Shyla

Meaning: (Daughter of the Mountain, Goddess, and Hindu Mythology: One of the names of the Goddess Parvati. Variant of Sheila which is an Anglicized form of SÍLE which is an Irish form of Cecilia- Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name Caecilius, which was derived from Latin caecus "blind". Saint Cecilia was a semi-legendary 2nd- or 3rd-century martyr who was sentenced to die because she refused to worship the Roman gods. After attempts to suffocate her failed, she was beheaded. She was later regarded as the patron saint of music and musicians.

Due to the popularity of the saint, the name became common in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans brought it to England, where it was commonly spelled Cecily - the Latinate form Cecilia came into use in the 18th century.)

Origin: (Hindu, Hindi, English)

Pronunciation: (SHY-lah, SHIY-lə, SHY-la)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I saw this somewhere online when I was looking for another name. I kind of really like it. It has pretty look and is easily pronounceable. I like the meanings and the over all look of this. I do think this would be cool if maybe a sibling name could be Shiloh *see on list of posts*. I think they look and sound alike but could still be sibling names. Or maybe Shyla could be used instead of Shiloh as they sound similar until you get to the end, like LUH versus LOH. It is also a nice alternative to the variant of the name which is Cecilia *see on list of posts*. Though I’ll admit not too many will know Shyla is a variant of Cecilia, it was a surprise to me.

Cecilia

Meaning: (Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name Caecilius, which was derived from Latin caecus "blind". Saint Cecilia was a semi-legendary 2nd- or 3rd-century martyr who was sentenced to die because she refused to worship the Roman gods. After attempts to suffocate her failed, she was beheaded. She was later regarded as the patron saint of music and musicians.

Due to the popularity of the saint, the name became common in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans brought it to England, where it was commonly spelled Cecily - the Latinate form Cecilia came into use in the 18th century.)

Origin: (English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, German, Latin)

Pronunciation: (sə-SEE-lee-ə (English), sə-SEEL-yə (English), che-CHEE-lyah (Italian), the-THEE-lyah (Spanish), se-SEE-lyah (Latin American Spanish), SE-see-lee-ah (Finnish), sess-seel’yah (English))

Gender: Female

I have never been a huge fan of this name because I didn’t care for the pronunciation but since looking up Shyla *see on list of posts* and it being a variant of it I like it a bit. Though I don’t like the meaning which is a bit off putting and not at all pretty. It has an interesting look and it has an old history which would make this name an ideal name in a Historical Fiction novel. I have heard this name a few times on TV but perhaps that is why I don’t care for it either as the people named this weren’t so great, one was a killer. Though the variant spellings of this name are endless so that is kind of cool.

 

All in all it's not a name I will at present be using in any of my novels but I could see this becoming a name that winds up changing my view of it when the right character, whether book I read or one I write, comes along.

Milady

Meaning: (My Lady)

Origin: (English, French)

Pronunciation: (MAHLAHDIY, MEE-lady, Go to this site and run your cursor over the name Milady to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=milady )

Gender: Female

I first saw this as the name of Milady de Winter from the Three Musketeers. I think it is an interesting and pretty name / title. I don’t see this being widely used but I could see this perhaps being used in a fun and creative way in perhaps a science fiction novel or maybe a Steam Punk novel. I would love to see where this may be used.

Gwenllian

Meaning: (Derived from the Welsh elements Gwen "white, fair, blessed, holy" and Llian "flaxen". The name has sometimes been taken to mean 'white foam' in reference to a pale complexion. It was borne by 12th-century Welsh royalty. This name was popular among medieval Welsh royalty. It was borne by the 14th-century daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.)

Origin: (Welsh)

Pronunciation: (gwehn-LEE-an, Gwen-HLEE-an, Gwenllian is pronounced in three syllables Gwen-Lli-Ann. The letter ‘LL’ is not in the English language but ‘Lli’ pronounced sounds a little like ‘Key’.)

