Names Deemed "strange"

This is a list of names in which the community's impression is strange.
gender
usage
impression
Zuberi m Swahili
Swahili form of Zubair.
Zubin m Indian (Parsi)
Possibly a Parsi form of Chobin.
Zula 1 f Polish (Rare)
Polish diminutive of Zuzanna.
Zula 2 f English
Meaning unknown. It has been in use since the 19th century. It is possibly related to the name of the African tribe that lives largely in South Africa, the Zulus. In the 19th century the Zulus were a powerful nation under their leader Shaka.
Zulaykha f Arabic (Rare)
Arabic form of Zuleika.
Zuleika f Literature
Meaning uncertain, possibly of Arabic origin. According to medieval tradition, notably related by the 15th-century Persian poet Jami, this was the name of the biblical Potiphar's wife. She has been a frequent subject of poems and tales.
Zulekha f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic زليخا (see Zulaykha).
Zulfikar m Arabic, Urdu, Indonesian
Alternate transcription of Arabic/Urdu ذو الفقار (see Zulfiqar), as well as the Indonesian form.
Zulfiqar m Arabic, Urdu
From Arabic ذو الفقار (Dhū al-Faqār) interpreted as meaning "cleaver of the spine", derived from ذو (dhū) meaning "possessor, holder" and فقار (faqār) meaning "spine, vertebra". This was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's sword, also used by his son-in-law Ali.
Zümra f Turkish
From Turkish zümrüt meaning "emerald", derived via Arabic from Greek σμάραγδος (smaragdos).
Zurab m Georgian
Georgian form of Sohrab.
Zuri f Swahili
Means "beautiful" in Swahili.
Zuriel m Biblical
Means "my rock is God" in Hebrew, derived from צוּר (tsur) meaning "rock" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this name is borne by a chief of the Merarite Levites at the time of the Exodus.
Zuriñe f Basque
Derived from Basque zuri "white". This is a Basque equivalent of Blanca.
Zusa f Yiddish (Rare)
Means "sweet" in Yiddish.
Zusman m Yiddish (Rare)
Means "sweet man" in Yiddish.
Zuzana f Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian
Czech, Slovak and Lithuanian form of Susanna.
Zuzanka f Czech, Slovak
Diminutive of Zuzana.
Zuzen m Basque
Means "just, fair" in Basque.
Zuzia f Polish
Polish diminutive of Zuzanna.
Zuzka f Czech, Slovak
Diminutive of Zuzana.
Zvezdana f Serbian, Slovene
Serbian and Slovene form of Zvjezdana.
Zvi m Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew צְבִי (see Tzvi).
Zviad m Georgian
Derived from Georgian ზვიადი (zviadi) meaning "proud, arrogant".
Zvjezdana f Croatian
Derived from Croatian zvijezda meaning "star".
Zvonimir m Croatian
Derived from the Slavic elements zvonŭ "sound, chime" and mirŭ "peace, world". Dmitar Zvonimir was an 11th-century Croatian king.
Zvonimira f Croatian
Feminine form of Zvonimir.
Zvonko m Croatian
Diminutive of Zvonimir.
Zyanya f Zapotec
Possibly means "forever, always" in Zapotec. It appears in the novel Aztec (1980) by the American author Gary Jennings.
Žydrūnas m Lithuanian
From Lithuanian žydra meaning "light blue" (using the patronymic suffix ūnas).
Zygfryd m Polish
Polish form of Siegfried.
Zygmunt m Polish
Polish form of Sigmund.
Zyta f Polish
Possibly a Polish form of Zita 1, or possibly a short form of Felicyta.