Syntyche

Meaning: (With Fortune (Success), Common Fate)

Origin: (Biblical, Ancient Greek)

Pronunciation: (SIN-tə-kee (English))

Gender: Female

I was reading an article in The Watchtower magazine at my religious meeting not long ago and it was talking about the conflict between two biblical women Euodia *see on list of posts* and Syntyche. When I saw the names I was like those are so interesting but kind of pretty in the same respect. They have such amazing gorgeous meanings and they are rare but unique and it gives an amazing charm. Syntyche is a little harder to wrap my mind around and pronounce as well but it is very lovely and ethereal in a way. However it would be harder on a reader but then again I’ve seen worse names in novels before and at least this one has a sound solid foundation and history.  

Joanne

Meaning: (God is Gracious, Joanne (alternate spellings Joann, Jo Ann, Johann, Johanne, Jo-Ann, Jo-Anne) is a common given name for females, being a variant of Joanna, the feminine form of John; derived from the Latin name Johanna with the meaning in Hebrew of "God is gracious". In Northern Ireland of 1975, "Joanne" was the most frequently used name for female newborns, though by the early years of the 21st Century, the name had declined in popularity so that it could not be counted among the twenty most frequently used.

Sometimes in modern English Joanne is reinterpreted as a compound of the two names Jo and Anne, and therefore given a spelling like JoAnne, Jo-Anne, or Jo Anne. However, the original name Joanna in ancient Greek and Latin is a single unit, not a compound. The names Hannah, Anna, Anne, Ann are etymologically related to Joanne just the same: they are derived from Hebrew חַנָּה Ḥannāh 'grace' from the same verbal root meaning 'to be gracious'.

In the United Kingdom, its popularity peaked during the 1970s, when it was frequently among the 10 most popular female names. However, by the 1980s it had fallen out of the top 10 and by 1994 it wasn't even in the top 100.)

Origin: (Ancient Greek, Latin, English, French, Hebrew)

Pronunciation: (Joh-AN, