2011 Rarities: Part Three

photo by TURKAIRO, via Flickr

Here are some of the stand-out names used on only 8 children born in the US in 2011 —  

Male

Artist — future accountants?

Bridges — generally found as a surname. There's Bridger and Bridget, why not Bridges? It has that sort of rugged sound that a lot of parents go for when naming their sons

Crockett — another one usually found as a last name. I can see this working as a first name — I first thought of one of my daughter's favorite books, Harold and the Purple Crayon, written by a man named Crockett Johnson. The Davy connection will appeal to some 

Devery — related to the French name Devereux. The 8 parents who used it for their babies may have been inspired by football player Devery Henderson of the New Orleans Saints

Ferney — an ancient Scottish surname. I like the sweet and innocent vibe

Hamsa — from the Arabic word for "five," this name refers to a hand-shaped amulet said to protect against the evil eye

Hermes — from the name of the Greek messenger god, may come from herma, meaning "stone," or eirein, referring to the power of speech 

Jabe — all I can think of for this one is that it's some form of Joab or Japheth

Laker — refers to someone, something or some-fish associated with a lake, though I'm sure most parents are thinking of the basketball team, here 

Neville — wow, an actual non-made up, usable name this low on the list? Means "new town"

Osmany — from the Turkish name Osman, which derives from Uthman, the name of the founder of the Ottoman empire. Uthman means "baby bustard" (a bustard is a type of bird)

Rafa — I've always been partial to this nickname for Rafael

Rondo — a musical name, a rondo is a musical refrain form and a rondò is a type of operatic vocal solo

Seton — another Scottish surname, belonging most notably to the first native-born American saint, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Sora — a Japanese unisex name meaning "sky"

Surafel — a place name and personal name from Ethiopia, it's from seraph, meaning "burning one," and referring to a type of angel

Taio — a place name in northern Italy and Brazil, English rapper Taio Cruz brings it into pop culture

Tialoc — the Aztec god of rain, fertility and water, controller of thunder and lightning. His name derives from the Nahuatl word for "earth," and its meaning has been interpreted as "path beneath the earth," "he who is made of earth," or "one that lies on the land," referring to a type of cloud. Wicked

Valiant — a virtue name, I suppose. Something appealing about it

Female

Amorina — the name of a 1961 Argentine tango-dancing musical based on a play by Eduardo Borrás. Also the name of an Elton John song (spelled Amoreena) 

Damilola — a unisex Yoruba name used mostly in Nigeria, which means "prosper me" 

Domino — from the Latin dominus, meaning "lord" or "master." Sometimes found as a nickname for Dominique, made most famous in pop culture by English bounty hunter Domino Harvey

Ernestine — feminine form of Ernest, meaning "serious." It would be hard for a girl to pull of the nickname Ernie, but I always fall for fusty old "-tine" names

Evelette — modern made-up choice combining elements of Eve and the "-ette" ending from names like Charlotte and Violet. May be inspired by Evolet, a name used in the film 10,000 BC

Fable — popular in blog land thanks to Girls Gone Child, who used it for her firstborn daughter

Fey — fans of Tina? Probably an alternate Fay/Faye spelling, this one carries the added meaning of being vaguely supernatural

Halston — I wonder if the parents naming their girls Halston chose it for its fashion connection (named for its creator's middle name) or are using a family surname

Jessamine — I've always wondered why Jessamine hasn't seen more use. It seems a fresh, sweet alternative to popular Jessica

Lahari — the Soundarya Lahari (meaning "waves of beauty") is the title of a famous Sanskrit tantra textbook/poem. Lahari means "waves"

Lovette — you could extract the meaning "little love" from this one. It's most commonly found as a surname

Mahlet — I really like this one. I don't know much about it other than it's used mostly in Ethiopia

Mavery — Avery-with-an-M?

Rigby — I'd go with Eleanor if we're talking Beatles names here. Rigby seems a little more suited to a cat or a dog

Say — another one found as a surname, and impossible to research!

Solomia — perhaps a feminine variation on the Italian phrase "'o sole mio," meaning "my sun"

Svara — reminds me of Norwegian boys name Sverre, which means "wild, swinging, spinning"

Vesta — Roman goddess of the hearth and home, also the name of an asteroid group that contains the second largest asteroid in the solar system (4 Vesta)

Zeltzin — an Aztec name meaning "delicate"