Nameberry of the Week: Zuleika
April 7
This week’s Name of the Week was nominated by @Rosebeth!
If you would like to nominate a name yourself, you can head over to the name of the day thread on our forums.
Dazzling and dramatic Zuleika — pronounced “zoo-LAY-ka” — is an Arabic girl’s name meaning “brilliant beauty”, and has notable namesakes who further exemplify this meaning.
According to medieval legend (although not directly named in the Bible), Zuleika was the wife of Potiphar — the captain of the Egyptian king’s guard who noticed Joseph’s brilliance. While a minor character in the scriptures, Zuleika has been the subject of several famous poems, renowned for her beauty.
A 1910 satire novel by Max Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobson, introduces the heroine Zuleika who is so strikingly beautiful that the entire student body of Oxford falls in love with her and then collectively decides to commit suicide.
Model Iman used the Zulekha spelling for her daughter born in 1978, former Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivers introduced her spelling to the spotlight when she was crowned in 2006, and British actress Zuleikha Robinson bears yet another spelling variation.
However you choose to spell it, Zuleika has a cool, glamorous, and badass aura from all of these associations as well as the name’s distinct and punchy sounds.
In case you missed these Nameberries of the Day:
Nameberry of the Day: Raphael
Italian painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino — known in English as Raphael — died on April 6, 1512. Together with Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo, Raphael forms the traditional trio of artistic masters of the High Renaissance period (and 3 of the 4