Maeve

Meaning: (Intoxicating, In Irish Gaelic, the name "Medbh" means "she who intoxicates." It is rooted in the Irish legend of Queen Maeve or Medb, one of the main protagonists of the early Irish legend Táin Bó Cúailnge. The original form is Meadhbh, name of the powerful and legendary warrior queen of pre-Christian Ireland (first century). She is described in the "Tain", the Celtic equivalent of the "Iliad", as "tall, fair...carrying an iron sword". It is also associated with the fairy queen, Queen Mab of Irish and English legend. Maeve also means “Goddess of Song" in some languages.)

Origin: (Irish, Irish Mythology, Celtic, Gaelic)

Pronunciation: (MAYV, Mayve, MAY-v, MAY-vee)

Gender: Female

I love everything about this name from the meaning to the look. I saw this name on a Lifetime Movie and the prosecuting attorney in the film was named Maeve. I like the shortness of the name but that it looks unique and rare. 

Nabila

Meaning: (Noble, Honorable, Born to Nobility)

Origin: (Arabic, Urdu, English)

Pronunciation: (nah-BEE-lah)

Gender: Female

I saw this on one of the news channels I was passing through on T.V and I really like it. I like the meanings and the pronunciation. It's a pretty sort of name that is very exotic.

Asma

Meaning: (Prestige, Appellations, High Status, Supreme, Name of an important person in the history of Islam, the niece of the Prophet Muhammad. Her refusal to betray her uncle and her father made it possible for them to escape Mecca in the seventh century.)

Origin: (Arabic)

Pronunciation: (aa-ZMAA- or AA-ZMaa)

Gender: Female

I saw this name as the name of the First Lady of Syria when I was watching CNN. I like the meaning it is very powerful and strong. It's beautiful but the pronunciation sounds to some a bit like Asthma. I love Arabic names but I rarely write a novel where it would be acceptable for my character to have an Arabic name.

Lila / Lilah

Meaning: (Dark-Haired Beauty, Night, Dark Beauty, Derived from the Arabic Leila (Night, Dark Beauty) or the Persian Leila (Dark-Haired). Its use in England began with George Byon’s “The Giaour” (1813). Short form of Delilah (Hebrew) "lovelorn, seductive". Feminine form of Lyle: From the Island.)

Origin: (Indian, Arabic, Persian, Polish, Hebrew)

Pronunciation: (LIY-lə, LIE-lah, LYE-lah, lee-LAH, LEE-lah)

Gender: Female

I have had this on my list for a while but since I have added the similar meaning name Layla *See on list of posts* I decided I wasn't going to add it but I decided though a few weeks ago to add it when I heard it when I was down in St. Charles. I was in the rest room and I saw this woman who kept wrangling in her cute little toddlers, a boy and girl who were I would say a year or two apart in age. I never heard her sons name but she kept calling the little girl when she ran out the bathroom door while she was trying to wash her hands. The little girls name was Lila. It is a super cute name with beautiful meanings. It's an exotic sounding name as well. It's a bit old fashioned but making it well in the modern era.

Camry

Meaning: ("Camry" is an Anglicized phonetic transcription of the Japanese word kanmuri (冠, かんむり), meaning "crown".)

Origin: (English, Japanese)

Pronunciation: (cam-ree, Go to this site and run your cursor over the name Camry to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=camry)

Gender: Uni-Sex

A few weeks ago I went down to St. Charles, Missouri for a Jehovah's Witness District Convention. I will be adding names that I gathered over that weekend trip. When we were driving I saw more Toyota Camry cars then ever before. I wondered what Camry meant and when I learned I really liked it. I think Camry nicknamed Cam would make a good character name.

Hallie / Hallee

Meaning: (Home Ruler, From the Hall, Transferred use of the English Surname meaning “Dweller at the Hall Meadow.” The Name is derived from the Old English elements heall (Hall, Gathering Place) and Leah (Wood, Meadow, Clearing).)

Origin: (English, Old English, Greek)

Pronunciation: (hal-ee, HA-lee)

Gender: Female

I was watching a Hall Mark Movie the other day called Wild Hearts. The actress in the movie is named Hallee Hirsh. I have seen her in a lot of movies. I liked the name but was pronouncing it completely wrong, I was saying it like Holly or Hailey. So I researched it and came to like the meaning and look of it.

Emmy

Meaning: (Rival, Whole, Immense, Universal, Work, Imitating, Hardworking, Diminutive form of Emily.)

Origin: (Germanic, Gothic, Latin)

Pronunciation: (em-ee, EH-mee, EHMiy)

Gender: Female

Many of these meanings of this name are the same as Amelia *See on my list of posts.* I haven't really cared for the name Emmy in the past. Its exotic looking and sounding, short, and interesting. A well known bearer of this name is Emmy Rossum, though Emmy is her nickname name...her real first name is Emmanuelle. Still not sure it is a name I would use for a characters name but rightfully so that shouldn't and won't deter others from using it.  

Haylen

Meaning: (Nook, Hollow, Hall of Light)

Origin: (English)

Pronunciation: (HHEY-LahN, HAY-lun, HAY-len)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was watching CSI: New York and one of the minor reoccurring characters was a woman named Haylen. I think it is a super cute first name. It has decent meanings and I would love to see this name more often. I do believe this could be used on a male character as well.

