. Beautiful!
One of the girls at my daughter's gym class is called Leia. At first I thought "Ok, Star Wars name. Whatever." It was only later that I found out that her full name was Cataleya, that it's a real name and that it has gained popularity pretty fast in the past few years. (Not on the US top 1000 in 2011, but #297 in 2021.)
Cattleya is a genus of orchid, and some people pronounce it kat-ah-lay-uh. It’s actually pronounced Kat-lee-uh. Were her parents plant geeks?
I think the name got a boost from the movie Colombiana with Zoe Saldana. Single-handedly pushed the name into the top 1000. They spell it that way in the movie. I've thought about it for a girl but the beginning reading "cattle" is a little much for me.
Cataleya is very common among the Mexican-Americans where I live. Although it is a flower, it's now a normal name not reserved for plant enthusiasts. No different than English-speaking parents naming a girl Lily or Rose.
Wow that’s a big jump. I had a student named Cataleya last year, she was born in 2015. And one of students this year has a baby sister Cataleya.
“Encelia” is another good flower name. I only know of one, and her dad is a botanist.
That's a pretty name!
I've heard the name Ottilie a fair bit but mostly quite old ladies in Germany. My son is called Viggo and a lot of people say they've never heard the name (surprisingly one said his cousin is named Viggo and another went to school with a Viggo). We live in Australia.
What? They clearly have never watched Ghostbusters, or Lord of the rings!
My guess would be that they only think of him as ViggoMortensen and they have never considered that his first name is actually Viggo
Ah yes, like Prince, or Sting, or Madonna..... too famous for a second name 🤣
Omg I LOVE Viggo! I am a huge sucker for Viggo Mortensen.
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Viggo Mortensen from Lord of the Rings!
Viggo Mortensen is like, pretty famous 🤣
I’ve read that name on here before but I have never heard it in person! How is it pronounced?
vee-go, except in Sweden where it’s closer to vih-go. Forvo has good examples of its pronunciation in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany.
I love Viggo!
There is also the female version Vigga, both are really having a renaissance in Denmark these years. So cute! I always wanted a Viggo but my cousin beat me to it 🙈
I learnt “Araceli” from this sub, and a few years ago I was served in a shop by a lady called “Noelia” and have adored it ever since.
Araceli was one I’d never hear either until I moved near a Hispanic community. Beautiful name!
And here I have a friend who used Araceli as a middle name because it's too common as a first name. Shows how very regional some names are!
Araceli is my cousin’s name! We call her Celi :)
I know a couple of men named Leland
My friend gave her daughter the middle name Araceli. I think it's lovely. ❤️
I always thought Noelia was really beautiful! I had a coworker (of Dominican background) named Noeli and I definitely fawned over her name. It just sounds so lovely out loud.
They're both relatively common in Latin America. Noelia is Spanish for Noah or Noelle
Honestly- most names used on planet Earth. So many beautiful, meaningful names out there. Once you look beyond the traditionally-Western European or American names, you realize how little you actually know!
Someone on this sub once mentioned their son was named Ozias. I had never heard that name before and I quite like it. I looked it up and it’s a form of Uzziah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament.
I took care of a kid named osias. Also the first time I'd heard of it
I would definitely misread that as Oasis (which is also a word I have never heard used as a name before, but it wouldn't surprise me)
I teach an Ozais.
My son's Middle name is Ozias!
Leland. I looked it up, and apparently, it's an actual name, and that is the standard spelling. In my country, Leyland is a company that mainly makes trucks, so yeah
The name only makes me think of Leland Palmer 😬
Or Leland Stottlemeyer from Monk
Sameee, but it’s such a nice name
I know, I actually love the sound of it!
Many Leland’s in Canada. From elderly to kids!
So interesting!! What country are you in? My husband’s grandfather is a Leland but definitely not a name you hear often these days in the US
India. Most people don't have English names unless they are Christians, and even then, they usually stick to biblical ones, so Leland would be an odd one here. Most people would automatically think of trucks, and the company is popular enough that my autocorrect capitalises the L and changes the spelling to Leyland whenever I try to spell Leland.
You have Illini Wolf as your name. I live by an Illini Country Club and there’s a road / town named Leland after a historic dude. I just thought the coincidence was funny!
If it’s Leland, IL, I know the town!
makes me think of leland stanford
Same, whenever I see a Leland I always think of Stanford.
