Seija

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: “calm; serene.”
(SAY-yah) Audio can be heard here: http://www.forvo.com/search/Seija/

The name seems to have been revived by a Finnish school teacher by the name of Yrjö Karilas, who gave the name to his daughter, Ester Seija Karilas (b.1917). Karilas’ claimed that he saw the name Seia, the name of an Ancient Roman goddess of crops, and it reminded him of the Finnish word seijas, meaning “calm; serene.” However, the name seems to pre-date the birth of Karilas’ daughter, as records indicate that there were at least two girls named Seija born in 1912.

Seija became the most popular female name in Finland in 1948.

Its designated name-day is December 13.