Brychan

Meaning: (Speckled, Spotted, Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in South Wales. Celtic hagiography tells us that Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach, son of Coronac, and his wife, Marchel, heiress of the Welsh kingdom of Garthmadrun (Brycheiniog), which the couple later inherited. Upon his father's death, he returned to Garthmadrun and changed its name to Brycheiniog. Brychan's name may be a Welsh version of the Irish name Broccán and that of his grandfather Coronac may represent Cormac. The Life of St. Cadoc by Lifris (c. 1100) portrays Brychan fighting Arthur, Cai and Bedivere because of King Gwynllyw of Gwynllwg's abduction of his daughter St. Gwladys from his court in Talgarth.

He is occasionally described as an undocumented saint but the traditional literature does not call him a saint, referring to him as a patriarch instead, and he has no churches named for him. A 15th-century stained glass window in the parish church at St Neot in Cornwall, supposedly depicts Brychan, seated and crowned, holding in his arms eleven children. This, however, has been described by a standard modern guide as "God with Souls in his lap". ^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brychan} Brychan is a derivative of the English Bryce.

This is a locational surname. It can be English, Scottish or Welsh. It may originate from the village of Brecon in the former county of Breconshire or Brecknockshire, East Wales, or from the village of Bracken in Yorkshire, or the town of Brechin in Tayside, Scotland. The English and Welsh origins are probably the same from the Olde English pre 5th century word "braecan", which does mean bracken. The town in Scotland is from the Olde English word "breac", a break or new arable land, and the diminutive suffix "-in"; hence "A patch of new arable land". It is also possible that for some name holders the origin is from the Gaelic O 'Breacain, meaning "a male descendant of Breacan", a personal name translating as freckled or speckled! Early examples of the surname recordings include Magister Hugh de Breychin who witnessed a confirmation by Symon Loccard in Scotland in the year 1180, whilst in Swansea in the year 1292 and then written as Sweynssaye, we have the recording of Nicholas de Brachan. In the surviving registers of the county of Yorkshire we have the recording of Mary Brecken who married John Green on June 19th 1715 at Middleton by Pickering. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ysaac de Brechyn. This was dated 1178, during the reign of King William, known as "The Lion" of Scotland", 1165 - 1214. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was often known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Brychan)

Origin: (Welsh, Gaelic, Celtic, Scottish, English)

Pronunciation: (BRIYCH-aeN)

Gender: Uni-Sex

Here is another name I can’t quite remember where I saw it but I really like it and apparently I have added quite a few Welsh names this go around which is funny as my new friend Cameron *see on list of posts* is of Welsh background, lol! Anyway this name is very interesting and I like the spelling and the meanings a lot as I love the name Bryce *see on list of posts* which this is a derivative of. Brychan has a great long history of use and for that reason it would be amazing in really older medieval historical fiction novels!  

Gwenaëlle

Meaning: (“Blessed and Generous” from Breton Gwenn “White, Fair, Blessed” and Hael “Generous”. Saint Gwenhael was a 6^th Century abbot of Brittany. Modern feminine form of Breton Gwenaël, feminine form of Gwenaël.)

Origin: (Welsh, French, Breton)

Pronunciation: (gwen-a-EL (French))

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I forget where I saw this name first but I really liked the look of it and of course it has the Gwen at the beginning as a lot of Welsh names have it and so this is a great alternative to the more common Gwen names. The meanings are very beautiful and lovely! The male original spelling has a long history of use and so I assume one could maybe get away with using this more modern feminine spelling in a historical fiction novel or I even think this would look absolutely lovely and perfect in a fantasy novel. See similar names Gwendola, Gwenllian, Gwen- Gana, Gwenora, and Gwendolyn *see all listed here on list of posts*.

Aladar

Meaning: (With Germanic roots, including Aldemar and Adalmar, from elements meaning Old and Famous, or Noble and Famous. If it's the latter, that connects Aladar to a huge family of names. Servant of Allah, Paragon of Faith, and Aladár is a variant form of the Arabic and English name Aladdin. It is also a common Roma (gypsy) name.)