Gender: Female

I had been looking for old Welsh royalty names and I came across this one and I absolutely love it. The histories of the people named this are quite interesting and some are a bit sad really. This is an absolutely beautiful name with lovely beautiful meanings. I have yet to find a character befitting this name but I hope some day to find a character to name this. Since it is a Welsh name it is often pronounced way different than an English speaker can pronounce similar in ways to Irish names, the above pronunciations are most likely watered down English versions based on the look of the name. However give me the English version any day.

Gwenllian is pronounced in three syllables Gwen-Lli-Ann. The letter ‘LL’ is not in the English language but ‘Lli’ pronounced sounds a little like ‘Key’. http://www.welshgirlsnames.co.uk/gwenllian/

 

Do take a look at the below links as they are quite interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwenllian_ferch_Gruffydd

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwenllian_of_Wales

Thornton

Meaning: (Town of Thorns, Thorn-Bush Settlement, Thorn variants are English surnames occasionally used as given names. Place name given as a given name since 19^th Century, Author Thornton Wilder.

This interesting surname is of Olde English and occasionally Scottish, pre 7th century origins. It is locational and northern, being from any of the several places called Thornton in counties of Lancashire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, or from the lands of Thornton in the Mearns, Scotland. Wherever found the name derives from the words "thorn" meaning a thorn bush or hedge, and "tun", an enclosure or settlement. In this case the word "thorn" is believed to have defensive implications, thorn hedges being deliberately grown around fortified positions both to keep would be raiders out, and the owners cattle in. Locational names were frequently given to the local lord of the manor, as in the first recording below, but more usually were "from" names. That is to say names given to people after they left their original homes, to move elsewhere. Early interesting recordings suggest that the name was spelt Thorntowne in Scotland as late as the year 1609, and that a number of Scottish merchants of the name settled in the state of Prussia, the spelling being recorded there as Dornthon in 1644. Other recordings include Henry Thornton in the Freemans rolls of the city of Canterbury. Kent, in 1362, whilst three centuries later in April 1635, Walter Thornton and his wife, Joanna, left the port of London, England, on the ship "Suzan and Ellin" bound the colony of Virginia. They were amonst the first to settle in the new colony. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Beatrice de Thornton. This was dated 1202, in the "Fine Court Rolls" of the county of Yorkshire, during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Thornton )

Origin: (Old English, Gaelic, Scottish)

Pronunciation: (THORN-ten, THOHRN-tən, THAWRN- tən)

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

I saw this used as a first name on Author Thornton Wilder and really liked it and added it to my list for this blog. I forget where I saw his name but looking at pictures of him he looks like a pretty interesting fellow. I love the meanings and the very long historical use even if that was just as a surname (last name). I think this would make an amazing first name in a Fantasy or Science-Fiction novel. It’s rough but also nature based in a way. The look is nice and the pronunciation is easy.

Ichabod

Meaning: (No Glory, Where is the Glory, Son of Phinehas born after the death of Phinehas; brother of Ahitub; grandson of High Priest Eli. The name Ichabod, given to him by his dying mother while giving birth, signified that glory had gone away from Israel in view of the capture of the Ark and the deaths of Phinehas and Eli.—1Sa 4:17-22; 14:3. )

Origin: (Hebrew, Biblical)

Pronunciation: (IK-ə-bahd (English))

Gender: Male

I was watching Sleepy Hollow the other day, the one movie with Johnny Depp. Ichabod Crane investigates the Sleepy Hollow murders / beheadings in both the movie and Washington Irving’s short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820). I think the name though the meaning isn’t so great is an interesting name. It looks really cool and is fun to say actually. Since it isn’t used much to my knowledge it would be interesting to see where an author might take it if they name their character this. It would be even cooler if used in the modern era as that would seem kind of out of place but cool because of the antiquity of this name.

Dahlia

Meaning: (From the Valley, Flower named for 18^th Century Swedish Botanist Anders Dahl.)

