Deal me in. I'm always up for new names.

GIRLS


Wilda - I'm wondering if it is pronounced with a short i or a long i sound and if the w is said as a w or as a v.




BOYS


Heartless - There were actually 2 men I found in genealogy research with the first name Heartless. I am trying to figure out 'why' this was used as a name. Do you know? Please let me in on the secret! I'm very curious.

And today's mishmash of names are:

GIRLS




BOYS


Bland -meaning "profoundly polite speaker" according to Personal and Family Names by Harry Alfred Long.

Brownlow

Buckner

More names I never thought of on my own

GIRLS


Marillia




BOYS


Belser

Cervis - a colonial Virginia soldier, circa 1700, so maybe this is a phonetic spelling of Service? A sort of Puritan name? Or a phonetic spelling of something else. Could Gervaise seem like this? Maybe the name was transcribed wrong, and was actually Gervis not Cervis. Could Cervis be an actual name, independent of some other origin? If so, what would it be?

Elimus

Holaway

Mangus

Mercer

Saxfield

Stapleton

Tally

Thornly

All of these unusual given names gleaned from recent genealogy research

GIRL NAMES

Lettilla

Lodema

Ostella



BOY NAMES

Almond - came across this doing genealogy. The fellow's last name was Soul. And he was a Jr. It was rather something to notice, a Mr. Almond Soul, Jr.

Ferd

Melyn

Nimon

Stout

Store away some names for a rainy day

GIRLS

Abba - not sure if it's just that creative spelling used in the old days for Abby or if in fact it is Abba used as a name on a girl. Or perhaps just a nickname for a girl named Abigail.

Deliann - a combination of Delia and Ann perhaps? Or Delilah and Ann?

Diodame - I'm guessing that this is Diadem. A woman in Ohio - 1834

Hepzibe - a spelling of Hephzibah I wasn't familiar with

Honer - I'll guess that this is a misspelling of Honor.

Macury -

Orlinda



 BOYS

Johnza- so far I've found it as the name of an early pioneer in Indiana and Illinois, Johnza Orton, and also as a first name in the 1790 census for Maryland (Johnza Dorsey) but I do not yet know the name's origin. It is interesting that I found Johnza Orton as someone employed by the Post Office in 1830.


However, if I were to guess, I would think Johnza is said like the name Jonesy, a nickname for someone named Jones. Jones is a Welsh surname, meaning John's son. John comes from Hebrew and means "gift".


Another idea I had is that Johnza is said like "john zay" instead of 'joan zee', and therefore comes from the name Chauncey. Chauncey or Chauncy is Norman and comes from the place Canchy in Normandy, France.