What are your favorite obscure/rare legitimate names?
I’d love to find some I haven’t heard of.
[name_f]Melusine[/name_f] (I am thinking of Melusina and Meluzina (both legitimate))
[name_f]Melisande[/name_f]
[name_f]Cosima[/name_f]
[name_f]Leontine[/name_f]
[name_f]Fiammetta[/name_f]
Belphoebe
[name_f]Arcadia[/name_f]
[name_f]Romilly[/name_f]
[name_f]Ondine[/name_f]
Clytemnestra (she’s an…interesting figure, though)
Myrrha (her story is quite sad and weird, though)
Polyhymnia (the muse of music and geometry)
[name_f]Galatea[/name_f]
Euphrosyne (not sure on the pronunciation, though)
[name_f]Ximena[/name_f]
[name_m]Just[/name_m] how rare and obscure do you want them? I wouldn’t call these ones obscure, merely beautiful, somewhat out of the ordinary, names.
Alatáriel
[name_f]Aliena[/name_f] ([name_m]AL[/name_m]-ee-eh-na/pronounced)
[name_f]Alleyne[/name_f]
Alvery
[name_f]Asha[/name_f]
Athénaïs
Aviaaja
Clarimond
[name_f]Dagmar[/name_f]
Elaphaia
[name_f]Elvina[/name_f]
[name_f]Fiamma[/name_f]
Fíriel
[name_f]Galilea[/name_f]
Gelleia
Ivalo
[name_f]Katinka[/name_f]
Katla
Madicken
[name_f]Malvina[/name_f]
Maximilienne
[name_f]Melisande[/name_f]
[name_f]Myfanwy[/name_f]
Napoléone
Regitze
Théodelinde
Undómiel
Valinor
Visenya
Voirrey
Any level you can think of. Out of the ordinary fits. Names that aren’t usually used - quirky, uncommon, unusual.
Madelief - Dutch, “[name_f]Daisy[/name_f]”
Pembe - Turkish, “[name_f]Pink[/name_f]”
Blanchefleur - [name_m]French[/name_m], “White flower”
Viorica - Romanian, “[name_f]Bluebell[/name_f]”
Tuulikki - Finnish, “[name_m]Little[/name_m] wind”
Viatrix - [name_u]Early[/name_u] form of [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
Luminita - Romanian, “[name_m]Little[/name_m] light”
Leelo - Estonian, “Folk song”
Iskra - Slavic, “Spark”
I also love [name_f]Cosima[/name_f]!
Lysandra
[name_f]Faustine[/name_f]
[name_f]Melisande[/name_f]
[name_f]Astra[/name_f]/[name_f]Astraea[/name_f]
Helle
[name_f]Ursuline[/name_f]
[name_f]Marguerite[/name_f]
Alecto
Alcippe
[name_f]Cassiopeia[/name_f]
[name_f]Andromache[/name_f]
[name_f]Yseult[/name_f]
Ilithyia
Tisiphone
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
Bellicent
Salvatrix
[name_u]Schuyler[/name_u] (for a girl)
[name_f]Lucinda[/name_f]
[name_f]Iolanthe[/name_f]
Xanthippe
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f]
I have lots of these. A good amount of my rare names are going to be Greek, so if you need a pronunciation, let me know.
Buriana
Eilonwy
[name_f]Eulalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Leocadia[/name_f]
[name_f]Antigone[/name_f]
Belisana
Chione
[name_f]Nephele[/name_f]
[name_f]Eponine[/name_f]
[name_f]Faustina[/name_f]
Euthalia
[name_f]Sophronia[/name_f]
Auxesia
Sanziana
Lilivere
Kulali
[name_f]Varvara[/name_f]
Uliana
[name_f]Zenovia[/name_f]
Viatrix
Pareerou
Venevil
Verdandi
Vivendel
Elbereth
Elentari
Epifania
[name_f]Yavanna[/name_f]
Kaveri
[name_f]Asteria[/name_f]
Eupraxia
Megaera
Dexithea
Alectrona
[name_f]Eirene[/name_f] – which is not the same as [name_f]Irene[/name_f]
Epione
Pandaisia
[name_f]Effemie[/name_f]
[name_f]Aviance[/name_f]
[name_f]Ceridwen[/name_f]
Eirlys (Ire-lis)
Enfys (EN-vis)
[name_f]Eira[/name_f] ([name_u]Ira[/name_u])
Paderau
Aderyn
[name_f]Calixta[/name_f]
[name_f]Irie[/name_f]
[name_f]Meredy[/name_f]
[name_f]Nerida[/name_f]
[name_f]Odessa[/name_f]
[name_f]Parisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Silence[/name_f]
Temperley
[name_f]Yesenia[/name_f]
[name_u]Alix[/name_u]
[name_f]Amaryllis[/name_f]
[name_f]Brigitta[/name_f] (from the Sound of music pronounced [name_f]Bri[/name_f]-gee-tta)
[name_f]Clarice[/name_f]
[name_f]Dagmar[/name_f]
[name_m]Eben[/name_m] (male)
[name_m]Elihu[/name_m] (male)
Halyna (Ukranian name; legit spelling)
[name_f]Hedwig[/name_f] ( some harry potter characters tend to be well known but underused I also like [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f])
[name_f]Iseult[/name_f]
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f]
[name_f]Jacinda[/name_f]
[name_f]Liesl[/name_f]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[name_f]Marta[/name_f]
[name_f]Meadow[/name_f]
[name_f]Millicent[/name_f]
[name_f]Noor[/name_f]
[name_f]Olympia[/name_f]
[name_f]Odette[/name_f]
[name_f]Pollyanna[/name_f]
[name_u]Perry[/name_u] (male)
[name_f]Remember[/name_f]
Revere (male)
[name_f]Roxanne[/name_f]
Solace
[name_f]Sunday[/name_f]
viola
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f]
[name_f]Yulia[/name_f]
[name_f]Zoya[/name_f]
Good [name_m]Luck[/name_m]!
