I’ve been revisiting my long list recently, and decided to pull a few of the lovely little rarities from it here and there to ponder further, and put up for review here. So, what are your thoughts on:
Jocosa (Medieval English) from Latin iocosus “given to jesting, funny, playful”. Medieval form of [name_u]Joyce[/name_u].
Ephyra (Greek Mythology) one of the Oceanids (sea nymphs) and the ancient name of the Greek city of Corinthe.
Sanura (African: Swahili) “little cat”.
Vinca from Latin for “periwinkle”, ultimately derived from vincire, meaning “(to) bind” (as long creeping vines of the periwinkle were once used to make garlands).
[b]Zemyna/Zamina /b from žemė “(the one who belongs to the) earth” / from Persian zamin “soil, land, earth”. Žemyna is the Lithuanian goddess of the earth, the deified soil, personifying the fertile earth and nourishing all earthly life (human, plant & animal).
I like Sanura and Vinca, the rest I find unusable. Jocosa in particular reminds me too much of [name_f]Jocasta[/name_f].
Jocosa: This is wonderful! Very strong and lively. I think it would make a good choice for parents who love the sound of many traditionally masculine names, but want something distinctively feminine for their daughter.
Ephyra: This is insanely gorgeous. I would use it in a heartbeat. Definitely suits someone with an ethereal style.
Sanura: Adorable, and very much usable.
Vinca: Not a huge fan of this one, sorry. It lacks the crispness and dynamic feel of many zippy “V” names.
Zemyna/Zamina: I think the latter spelling is more intuitive, and I love the meaning.
Jocosa: this is an interesting name but doesn’t feel too “out there.” I think this would be very usable, though I did initially read it as [name_f]Jocasta[/name_f].
Ephyra: I could see this picking up some traction among those who love [name_f]Freya[/name_f] and [name_f]Athena[/name_f]. Adventurous and a little obscure but accessible.
Sanura: very pretty! Being I’'m not a poc I wouldn’t feel like it’s my name ti use, but I would definitely be charmed to meet a Sanura!
Vinca: I like it, it’s different but not screaming out for attention. I like the meaning.
Zemyna: another that could be popular with the punchy goddess name crowd! Really lovely meaning. It’s not my favorite here but I definitely see the appeal.
In short I think all of these are quite usable! (Probably no surprise coming from me though.)
Jocosa*-i like it! It has a nice rhythm and feel, something really mythical and magical about it! Plus [name_u]Josie[/name_u] and Cosie would be such cute nn
Ephyra*- I like this! It feels familiar but super distinct. Plus it gives you [name_f]Effie[/name_f]!
Sanura -quite nice. I think it could grow on me
Vinca*- not sure personally. Feels a little harsh and incomplete to me, sorry
Zamina/Zemyna - quite nice-i like the meaning, it’s interesting
Thank you all for your reviews.
I really like all five of these names. Jocosa means a little more to me as my own middle name is Joy, named for my late aunt Joyce. Vinca is special too for the slight (Leonardo da) Vinci connection, the most brilliant man in all of history in my eyes, plus I also love the periwinkle/garland making etymological history! Ephyra & Zemyna are rich with Mythology, yet not at all common, which I love, and Sanura is just a sweet little name with a meaning I don’t often (besides Katida, “kitten-like”) see.
I must admit, I also love the fact that none of these names are in this site’s database. I love coming across names that don’t link up/aren’t in this sites database, as they can be some of the most wonderfully interesting rarities.