I'm constantly amazed that
Jacintha /
Jacinda isn't more popular. I find it feminine in the extreme, without being fluffy or foo-foo.
I first heard the name
Jacintha as a child. Three Irish sisters were named
Corinna ("cor-EE-nuh"),
Jacintha and
Miriam. (And if you've never heard
Corinna and
Miriam pronounced with that soft, Gaelic "r" you'd never lived.) Anyway, for the longest time I couldn't think of
Jacintha on its own. It always belonged with
Corinna and
Miriam. But then I was reading about
George Orwell. Two women in his life (I forget the exact relationships) were
Esme and
Jacintha. Suddenly the combination
Esme Jacintha popped to mind and I was a gonner.
Hyacinth is extremely pretty as well, but it doesn't seem as useable as
Jacintha. It feels mroe like a GP name.