This name of a son of Noah, whose descendants were said to have populated Europe, was well used by the seventeenth century Pilgrims. With "Ja" names and obscure Old Testament names both trendy these days, Japheth might just seen a resurgence: 37 boys were given the name in a recent year.

This is a streamlined spelling of the biblical Hephzibah. Hephzibah is an Old Testament name that came into use in the 17th century, but is not often used today. It does have less formal nicknames Eppie and Hepsie, which seem revivable. Hephzibah "Eppie" Cass/Marner is the heroine of George Eliot's novel Silas Marner and Hepzibah Smith is a witch in the Harry Potter series.

A widely used Hebrew form of Joseph, with a sophisticated and continental air.

Also written as Bayla, Baila is reminiscent of the Spanish word for "dance". Its meaning is debated: it may come from the Slavic root word for "white", or it may be a form of Bilhah, one of the four women who gave birth to the tribes of Israel. An offbeat approach to Bella.

Begs for the guttural pronunciation that's a problem in this culture.