Origin: (Germanic, Hungarian, Arabic)

Pronunciation: (aa-L-ahDAAR, AL-uh-dar)

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

There was a movie I liked some years back about these talking dinosaurs and one of the dinosaurs was named Aladar and just the other day my parents were watching the movie and I heard the name again and decided to add it to my list. I like the meanings a lot on this name as well as they are very regal and strong and the whole look of the name does give it a dignified look. I didn’t know it was a common Roma (gypsy) name but I can see that now as there are a few names I’ve like and used over the years that are common gypsy names but I didn’t know for a while.

With this name I can see a very handsome dark haired dark eyed character with a shady past but that has risen to a dignified position but is threatened by his past mistakes. For some reason I see this fitting into the 19^th or early 20^th Centuries better than the present era.

Noam

Meaning: ("Pleasantness, Sweetness, My Delight" and while started as the male version of the female No'omi — (English: "Naomi" or "Noemi") today it is a very common Hebrew name for both males and females alike.)

Origin: (Hebrew)

Pronunciation: (Noe-ahm, NOHM, NOH-əm, NOW-aeM)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I think I saw this as a wrestlers ring name some time ago but I can’t remember but wherever I saw it I instantly liked it. The look is unique and definitely rare and the meanings are very lovely but it has a strong look about it as well. I wouldn’t have thought it were a Hebrew name when I saw it as it looks to me as more of an Irish, Scottish or Welsh name to me. But all in all I like the look and meanings a lot and it is short and has different variant pronunciations to choose from which may help readers and authors alike.

Brandewijn

Meaning: (From Branden ‎(“to Burn, Distill”) +‎ Wijn ‎(“Wine”), A brandy, type of strong liquor distilled from wine or another alcoholic beverage.)

Origin: (Dutch, English)

Pronunciation: (Brand-Wyne, Brandy-Wyne)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I think I was looking up something to do with the name Balor *see on list of posts* and stumbled upon this one somehow. That is so cool that in Dutch this is basically in reference to Brandy. Its interesting this basically means burned wine but I’ve used other words that basically mean a type of liquor before like Sangria *see on list of posts*.

I really like the over all look of this name though as it has a very old look like it could have come from the Irish or Welsh origin rather than Dutch though really Dutch names can be old as well. I can see this as the name of a mountain in a fantasy novel or maybe the name of a brave and strong heroine who is very much as strong as any liquor, lol!

I had to look up Wijn to see the pronunciation which I found to be Wyne so I paired that with the suggested pronunciation for the first part Brande which is Brand or Brandy to create the pronunciation above under pronunciation. I prefer Brand-Wyne.

Balor

Meaning: (Sea Giant, (modern spelling: Balar) was king of named Fomorians, a group of supernatural beings. He is often described as a giant with a large eye in his forehead that wreaks destruction when opened. He has been interpreted as a god or personification of drought and blight. It is suggested that Balor comes from Common Celtic *Baleros, meaning "the Deadly One", cognate with Old Irish at-baill (Dies) and Welsh ball (Death, Plague).

He is also referred to as Balor Béimnech (Balor the smiter), Balor Balcbéimnech (Balor the strong smiter) and Balor Birugderc (Balor of the piercing eye). The latter has led to the English name Balor of the Evil Eye.)

Origin: (Celtic, Irish, Irish Mythology)

Pronunciation: (b'-lor, BAL-or)

Gender: Male

I was watching WWE wresting a few months ago and there is a wrestler with the ring name of Finn Balor and I really liked the look of the last name. When I learned about the meanings and origin it is quite a bit of a dark and destructive name but that might be what an author is looking for or maybe to name a character this whose personality is quite the opposite, who knows, so I decided to add this so that it may be able to be the perfect name for an author out there that has been looking for just the right name and hadn’t yet stumbled upon this one. It definitely has an interesting albeit disturbing history and mythology behind it.

Harleen

Meaning: (Meadow of the Hares, Within the Love of God, One Absorbed in the Lord's Love, Feminine of Harlan.)

Origin: (English, Indian, Punjabi)

Pronunciation: (HAR-leen, HHAARLiyiyN)

Gender: Female

With the movie ‘Suicide Squad’ having recently come out this name has been everywhere as it is the full first name of one of the characters in the movie, also in the comics and cartoons, Harley Quinn. Harley *see on list of posts* is a good nickname for this name. The meanings are very nice and some are very beautiful indeed! I don’t see ever using this name but it is a good name that is rarely used which I would like to see used more often in novels if used on the right character.