I went through my list and grabbed the ones I thought were particularly unusual:
[name_f]Aira[/name_f]
[name_f]Amoret[/name_f]
[name_f]Aravis[/name_f]
[name_f]Atalanta[/name_f]
Cassilda
Coppelia
[name_f]Forsythia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]
[name_f]Iphigenia[/name_f]/[name_f]Iphigeneia[/name_f]
[name_f]Isannah[/name_f]
Ishtar
[name_f]Ismay[/name_f]
Ismeria
Orithyia
[name_f]Pamina[/name_f]
Polyxena
[name_f]Sybella[/name_f]
Thaisa
[name_f]Inga[/name_f] -I believe this is Scandinavian and means protected by Ing, which is possibly the God of fertility, but I could be mixing up info.
Demarys or Demaris *Greek-demm-air-iss, Variant versions of [name_f]Demetria[/name_f] or [name_u]Demeter[/name_u], meaning “fruitful increase” and “Lover of the earth”
Emberley -I normally spell it with an Ey not just Y b/c I love the connection to [name_m]Ed[/name_m] Emberley, childrens drawing books illustrator. That is how his surname is spelled, although looking it up elsewhere, I always see just the Y ending. [name_u]Ember[/name_u] variant, wood connection.
[name_u]Ivory[/name_u] -used to be a boys name, especially in the Cote D’viore, the western coast of [name_f]Africa[/name_f], also known in English as the [name_u]Ivory[/name_u] Coast.
Oleander -sounds like an awesome surname to me-
[name_m]Lynx[/name_m] -I saw a mountain lion in my backyard once, and even though a ml and lynx are two different wild felines, I love the sound of this for a middle or second middle name despite the fact it is hard to make a smooth-flowing combo.
[name_m]Quartz[/name_m]–I’ve owned many crystals, and clear quartz is my favorite stone. I like the combo [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] [name_m]Quartz[/name_m].
[name_f]Aqua[/name_f]-this one is growing on me, and my bedroom walls are aqua, it seems like a strong, feminine, and gentle name with a new-age-like vibe.
I don’t know what you consider “legitimate” but these are definitely obscure:
[name_f]Adira[/name_f]
[name_f]Alida[/name_f]
[name_f]Almeda[/name_f]
Amika
[name_f]Amoret[/name_f]
[name_f]Arlise[/name_f] / [name_f]Arlyss[/name_f]
[name_f]Cadence[/name_f]
[name_f]Charis[/name_f]
Eirlys
[name_f]Esperance[/name_f]
[name_f]Gwyneira[/name_f] / [name_f]Eira[/name_f]
[name_f]Halona[/name_f]
[name_f]Hypatia[/name_f]
Karima
Kavita
[name_f]Kerensa[/name_f]
[name_f]Kismet[/name_f]
Lilwen
Maiwenn
[name_f]Mayim[/name_f]
[name_f]Mazarine[/name_f]
[name_f]Nydia[/name_f]
[name_f]Solenne[/name_f]
[name_f]Sunniva[/name_f]
[name_f]Villette[/name_f]
Cairdeas (synonym for my name in Irish so it’s perfect for us…as a middle)
[name_u]Cerulean[/name_u]
[name_m]Denali[/name_m]
Joule (middle only)
[name_f]Reverie[/name_f]
[name_f]Tesla[/name_f]
[name_u]Cobalt[/name_u]
[name_m]Coltrane[/name_m]
[name_m]Darrow[/name_m]
Escher
[name_u]Leith[/name_u]
[name_m]Hadrian[/name_m]
Jhonen
[name_m]Madoc[/name_m]
Merit
Revere
[name_f]Sabre[/name_f]
[name_u]Slate[/name_u]
[name_m]Thane[/name_m]
Thrace
[name_m]Valiant[/name_m]
These feel stylish yet are uncommon:
[name_f]Catalina[/name_f] or [name_f]Catalene[/name_f]
[name_f]Geneva[/name_f]
[name_f]Marisol[/name_f]
[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]
[name_f]Vianne[/name_f]
[name_u]Constantine[/name_u]
[name_m]Dietrich[/name_m]
[name_m]Oswin[/name_m]
Kimbra
[name_f]Sparrow[/name_f]
Winslett
[name_f]Avalon[/name_f]
[name_f]Elora[/name_f]
[name_f]Flower[/name_f]
Okay, so these aren’t really unusual… More quirky 
Alizae “Zae”
[name_f]Asha[/name_f]
[name_f]Britta[/name_f]
[name_u]Dagny[/name_u]
[name_f]Gillian[/name_f] (prn. with the hard G)
