Naamah

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Gender: Feminine

Origin: Biblical / Hebrew

Meaning: “pleasant, sweet, delightful, beautiful.”

Pronunciation: (NAY-ah-mah)

Nicknames: Nay, Naa, Nomi, Gnomes

Detail: The name Naamah comes from naem (naem) meaning be pleasant, sweet, delightful, beautiful. Derivatives are naem (noam), pleasantness, beauty; naim (naim), pleasant, sweet; naaman (naaman), pleasantness; and manammim (manammim), delicacies.

Could make a good alternative to the increasing in popularity Naomi, and with Noah also high in the charts, this name is on the good side of unusual.

Safiyya

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Gender: Feminine

Origin: Arabic

Meaning: “Pure.”

Pronunciation: (sah-FEE-yah); (SAH-fee-yah)

Nicknames: Safa, Safi, Fi

Detail: This was the name of one of the wives of Muhammad.

Variations:

  • Safiya
  • Safiye (Turkish)
  • Safiyya
  • Safiyyah

Ostara

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Gender: Feminine

Origin: Germanic

Meaning: “Eastern; where sun rises; Dawn.”

Pronunciation: (0h-STAHR-uh)

Nicknames: Ossie, Ozzie, Star

Detail: Ostara, may come from the word “east”, meaning dawn.

Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility. Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: “eastre.”

Variations:

  • Ausos
  • Austron
  • Easter (English)
  • Eastra
  • Eastur
  • Eostra
  • Eostre (Germanic)
  • Eostur
  • Ostara (Germanic)
  • Ostare
  • Ostern

Vijona

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Gender: Feminine

Origin: Germanic

Meaning: “Fighter/soldier for God.”

Pronunciation: (vee-YOH-nah)

Nicknames: Vi, Vija, Jona

Details: Formed from the combination of the Germanic/Norse vi meaning “holy, fighter” and from the Germanic jona, feminine form of John, derived from the Hebrew Yochanan meaning “god is gracious”.

For those of us who like Fiona, this could make a very unusual, alternative choice.

Squidward

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Squidward Tentacles

Gender: Masculine

Origin: English

Meaning: “Guardian of the squids.”

Pronunciation: (SKWID-wawrd)

Nicknames: Squid, Squido

Detail: Formed from the combination of the English squid and from Old English weard meaning “guard”.

This name is now associated with Squidward Tentacles, one of the sea creatures from Spongebob Squarepants.

… April Fools 😉

Alf

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Gender: Masculine

Origin: Norse

Meaning: “Elf.”

Pronunciation: (ALF)

Nicknames: Alfie

Detail: Derived from Old Norse alfr “elf”.

In Norse mythology, King Alf was the suitor of Alfhild. She dressed as a man to avoid marrying him. Then, he thinking she was a warrior, they battled almost to the death. Realizing he was as strong as she was, Alfhild married him.

Male Variations:

  • Alf (Scandinavian, Norse Mythology)
  • Alfr (Old Norse)
  • Alv (Norwegian)

Female Variations:

  • Alfhild
  • Alva (Norwegian, Swedish)
  • Elfa (Norse, Icelandic)
  • Elva (Danish, Swedish)

Pasiphae

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Gender: Feminine

Origin: Greek

Meaning: “Wide shining.”

Pronunciation: (pah-SIH-fah-ee)

Nicknames: Pasi, Posy, Phae, Fae

Detail: In Greek myth, Pasiphae is the daughter of Helios and Perse, and wife of King Minos. When Minos had the misfortune of insulting Poseidon, the god kindled a passionate love in Pasiphae for a bull. She had Daedalus design a construction so that she could mate with the bull, and thus she became the mother of the Minotaur.