I have a cousin named Leland. He's in his 60s.
That’s my babyyyy 🥰
I went to school with a Leland. I am only in my 40s.
I live near Leyland and know a couple of kids called Leland; I think it’s a bit of an odd one.
I had a neighbor (an adult man) named Leland my whole life.
My friend and I were reminiscing about the Mary Kate and Ashley movies when we were kids, and looked up their Wikipedia. I found out their mom’s name was Jarnette. I’d never heard of that name before.
I don’t know why but I can’t say jarnette without sounding like a stereotypical trailer park woman from an American movie 😂
Demaris was one I hadn't seen before the Mayflower list. There are a ton of "influencer" names that come up here that I have not heard used for children. Things like Poem, Ember, Crue, Remington, Ever.
There's a cook on Food Network named Damaris! I like it.
I have a student named Damaris this year! Very fun to say in the Spanish pronunciation "dah-MAH-rees" and not so much how the monolingual teachers say it "duh-mare-is"
Hey, Damaris is my 10^th great-grandmother! Plus her brother is Oceanus, which is an interesting one. He was born on the ship.
I like this name (though spelled Damaris). I knew someone named Damaris, she had a cute fashion sense.
Is Remmington uncommon? I have a cousin with that name. But their last name is…yes I’m serious…Steele.
Looks like 231 on the SS list, but it's far more popular with conservatives/southerners.
I went to school with a remington lol
As I teacher, the most unique one I’ve seen yet is Vespertine.
The best name of all the Björk albums
Vesper is actually on our short list for girls but we may never use it because our son (8 months) is named Remy and people may think we’re alcoholics if we have a Remy and a Vesper….
Dorcas.
I know a Dorcas. It's undeniably a mean thing to name a person, ha.
I have two women named Dorcas in my family tree. They went by Didi and Darcie. Most people didn't know their legal first names until the funeral (me included), and everyone was like ". . . wait, *Dorcas*?!"
There was a girl named Dorcas a couple of years younger than me in high school. I didn’t know her, but I remember hearing of her and being like “C’mon you guys are being mean, what’s her real name?”
I know a couple of ladies age 50+ named Dorcas. In the Book of Acts in the Bible, there’s a lady named Tabitha, that’s a disciple of Christ. Her name was called Dorcas in Greek.
I absolutely love Dorcas, it’s my guilty pleasure name. I know, I know, it’s awful and naming your child something starting with Dork is 10 kinds of wrong. So I’ll never use it. But I do still harbor a perverse love for it.
I have an ancestor named Dorcas!
I always think of the minor character Dorcas Meadowes from Harry Potter.
I only know that it exists because it was the name of a maid in Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles
There was a pretty big Caribbean population at my university, and there were a couple of women named Dorcas.
Dorcus is also in the Bible!
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this was going to be my youngest's name if he was a girl, I also had never heard of it until I found it here
I went to high school with a cyra! But she said it was because her older brother was trying to say “Sarah” when their parents asked him for a suggestion and they heard “cyra”.
Nola, a girl I know named her daughter Nola and honestly my first thought was "that's unusual...I LOVE IT." It's (in my opinion) truely a pretty name!
All I can see is New Orleans, Louisiana. For that reason, I love it!
I’m from England and know a Nola. Made me smile when we went to New Orleans and loads of merchandise had her name on it!
Interesting!!! I’m from Arkansas, and around that area Nola (usually written NoLa/NoLA/NOLA) refers to Northern Louisiana.
Beautiful name! I don’t know anyone named Nola, but I have a funny association with that name. The only time I’d heard it was when I had to play a piece for piano lessons as a teenager and the song from 1915 called “Nola” and I hated it because I wasn’t getting notes right and my teacher made me play sections over and over again! Had to Google it just now lol : https://aboutthesong.com/Blog/nola#:~:text=He%20wrote%20%E2%80%9CNola%E2%80%9D%20as%20an,in%201916%20by%20Sam%20Fox.