Origin: (Norse, Swedish, Scandinavian, English)

Pronunciation: (DAH-lee-ə, DAL-yah, DAL-yə)

Gender: Female

I had a character name come to me and the first name is Dahlia with the nickname Dahl pronounced like Doll. I don’t know who the character will be but I loved the name and so I decided to add it to my blog. Also if you go to my Book Worm Blog you’ll see that I made a Purple Dahlia Barrette and I put pictures of it on there, here: http://tabularasacoker.blogspot.com/2015/05/take-look-at-my-purple-dahlia-flower.html

The flower itself is beautiful and the name has an interesting history of use, especially with The Black Dahlia reference to the mysteries brutal murder of Elizabeth Short in 1947 Los Angeles. Because of the murder and such the name sometimes can be seen as a negative but since so much times has passed I think maybe the younger generation won’t have heard of it much, if at all.

Altaira

Meaning: (Bird, High Flying, Flying Eagle, In Astronomy Altair is a star of the first Magnitude, it is the brightest star in the Aquilla Constellation. This constellation forms the shape of an Eagle and appears in the Fall.)

Origin: (Arabic, Latin)

Pronunciation: (al-TARE-ah, AOLTEHIHRAH)

Gender: Female

I used this as the name of an exceptionally beautiful woman from a race of people from another planet that help one of my characters give birth to her child, the child that will change the lives of people on two warring worlds. This is a beautiful name with an other world feel which is why I chose it. It has lovely meanings and just looks so beautiful. I wouldn’t mind seeing this name used more often but not so much that it looses its unique rareness.  

Elwendia

Meaning: (El: From a Semitic word meaning "god", perhaps originally derived from a root meaning "power". This was the name of the chief Semitic god, the father of the gods and mankind. In some cases it was used as a title and applied to other gods of the pantheon. It was used by the Hebrews to refer to Yahweh. Wendia: Variant of Wendy, Family, and Wanderer.)

Origin: (Dutch, English, German, Eastern Mythology)

Pronunciation: (EL-win-dee-uh, EL: ELLE Wendia: WEHNDIYAH)

Gender: Female

I decided to use this name as the name of one of my characters in a future novel; the character will be the daughter of one of my main characters named Toriel. The characters are Elves and I think it works wonderfully as an Elf name. The meanings are decent and seems a pretty name.

 

 

Maksim

Meaning: (The Greatest, Wonderful, Charming, Magical, Handsome, God Miracle Maker, Russian, Belarusian and Macedonian form of MAXIMUS, as well as a variant transliteration of Ukrainian MAKSYM. Variant of Maxim, Variant of Maximilian: Three Roman Emperors and various Saints.)

Origin: (Russian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Latin, Hebrew, Roman)

Pronunciation: (mahk-SEEM (Russian), MAX-im, Mah-KS-IYM)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I really love the look of this name and I love the various meanings and variant names that it comes from. I however love the pronunciation MAX-im better but I do see it being mahk-SEEM much more often. Though I love it I can see the variants, Maximus, Maxim, and Maximilian, being much more popular. If I were to have a character I would probably go with Maxim as it seems to be a hot person’s name. But I love Maksim’s unique look and it has a very foreign sexiness to it.

Hanley

Meaning: (From the High Meadow, High Wood Clearing, Place Name, shortened form of O’Hanley, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÁinle ‘descendant of Áinle’, a personal name meaning ‘champion’. This is the name of a ruling family in Connacht; it is now common in southern Ireland. English: habitational name from any of various places, such as Handley in Cheshire, Derbyshire. Northamptonshire, and Dorset and Hanley in Staffordshire and Worcestershire, all from Old English hean, the weak dative case (originally used after a preposition and article) of heah ‘high’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’, or from Handley Farm in Clayhanger, Devon, which is named from Old English han ‘(boundary) stone’ + leah.)

Origin: (English, Old English, Irish)

Pronunciation: (HHAENLiy, HAN-lee)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I forget where I first saw this name but I kind of like it. It does however feel like a name that will be easily forgotten. I do see a country character that is rough around the edges but is still a lovable character loved by other characters in novel. I see this name as more of a secondary character kind of name though. Though I also think it might be more memorable and likable as a last name. The meanings are very nice and it has a nice long history of use which would make this a good name to use in a historical fiction novel.