Bassey

Meaning: (Short, Little God, Bassey is a form of the English name Bass.)

Origin: (Old French, English, Nigerian, African)

Pronunciation: (BAES-EE)

Gender: Female

My list is backed up for a while so I am finally getting to these names. Back during NaNoWriMo 2015 I had posted about it and a fellow blogger Apolla 13 commented about her experience with it and then told me a bit about the story she chose to write about. So for all of my posts for March I will be doing some of the names of her characters for the story she wrote for NaNoWriMo 2015 as I really like many of these names and have yet to add them so I am adding them now.

This name reminds me of the name Massey and has decent meanings. As for the pronunciation I looked up Bass and got BAES and then I added the EE as I know this name would end that way as it is basically like Massey but with a B instead of M at the beginning. Bassey seems more like a nickname to me then a real full first name unlike the name Massey. Bassey looks like it should be a nickname for the full name Elizabeth *see on list of posts* as some nicknames for Elizabeth have been names like Bess. However Elizabeth and Bassey are not connected as far as I can tell.

I can see a rag-tag street urchin like girl character with this name. I can see her wind up hob-knobbing with the rich and famous after getting a rich patron to take her in. I can see a defiant, strong willed, sassy and brassy like character when I see this name.

Rydell

Meaning: (Horseman, Rider, Variant of Ryder.)

Origin: (English, Scandinavian, African)

Pronunciation: (RYE-dell, RIHDahl)

Gender: Uni-Sex

Reminds me of Rydell High in movie Grease. I was watching something about a new band of all siblings and the only girl was named Rydell. It’s a lovely name in my opinion. It is a variant of Ryder *see on list of posts.* It doesn’t seem to look alike but it is and if you don’t like one you can always use the other one for a characters name. It seems a punk like name, like it could fit on a bad boy or bad girl character that is very punkish.

Sanaa

Meaning: (Brilliance, Radiance, Splendor, Beauty, Work of Art, Praise to God, Praiseworthy)

Origin: (African, Swahili, Sanskrit, Arabic, Hindi)

Pronunciation: (sa-NAH, sa-NAAa)

Gender: Female

I was watching the movie AVP: Alien vs Predator the other day and the actress in the movie her name is Sanaa. It looks foreign but pretty and the meanings are wonderful. It is a name that is rare so that might actually be interesting if I saw it in a book. I can see a character of unmatched beauty and grace named this.

Nala or Nahla

Meaning: (Nala: Stem, Hollow Reed, Successful, Olive, Queen, Gift. Nahla: A Draught, A Drink Of, Drink of Water.)

Origin: (African, Swahili, Sanskrit, Latin, Arabic)

Pronunciation: (Nah-lah, NAH-lə)

Gender: Female

Now Nala is said to be a variant of Nahla but as you see there meanings are very different and Nahla is said to be mainly from Arabic origin and Nala of African origin. Either way they seem to have the same pronunciation and look. Oh what a difference one little letter can make, lol. I was watching The Lion King the other day as it was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. The lioness that was friends with Simba and later his mate was named Nala. I love the way it is pronounced and how it looks and the meaning. As for using this as a character name I think this name can work for an exotically pretty character.

Zara or Zarah

Meaning: (Radiance, Shining, Flower, Blossoming Flower, Splendor, Dawn, Yahweh has Remembered, Princess, Lady, Literary name often used for exotic characters. It was first introduced to English speakers via literature, used by William Congreve for the name of an African queen in his tragedy The Mourning Bride (1697). It appeared again shortly after, as the title of the play Zara (1735), Aaron Hill's translation of Volaire's tragedy Zaïre (1733). The first name was however rarely used till the mid-20th century. It was later chosen by Princess Anne and Mark Philips of Britain for their daughter Zara Philips (1981-); the departure from royalty naming convention generated much discussion then. Their choice of the name did not boost its popularity until Zara Philips became famous in her own right in recent times. The trendy Spanish clothing retailer Zara (1975-) could have also increased the adoption of the name.)

Origin: (Arabic, Hebrew, African, Swahili)

Pronunciation: (ZR-ah, ZAERah, ZAH-rə)

Gender: Female

This is a name that can be substituted for Sara or Sarah. As you see under meanings it has been used often in literature and more for an exotic character. It is a beautiful name with a lovely meaning.

Layla

Meaning: (Dark Beauty, Born at Night, Night Beauty, Night, Intoxication, Wine, This was the name of the object of romantic poems written by the 7th-century poet known as Qays. The story of Qays and Layla became a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song 'Layla' by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.)

Origin: (Arabic, African, Swahili, English)

Pronunciation: (Lay lah)

Gender: Female

I like Layla I first heard it on T.V on WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) Raw. One of the Divas was named Layla. After that I saw and heard it a few other places. I like the meaning a lot. For a character I think if works for someone of an exotic look or having a Bohemian appearance... very free and flighty, go with the flow sort of Gypsy like.