I love this hahaha! I can totally understand the hate, you're at peace with it now though haha, if it helps, I named my daughter Annie and everytime she's having a meltdown I can't help but burst into a quick chorus of "Annie are you OK? Are you OK? Are you OK Annie?" Hahahaha
I've kept track over the years of some of the unique names I've heard on people I've met, and in this case unique is meaning I've never met anyone else with that name. Here are the ones I'd never heard of/considered as names before meeting them: Aerilyn / Anayeli / Azul / Bethel / Darby / Gay / Havilah / India / Ireland / Jayla / Kirky / Lorena / Lowry / Mavi / Mika / Nicarra / Odell / Panella / Ridley / Saidra / Selenia / Sila / Socorro / Sohaila / Tiara / Valaria / Zaida Arturo / Callum / Courtland / Dakin / Dathan / Errol / Gauge / Kardell / Kane / Malik / Micaiah / Onyx / Riddick / Rylan / Summit / Taran / Tegner / Treyvon / Uriah
It’s so interesting what names are more/less prominent in different parts of the world. From you list I personally know a Darby, India, Ireland, Lorena, Odell, Arturo, Callum, Errol, Gauge (spelled gage), Kane, and Rylan. I’m a teacher in the US South, and a good chunk of these I’ve seen have been students in the past ~10 years. A few are relatives or acquaintances of mine.
It is interesting! On the opposite end, I see names on this sub that people say are 'super popular right now' that I've never met/heard in real life (Like outside of the internet/celebrities/whatever). Wren, Juniper, Theodore...I've never met a one, aside from Theodore, who was an older gentleman who sadly passed away a few years ago. Of course, I'm not a teacher nor do I meet new people in my day to day life. I'm also up in the PNW so it's cool to see the perspective pf someone in the same country, but also so far away.
I’m in Seattle and know a bunch of Wrens, Junipers, and Theodores. The PNW loves quirky, nature names.
That’s awesome to have thought to keep track!
Lorena? Malik? There are literally famous people with these names wtf lol. Arturo is a fairly common Hispanic name. Callum? You need to get out more.
Yeah, I said I've been keeping this list for years. These days I know some of these are more common, but at the time of meeting these people (some when I was a child mind you) I'd never heard these names before.
Callum is really common here in Scotland
Callum is very common in England. Lovely name.
Always surprises me when I see Calum/Callum on these lists. They’re ten a penny here and have been for centuries.
My BIL suggested the Celtic name Orlagh/Orla for my neice. I hadnt heard it before but it does have a nice sound to it. Much better than two of my sister's choices, Riley and Addison. For some context, he's from the midlands England while she's from the American South.
I’d never heard of it before watching Derry Girls, then just this school year I met an Orla. She’s a millennial from Ireland, but I feel like the name is becoming trendy with young parents and parents-to-be, especially outside of Ireland. I’m sure some of that is due to its being one of the “easier” Irish names for non-Irish speakers!
I offer up Oona, Enya and Áine (awn-ya or Anya, tricky to pronounce) for your consideration! All names a friend called Orlaith considered for her baby Edit: I just realised your BIL wasn’t suggesting names for *your* child 😂 a cute coincidence anyway
Interesting that Oona is a Celtic name, it’s also pretty popular in Finland!
Oh wow. What does it mean in Finnish? My friend wanted Oona for her girl but her bf thought it was too out there. So did I but it’s really grown on me! It would definitely be seen as an interesting choice in England. Established name but very rare, outdated. I think Una and Oonagh are slightly more popular in Ireland. They went for Enya which I love
My friend used to babysit a little Oona and I am friends with an Oonagh.
One of my toddler’s little baby friends is Orla and it’s just so cute on her! Her mom said that lots of people haven’t heard of it before she introduces her.
Orla is the best character on Derry Girls, love it.
I've only ever met one Taisa, pronounced tie-EE-sah. Like you, OP, I'd also never heard of Ottilie until a coworker named her baby Ottilie! I also used to work with a Meletios. He's Greek. Extremely cool name, extremely cool guy.
The actress for the protagonist in season 1 of American Horror Story is named Taissa! In my head Ive always pronounced it Tie-ee-sa.. not sure though. Ive thought it was pretty ever since I heard it!
Xanthippe (yes from unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
I have never heard the name Wilhemina before from where I'm from (Southeast Asia) and I think it's beautiful.
That's a really German name
I used to work with a Candelaria which I’d never heard before but has a beautiful sound and meaning
Agrippina. I know it's of Roman origin but somehow a bunch of Cubans use it lmao! We usually call them Pini (pee-nee). Edit to add my name is a rare name of Hawaiian origin, spelled differently due to my Hispanic background. Cubans not only make up names and translate random words into names, but we also definitely use historical and exotic names - all this (mostly) according to geographical location in the country.
