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Baby Name of the Day: Peliah

January 14, 2011 By appellationmountain 15 Comments

Green P in the grass

Green P in the grass by Hilary Perkins

There are unusual names, and then there are names that are truly seldom heard.

Thanks to Elle for suggesting a real rarity as our Baby Name of the Day: Peliah.

Peliah brings to mind pelicans and Pellegrino, tempting you to put the emphasis on the first syllable: PELL ee uh.  But the emphasis should be on the middle syllable – peh LYE ah, something like Mariah. 

Pelia is an equally valid spelling, but invites a two-syllable pronunciation that works in a sentence: “Can I peelya an apple?”

The name has never ranked in the US Top 1000, but does appear in US Census records.  Pelia is more plentiful than Peliah, but neither is common.

Most sources indicate that Peliah is a Hebrew name that means miracle of God.  After much digging, I found a list of words that were translated as miracle in the Old Testament.  Sure enough, way down the list is pela.  Kabbalah also gives us a book called Sefar al-Peliyah or Sefer al-Peli’ah, a commentary on Genesis.  The writings date to the Middle Ages, but they seem an unlikely source for a child’s name.

There are hints that she’s Greek, too.  You’re probably dimly aware that Adonis, myth’s ultimate pretty boy, was a mortal so handsome that he caught the eye of Aphrodite.  Melus was one of Adonis’ companions.  And Melus’ wife?  Pelia.  The story is obscure, and unhappy. When Adonis is attacked by a wild boar and dies, both Melus and Pelia committed suicide in grief.

There’s also a tragedy by Eurpides called Peliades, about the daughters of Pelias.  Myth tells that Pelias was the son of Poseidon, and the king of Iolcus.  He’s the ruler who sends Jason on his search for the Golden Fleece.  But Pelias was also the father of seven girls: Acastus, Pisidice, Alcestis, Pelopia, Hippothoe, Asteropia, and Antinoe.  Alcestis has quite the story of her own, enough to inspire a sequel of her own, an opera by Gluck, and a modern adaptation by Thornton Wilder.

And yet, Pelia could just be a construction based on other popular names of the era.  The US Top 1000 for the 1880s includes lots of ends-in-elia names:

  • Amelia, Emilia
  • Delia
  • Celia
  • Lelia
  • Cecelia
  • Cornelia
  • Ophelia
  • Cordelia
  • Adelia
  • Aurelia
  • Nelia
  • Odelia

Her sound would have fit in with many current names in the nineteenth century, so it wouldn’t have taken much for some parents to discover Pelia.  Many of those same names are in vogue again.  Amelia has never been more popular than she is today.  Factor in Peliah’s meaning, and it is easy to imagine parents considering Peliah.

The only question is whether her pronunciation poses a problem.  peh LYE ah has a certain dramatic appeal.  It’s downright unexpected, and almost stately.  But Peel ya seems far less attractive than Delia, Celia, or even Nelia – and it is likely that most would tend to use the two-syllable pronunciation.

But if you don’t mind explaining your child’s name, Peliah emerges as a true rarity with intriguing roots.

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Comments

  1. dee says

    May 9, 2014 at 1:39 PM

    We named our daughter Peliah, pronounce it “Pay-lee-ah” more of a European ‘i’ sounding like ‘ee’, and emphasis on the second syllable. We call her Peli (Pay-lee) for short.
    She is our miracle baby!

    Reply
  2. Elle says

    January 19, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    Yay! Thanks again for taking this name! I adore the little Peliah in my life and it’s great to get a little background on a completely unusual name, even for a girl from the Norhtwest where the unusual is more common. Thanks again for taking on my suggestion and still love your site!

    Reply
  3. Bee says

    January 18, 2011 at 4:24 AM

    Peliah is gorgeous !

    Reply
  4. Sebastiane says

    January 16, 2011 at 10:56 PM

    Peliah (peh-LYE-ah) is absolutely stunning.

    Reply
  5. Laura Rose says

    January 14, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    Coming out of lurkerdom!

    I like Pelia… but I keep wanting to say it Peh-LEE-ah, lol. Interesting name. I think I prefer Celia, though. (and I say that SEEL-ee-ah, with most -lia names I say it like Leah, not just Ya.)

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      January 15, 2011 at 9:42 PM

      Nice to see you in the light of day, Laura Rose! I know a little Celia – but with the two syllable pronunciation. I’m partial to Cicely, but it is a great cluster of names.

      Reply
      • Laura Rose says

        January 28, 2011 at 7:32 PM

        Just saw this in my comments box.

        Ah! One of my very favourites is Cecily! I wish the meaning wasn’t as unpleasant, but they’re all very, very pretty.

        Reply
  6. Emmy Jo says

    January 14, 2011 at 6:40 PM

    Peliah is pretty. It definitely looks like an obscure Hebrew name when it is spelled with the H ending — reminds me of a cross between Peninah and Keziah and Delilah and Zillah and such.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      January 15, 2011 at 9:41 PM

      The -h does it, doesn’t it? I’m not sure what to think of Pelia.

      Reply
  7. Lola says

    January 14, 2011 at 10:29 AM

    I instinctively said “pee-LYE-ah when I said it upon seeing it, but it looks familiar to me, probably from myth. I read a lot and file all sorts of things away. *shrug*

    It’s not the most pleasant sound but I’m not convulsing in horror either. But overall, I prefer Dinah & Peninah to Peliah.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      January 15, 2011 at 9:40 PM

      Dinah is lovely! Between Dinah and Peliah, I’d have to go with Dinah, too. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Alex says

    January 14, 2011 at 9:37 AM

    Never heard of this name before, but upon reading the title I immediately thought of two things: it rhymes with pariah, and the pronunciation of the last two syllables is exactly the same as the pronunciation of the word ‘liar’. Neither are particularly nice associations.

    Reply
    • Joy says

      January 14, 2011 at 11:58 AM

      I do pronounce the R in liar. Are you from Boston? lol

      Reply
      • Charlotte Vera says

        January 14, 2011 at 6:21 PM

        I pronounce the r in liar too. But yes, when I read the article on this name I thought, “It’s pretty, but my friends whose linguistic backgrounds make it difficult for them to enunciate their l’s will end up saying Pariah.”

        Reply
      • Alex says

        January 14, 2011 at 9:12 PM

        Not Boston. Australia 🙂

        Reply

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