Airlie

Meaning: (Promise, variant of ERROL. A place name in countries including Australia, Scotland and the US, for example Airlie Beach in Queensland, Australia and Airlie Castle in Scotland.)

Origin: (Scottish, Irish)

Pronunciation: (AIR-lee, EHRLiy)

Gender: Uni-Sex

When I was looking up Harley *see on list of posts* and Harleen *see on list of posts* I came across Airlie. I think this is actually a very beautiful unique looking name and I really kind of love it a lot. The meaning is lovely and it’s very interesting this is a variant of Errol but that would be amazing if a characters father was named Errol and Airlie was used in honor of the father or maybe even the grandfather.

The pronunciation is easy enough for most but I still want to say it ARE-lee instead of AIR-lee for some reason so I might have to try and rewire my brain to take the proper pronunciation just as I will have to for Irie *see on list of posts*, lol! I can see a very proper lady being named this for some reason like, Lady Airlie or Duchess Airlie.

Irie

Meaning: (Jamaican Creole (Iyaric) derived from the phonetic representation of "Happy". Used to mean “Powerful Feelings or to describe anything that is good." Positive and Powerful, It’s All Good, Blessing, and Favor. Irie is used in the music and culture of Jamaica. The meaning is to have no worries or be at peace with everything around you. You hear the saying feeling Irie in many Reggae songs.)

Origin: (Jamaican, Japanese)

Pronunciation: (Eye-ree, IE-ree (Jamaican Patois), Ee-ree-eh (Japanese))

Gender: Uni-Sex

I have a new friend from England named Cameron *see on list of posts* and well his middle name is Irie. When I first saw the name I thought it would be pronounced like eerie like that is so eerie but it is actually eye-ree which makes sense and sounds a bit better but I still want to say eerie, again it’s my American brain that just gets stuck on a certain pronunciation and won’t give it up, lol!

It is Jamaican but I found evidence of it maybe being Japanese as well and even found a Japanese pronunciation. I really love the laid back go with the flow no worries man meanings a lot as it is so much the Jamaican vibe! I can get a very island flare alls good feel with this name and I really like that a lot! I can see a character with a very fun active no worries personality that kind of surfs and travels the world a lot! When I see it though I tend to see it as a female name but my friend is a male and has it as his middle name as I said so I am putting this here as Uni-Sex so an author can choose what gender they so choose for this character name.

All in all I really love this name a bit more each day I hear it but as of right now I don’t see any characters I have being named this and I tend to try and stay clear of certain names of friends of mine but there have been exceptions so if the right character shows themselves this may be a name that fits said character!

 

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Side note: This is my 1000^th post and I am super excited about it! This is an amazing milestone to have reached! Thank you so much to all of my followers and blog readers alike! Here is to hoping I have 1000+ more character names in me to add, lol! ;~)

Harley

Meaning: (Hare Wood (or Meadow), from the Hare's Meadow, Hare’s Clearing, The first name is from an English family name, which is itself taken from a place name. It was first used in the 19th century as a boy name.)

Origin: (Old English)

Pronunciation: (HAHR-lee, HHAARLiy)

Gender: Uni-Sex

With the movie ‘Suicide Squad’  having recently come out this name has been everywhere as it is the name or rather nickname of one of the characters in the movie, also in the comics and cartoons, Harley Quinn. I’ve mostly seen this name used for guys but I guess it would look and sound alright on a female character as well. The meanings are nice and very nature based and locational. The look of it however reminds me of the motorcycle Harley Davidson which may help an author if they are going for a rougher character and need a rougher name or one with meaning maybe to the parents who hit the open road on two wheels in their younger days or something and name they kid for that, lol!

And it has a history at least back to the 19^th Century which is nice as it can be used in a historical fiction novel at least back to that era! If used for a girl this could be a good nickname one can use for Harleen *see on list of posts* as that is the original first name of the character in the comics. If used on a male character this could be a good nickname but his full first name can be Harlan.