[name_f]Halia[/name_f]
[name_f]Joelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Lourdes[/name_f]
[name_f]Olivine[/name_f]
Perenelle
[name_f]Severine[/name_f]
[name_f]Andromeda[/name_f]
[name_f]Amaryllis[/name_f]
[name_f]Aoife[/name_f]
[name_f]Aviva[/name_f]
[name_f]Ayelet[/name_f]
[name_f]Bayla[/name_f]
Belisent
Belphoebe
[name_f]Calanthe[/name_f]
[name_f]Celestine[/name_f]
[name_f]Ceridwen[/name_f]
[name_f]Dahlia[/name_f]
[name_f]Dvora[/name_f]
[name_f]Elowen[/name_f]
[name_f]Ekaterina[/name_f]
[name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f]
[name_f]Golda[/name_f]
[name_f]Gwyneira[/name_f]
[name_f]Hypatia[/name_f]
Illyria
[name_f]Iola[/name_f]
[name_f]Ione[/name_f]
Immanuela
Isidra
Isilde
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f]
Izarra
[name_f]Jacinta[/name_f] (ha-seen-ta)
[name_u]Jael[/name_u] (yah-elle)
[name_f]Jessamine[/name_f]
[name_f]Kelila[/name_f]
[name_f]Ketzia[/name_f]
Kinneret
[name_f]Laetitia[/name_f]
[name_f]Leocadia[/name_f]
[name_f]Liberty[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilac[/name_f]
[name_f]Liora[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucasta[/name_f]
Luscinia
[name_f]Madrigal[/name_f]
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f]
[name_f]Mariposa[/name_f]
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f]
Mirele
[name_f]Natania[/name_f]
[name_f]Nerida[/name_f]
[name_f]Niamh[/name_f]
[name_f]Noemie[/name_f]
Qetsiyah
[name_f]Raziela[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosalba[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosamund[/name_f]
[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f]
[name_f]Sarita[/name_f]
[name_f]Shoshana[/name_f]
[name_f]Tamar[/name_f]
[name_f]Tansy[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodosia[/name_f]
[name_f]Thomasin[/name_f]
Toiba
Tzipporah
Tzvia
[name_f]Ursula[/name_f]
[name_f]Verity[/name_f]
[name_f]Viola[/name_f]
[name_f]Viveca[/name_f]
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f]
[name_f]Xaviera[/name_f]
Xylia
[name_u]Yael[/name_u]
[name_f]Yonina[/name_f]
[name_f]Zakiyya[/name_f]
[name_f]Zehava[/name_f]
[name_f]Zelda[/name_f]
[name_f]Iluska[/name_f]
Callianeira
Venatrix
[name_f]Tanith[/name_f]
Richmay
Richenza
Wintress
Fentress
Zinevra
[name_f]Niobe[/name_f]
[name_f]Perrine[/name_f]
[name_f]Pamina[/name_f]
Cambina
Serilda
[name_f]Iselin[/name_f]
Iverine
[name_f]Galiana[/name_f]
Nausicaa
[name_f]Arianwen[/name_f]
Clarissent
[name_f]Gregoria[/name_f]
Pomelina
Anchoret
Asherah
Ambretta
[name_f]Emblyn[/name_f]
[name_f]Emerant[/name_f]
Ferelith
Ambeline
Tabrett
Adeliz
Leceline(a)
Sabeline(a)
Annisa
[name_f]Annella[/name_f]
Lionella
Lyonesse
[name_f]Mazarine[/name_f]
[name_f]Ovidia[/name_f]
[name_f]Viera[/name_f]
[name_f]Quilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Questa[/name_f]
Quenilda
[name_f]Umbrielle[/name_f]
Ombeline
Cypriana
Plumeria
Bridgidine
Brenguene
Bradamante
Garance
Gussalen
Thaisa
Isidra
[name_f]Imelda[/name_f]
Loredana
Eruca
Fifaltra
Moschatella
Carissima
[name_f]Fairuza[/name_f]
Orfea
Esmerina
Ursinia
Ivelisse
Perizada
[name_f]Aurielle[/name_f]
[name_f]Griselda[/name_f]
Amalthea
Kolfinna
Rasia
Chesten
[name_f]Dulcinea[/name_f]
Vivendel
Faunella
[name_f]Rohana[/name_f]
[name_f]Serenella[/name_f]
[name_u]Loki[/name_u]
[name_f]Copper[/name_f]
Aeris
[name_f]Eponine[/name_f]
[name_f]Clarice[/name_f]
Laika (prn ly-kah)
[name_f]Meike[/name_f] (prn meeka)
Sirrah
oh and Zeili! (prn Zay-lee)
Yay for [name_f]Yavanna[/name_f]! That’s my given name. My parents gave me that name 33 years ago and I have yet to meet another. I’d love to meet one someday.