pretty needless to say, I absolutely love the name [name_f]Freyja[/name_f]! a goddess name, and a real feminist one at that, a light sound with a sharp finish, distinct, unapologetically feminine, pretty nickname proof, and the spunky j is the perfect finishing touch imo.
now ive never met a [name_f]Freya[/name_f], never even heard of one, but I know it’s a top name in the UK and rising close to the top 100 in the US, which really bums me out! it bothers me (probably more than it should) that UK berries would find it to be a boring choice. (but in my defense, it is climbing in the US so it’s possible US berries and normal US people could find it boring within my future kid’s lifetime.)
I have no plans to take [name_f]Freyja[/name_f] off my list but id love to find an alternative that feels as magical as [name_f]Freyja[/name_f] does. what names would you suggest to someone who loves the vibe of [name_f]Freyja[/name_f] but doesn’t want to worry about popularity?
My immediate thought is Brynja, I think it’s underrated. I do feel like it has the chance of being shortened to Bryn though. Therefore Finja may be a better option as I don’t think it would nickname as soon.
Second idea is Feyre. I feel like it fits this description
Ceres fits almost all your points imo, except it may be lacking the distinctive look/letters that you like about Freyja.
Cybele has the magical look and vibe and it’s a goddess name.
Some others that might appeal
Casilda
Circe
Eirwen Eilwen
Embla
Enyo
Fenna Fenja
Ferelith
Hestia
Idunn -goddess, interesting look
Ishtar
Iskra
Livna -such an unexpected combination of letters, which makes it a great match for Freyja
Lumia
Olwen
Saulė
Senna
Silva
Sirja
Talvi
Tanith
Tegwen
Tulsi -really fun sound like Freyja, goddess name
Zoia
The two names that have a similar vibe to [name_f]Freyja[/name_f], which I also adore, are [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] and [name_f]Saskia[/name_f]. [name_f]Thora[/name_f] also comes to mind.
I don’t find [name_f]Freyja[/name_f] boring at all though, and I’m in Australia where it’s in the top 50.
@columbiacharm [name_f]Brynja[/name_f] is a great idea I hadn’t thought of! I don’t mind [name_u]Bryn[/name_u], although I definitely wouldn’t call her that on my own. I have [name_f]Finja[/name_f] on my long list, and I love [name_u]Finn[/name_u] for a girl, but I think it’s just missing whatever pizzazz the Y brings, like how im not a big fan of the [name_f]Freja[/name_f] spelling.
I want to like [name_f]Feyre[/name_f] because all the sounds are right there but I could never get into acotar because I found Feyre’s character kinda insufferable, so I just can’t do it.
@Rosebeth I was really happy to see you responded because of your knowledge of Icelandic names! Esja and [name_f]Saga[/name_f] are really cool!
@TDFM I’m glad you don’t find it boring! All 3 of the names you listed are on my long list!
@shanade213@Greyblue@Cherrypinkpink@DropOfsunlight@somemelodioussonnet thank you!! I’m gonna take a closer look at…
[name_f]Saga[/name_f]
[name_f]Azura[/name_f]
[name_f]Thora[/name_f]
[name_f]Embla[/name_f]
[name_f]Iskra[/name_f]
[name_f]Livna[/name_f]
[name_f]Talvi[/name_f]
[name_f]Runa[/name_f]
[name_f]Enya[/name_f]