Samsa

Finnish variation of Sampson, "sun"

Also spelled as Sampsa, this is an offbeat Finnish name has the appeal of stylish and jaunty names like Ezra, Luca, and Mica. Used as a variation of the Biblical Sampson, it also appears in Finnish mythology as the god of fertility and crops, who, according to legend, sows all the forests in the land. This gives the name a double nature connection – to the sun, via its Biblical roots, and to trees from its Finnish ones.

A literary choice, it appears in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (as a surname) and in Eva Baltasar’s novel, Boulder, as a feminine name, which is where I first spotted it. Also used in India, it may be considered a subtracted form of the Sanskrit Samsara, linking it the cycle of life death and rebirth!

Do you want to pick a future Nameberry of the Day? Just send your favorite name to grace@nameberry.com and let me know what makes you love it!