Paige

Meaning: (Page, Attendant, Young Helper, Young Child, Transferred use of the English surname which is derived from the Anglo-French Page (A Page, A Boy Attendant), The name Paige, originally spelled Page, was first used as an occupational surname for people who were young servants known as "pages." The name can be traced to Middle English, and derives from the Italian paggio and ultimately from the Greek paidion or pais, meaning "boy." The surname was established in England and Ireland, as early as the 16th century. Alternatively, the surname Paige or Page may be traced to Germanic ancestry. In Germany, Page was an occupational surname for someone who sold horses. The name was derived from a Middle Low German word that meant "horse." Usage as a first name may have begun as a transference of the surname, perhaps when there were no male heirs to carry the name on, or else to simply commemorate an ancestor who held this occupation. Though the spelling Page may occasionally be used for boys, Paige is commonly considered a girl's name. A page in medieval households was usually a young boy whose service was the first step in his training as a knight. Use may possibly indicate an ancestor who was a page.)

Origin: (Middle English, French, Italian, Greek, Germanic)

Pronounciation: (PAYJ, Page)

Gender: Female

When I was in Elementary School I was picked on by a few girls (like a lot of people I suppose) anyway one of the girls Abby (I only remember her name as it was the name of a friend I later had and still have and it was a pretty easy name to remember). This girl had a baby sister named Paige. At the time I was like 8 or 9 years old when her sister was born and I thought it was a funny name. Plus at the time I thought the name was spelled Page, LOL. Now I have heard this name a few times and it's actually a name that is growing on me. It's cute, has good meanings, and is easily pronounced. It would be a cute name for a book character.

Risa

Meaning: (Sand of the Village, Gossamer of the Village, Laughter, Smile, Powerful Ruler, Also a short form of names like Marisa. Rise (rih-ZAY) is a French form made familiar in the 1950s through the 1970s by opera singer Rise Stevens.)

Origin:(Spanish, Latin, Germanic)

Pronunciation: (Ree-sah, RIY-Saa)

Gender: Female

I really like this name. It is short, easily pronounced, has great meanings and has a slight exotic look to it. It would do well in my opinion on a pretty Spanish character... a woman with flowing dark black hair, dark brown eyes and an olive complexion...think of the appearance of Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Mask of Zorro movie.

Thera

Meaning: (Harvester, Hunter, Guardian, Lustrous, Untamed, Woman from Therasia, In Mythology, this is the name of one of Amphion’s Seven Daughters, Short form of Theresa)

Origin: (Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (DH-ERaa, THEER-uh, thee-rah)

Gender: Female

I either saw this name as an actresses name or a movie character name but again can't remember as this has been on my list for a while. It's a good old fashioned interesting name. It's short and easily pronounced. I haven't really met anyone with this name nor read of a book character with this name so that may be a plus for using this name. I really like the meanings as well.

Ellis

Meaning: (My God is the Lord, My God is Jehovah, Transferred use of the surname originating from the personal name Elis, a middle English variant pf Elisha (God is Salvation), Anglicization of Elias, from Elijah. Modern use is often a transferred use of the surname. In Wales the name is used as an anglicized form of the Old Welsh name Elisud, which derives from "elus" meaning "kind, benevolent". Ellis Bell was the pseudonym used by Emily Brontë; when she first began publishing, she chose a name that could be considered masculine.)

Origin: (English, Greek, Hebrew)

Pronunciation: (EH-lis, EL-iss)

Gender: Uni-Sex

Again can't recall why I thought to research and add this name but I did so it doesn't really matter, LOL. When I see this name I think of Ellis Island in New York. It's a strong great meaning name. Sorry for the lack of description but I am distracted watching the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics. It's pretty good so far.

Odessa

Meaning: (A Long Journey, Wandering, Quest, Marine, Full of Wrath, Angry Man, Feminine form of Odysseus therefore meaning Odyssey, The Russian port of Odessa was supposedly named for "The Odyssey".)

Origin: (Greek)

Pronunciation: (oh-DEHS-ə, o-DEH-sah, oh-DESS-ah, Go to this site and run your cursor over the name Odessa to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=odessa&submit=Submit)

Gender: Female

I forget now where I first saw this name but I really like this name, its many meanings and the all around look of this name. It is unique, short, pretty, and interesting. I haven't seen this name very often which might be good for a characters name.

Surnames

Cross

Croft

Everhart

Waterman

Dark

Potter

Lochte

McGruff

Graynor

Chapin

Meaning: (Scholar, Clergyman, from a reduced form of French eschapin or Spanish chapín, a term for a light (woman’s) shoe; perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore this type of footwear or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker.)

Origin: (French, Spanish, English)

Pronunciation: (chay-pin, CHAY-pun, SHahPAEN)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was watching a Lifetime Movie about these teen girls who play Triple Dog Dare and the dares escalate. Anyway the girl who started the dare thing was named Chapin and I came to love that name a lot. It is interesting, unique and has a great look and meaning. It's a name you don't hear or see often. I think seeing this name in a contemporary modern movie that this name could fit many different genres and characters.

Firenze

Meaning: (Flower, Blossom, Is Italian and or Hungarian word for what English- Speaking people call the city Florence in Italy.)
Origin: (Hungarian, Italian)

Pronunciation: (fur-enz)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I heard and read this name the other day. It is unique looking with an interesting pronunciation. The meaning is descent and I like this name more and more each day though I don't think I would use this in any of my novels I write.