Obscure (At the time) 1880's names

  1. Thea
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "goddess, godly"
    • Description:

      Thea is a diminutive of names ending in -thea, including Dorothea, Althea, and Anthea. It is also the Anglicized spelling of Theia, the Titan of sight, goddess of light, and mother of the moon. She was the consort of Hyperion, and mother of Helios, Selene, and Eos.
  2. Theodosia
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "gift of God"
    • Description:

      This feminine form of Theodosius has long been buried deep in the attic, but might be a good discovery for the parent who wants to move beyond Theodora. Vice President Aaron Burr named a daughter Theodosia ("Dear Theodosia" is a song in the smash musical Hamilton), and it was the birth name of silent screen vamp Theda Bara. Theodosia actually appeared on the US popularity lists in the 1880s and 90s.
  3. Theron
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "hunter"
    • Description:

      Theron is best known these days as the surname of actress Charlize, but it does have a long history as a first name, ranking in the Top 500 in the early part of the 20th century and only dropping out of the Top 1000 in the early 1990s. Theon is a similar name made familiar by the popular series Game of Thrones: Might it and Theron rise in tandem?
  4. Vance
    • Origin:

      English and Irish
    • Meaning:

      "someone who lives near marshland"
    • Description:

      A short but sophisticated, long-neglected name you might want to consider.
  5. Vella
    • Vester
      • Vicente
        • Origin:

          Spanish variation of Vincent, Latin
        • Meaning:

          "conquering"
        • Description:

          This classic Spanish name is well-used throughout Latin America and easily crosses cultures, ranking in the US Top 1000 for over a century. Vicente is notable as the name of Vicente Fernandez, the king of mariachi.
      • Vira
        • Volney
          • Origin:

            German
          • Meaning:

            "spirit of the people"
          • Description:

            Has a rather heavy surname feel.
        • Weldon
          • Whit
            • Origin:

              English
            • Meaning:

              "white"
            • Description:

              Whit is an uplifting short form of any number of surname-y full names, for Whitman to Whitaker to Whitney. But Whit stands perfectly well on its own and makes for a witty spin on modern virtue names.
          • Zadie
            • Origin:

              English variation of Sadie
            • Meaning:

              "princess"
            • Description:

              When aspiring British writer Sadie Smith decided to change her name to the more distinctive and zippy Zadie at the age of fourteen, this attention-magnet name was born. But though it might sound like a modern initial-switch, Zadie was actually Number 539 in 1881, remaining in the Top 1000 for almost thirty years.
          • Zilpha
            • Origin:

              Variant of Zilpah
            • Description:

              A highly unusual Old Testament name that had a burst of popularity in the States in the 19th Century.