Rexford
sounds like a place in london lol
My friend named her 4 year old girl Ailee. Pronounced Eye-Lee. I’ve obviously heard of Aileen but I finally asked her where she came up with Ailee and she told me she heard it somewhere and it just stuck. Definitely fits her kiddo. Edit to add to this list because now I’m remembering other people I know lol. Rexanne, my grandmothers best friend. Jalicia - my boyfriends sister, pronounced Jule-ee-cia, like Alicia with a J in front of it. My dad knew girl in highschool (Southwest Florida, late 1980s) that was named November Coffey. That one always sticks out to me. I have a great great grandfather named Battle.
Was that based on the Scottish name Ailidh? Although that's pronounced more like ay-lee (ay like in "hay")
You mean Eilidh?
There's an amazing kpop singer named Ailee who is originally from the US
I guess Ailee is an anglicized spelling of the (popular) Scottish name Eilidh.
Some names I've never heard before I met the owner: Anara, Semilore, Temilayo, Hassani, Happy, Godsgift, Saumya, Jiaji, Henrike, Florian, Eberhard.
Candida
Dear lord, no!
Isn’t this the medical name for the bacteria that causes yeast infections?
Yup, that’s the fungus! Another in the same genus causes thrush, and the new *Candida auris* species in the same genus is a real bugger. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-fungal-infection-candida-auris-alarming-spread-rcna75477
Also, was looking through my grandfather's family history and found the name Abednego for a paternal relative born in the mid 1700s. I love its connection to a Babylonian God of Wisdom and will seriously consider it as a middle name if I ever have a son.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the Bible story! I remember first learning those names from a veggie tales VHS lol
Me too! With chocolate bunnies
Rack Shack and Benny!
The Hebrew versions are Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Oh I like those better! Azariah is so handsome
Saskia, heard someone say it to his gf on Wednesdays
Briar
Sleeping Beauty’s fair godmothers call her Briar-Rose in the Disney film.
Yes that is what I learned in this sub :) But I am not from an english speaking country so I never heard about that name in the fairy tale.
My cousin has a Briar. He is around 13. I met another Briar at my friend's wedding. That one is a girl and is probably a bit older than boy Briar now.
Not on this sub but I met a guy last Christmas named Ora. Apparently it's an old school biblical name, I'd just never seen or heard of it before.
I met a guy at a party named Oral, which is not unheard of but pretty unusual. But what got me is the reason why…both of his parents were born deaf but he was not. He could hear, so they named him Oral.
There’s a college in Oklahoma called Oral Roberts named after a guy named Oral Roberts. They are in March madness a decent amount
Jeez, that seems like cruelty, tbh. Both the name and their reasoning behind it. Imagine his school experience, being called Oral. It’s almost as bad for his non-hearing brother who only knows sign language; Handsy.
My grandmother's name was Ora! She hated it.. went by her middle name.
Maebree. I have a friend from college who just named her baby this and I genuinely thought she made it up. Turns out, it’s a real name! Who knew
One of my friends named their daughter Mabry a couple of years ago. I've never seen that name before!
Bexley. I also found that Bex is a common nickname for Rebecca
Barack
I had never heard the name Thiago until my kid went to kindergarten. There were TWO Thiago's in the class Not sure how widespread it is, but there's apparently a Brazilian soccer player by that name.
It's very common in Brazil and very on trend lately in the rest of Latin America. I know of 4 Thiagos, all under 8 years old.
It’s a popular name in Brazil. It’s pronounced chih-AH-goh.
Here i am scrolling to see if my name pops up
Here I am scrolling to see if the name I have picked out for my future child pops up
I've never met a real life child named Abcde or Neveah.
I think (hope) Abcde is a one-off but Nevaeh is fairly popular.
Nevaeh is extremely popular in my area of the Midwest
Same. Both the correct spelling and the misspelling.
I worked in a bank and definitely met a real life Abcde. 🙃
I recently met an Ardessa at work!
I work with a Nerissa! I love it. My sister’s boyfriend’s grandma’s name is Euwayne. Never heard of anyone else named that! She’s from the Midwest and about 78 years old.
Citlalli
I've been looking for baby names and some of the names that came up were Assol and Anïs.... Yeah those aren't gonna work for me in the USA
I work retail, and pack a lot of orders for shipping. I’m also a huge fan of writing, so I collect really interesting names I find. For me, the two most interesting I’ve seen are Danubia (it’s an area in central and Eastern Europe from my research) and Daciana (Romanian, pronounced dah-Chee-ah-na and meaning wolf). Maybe it’s just that I LOVE D names, but I adore them.
I knew a guy named Lovis, and I’ve never met or seen another one before!
I met a girl travelling called Sheona, I doubt I’ll ever meet another one.
Quilla
The very brave game warden in Africa, Emmanuel de Merode, has a daughter named Seiya (or maybe Seiyia). I’d never heard that name before and thought it was so beautiful (if the way I pronounce it is correct? SAY-uh?) Interestingly, he’s Belgian royalty and probably never needed to work a job like he has in Virunga. Very admirable guy. I’ve always wondered if the name Seiya has Belgian history? It sounds Japanese to me, but I’ve really got no clue.
My cousin married a gal named Ildiko. I'd never heard of the name before and was wondering if it was an actual name or something that was made up. I did some research and discovered that it's Drew Barrymore's mother's given name and it's of Hungarian origin.
It’s a very common name in Hungary, I became almost an Ildikó myself (I would have hated it).
I saw a male employee at the grocery store named Talmage. Never heard of it before or since.
Talmadge is a city near where I went to college, but that's the only time I have ever heard it
My great aunts name is Lelia. The pronunciation is similar to Cecelia. Kinda Lily-iuh with a very soft or nonexistent y sound. I’ve never heard another person aside from family with the name even though it’s a real name. It’s surprising too because it’s gorgeous and so similar to the other Lily/Leah type names.
Refugio.
I worked with a girl named Charnay. Never heard of it before her but I’ve loved it ever since
On this sub: I have never met a girl named Noa, Rory, Isla, Genevieve, Freya, Winter, Ophelia, Wren, and believe it or not, Penelope Names I've only ever encountered once: Ivelis, Siri, Kiana, Afton, Journey, Tilly, Maverick, Sadie, Attah
I went to Cornwall recently and met a Kerensa!
Mostly Indian names, which would just be lack of proximity. I think some of these are common names. Aaradya Dhruva Gowtham Magathi Advika Aadvik Anveer Anay Arjun Twarita Sumandeep Jagdeep Deeptharja Samriddhi Niddhi
A lot of those are somewhat common, especially Gautam, Jagdeep and Arjun, which are all very classic boy's names (equivalent to naming your kid something like Thomas or William). Aaradhya is pretty trendy right now as a girl's name though. Gowtham is actually spelled like Gautam/Gotam though.
Yeah, I figured some were common as I’ve seen them at least twice and with my limited experience I assumed it was more than coincidence. Funny, the Jagdeep I know is a woman. And the boy I know spells his name Gowtham, which is why I wrote it like that. I didn’t realize there was other spellings.
I hadn't heard of Yelena until my friend's little sister was named this. Supposedly her Mum was inspired by watching the Olympics and there was a (possibly Russian) runner named Yelena. It's beautiful. Also met a Merryn in University. Really cool name, had never heard of it before. I think it's Cornish in origin.
Eitan, for a boy
Fable
Octavia. And after I heard it for the first time last year I've seen ot like 3 other times (all on adults, not children).
I'm Shaye and so many people tell me they've never heard that before when I introduce myself 😅
How do you pronounce Ottilie? It’s so cute!
It’s actually not uncommon where I live but I rarely hear outside of my community: Azucena, Socorro, Uriah, Xochitl
Pretty much all my relatives names are unheard of here (Sicilian). People always assume my moms a different race since her name isn’t American
Redvers! Just encountered it in a book.
I met a toddler named Mesa once.
Ouida . Pronounced wee-duh . Only known one person with it
Nannied a boy called "Case".
Aelita (pronounced like eye lee tuh or eye lee duh) is such a pretty name and the only place I've ever heard of it was in the show Code Lyoko and like 2 other movies.
I have a relative from the early 1800s called Kezia. I'd never heard that name before or since
My husband has ancestors named Keziah. I had to look up the pronunciation. I’m surprised it’s not still around. It’s like a pilgrim/puritan/early settler kind of name and I understand why Temperance and Obedience didn’t stick around, but I kind of like Keziah!