Ozias
Greek, Hebrew, "my strength is God"
Wilkie Collins and the cast of his novel Armadale would be surprised to learn what a fast-rising and stylish choice Ozias has become in the 21st century.
Labelled as “strangely uncouth” and “so remarkably ugly”, characters in the 1866 novel truly cannot stand the name. One even goes so far as to declare that any father who picks Ozias for their son should be ashamed of themselves, and that any human who chooses to go by it cannot be in their right mind.
When I read Armadale though, I couldn’t help but think “Ozias Midwinter” makes an absolutely stunning combination!
Used as a Greek, Latin, and French variation of the Biblical Uzziah, there were just 11 babies called Ozias in the US between 1880 and 2001. While it did start to see more use in the 2010s, it wasn’t until the 2020s that it really caught on. It recently made its debut in the US Top 1000 where it fits in comfortably with the likes of Azariah, Aziel, Tobias, and Eliem.
Complete with the charming nickname Ozzie and a literary connotation — Ozias Midwinter is a fascinating character — this name may well continue to rise in coming years.
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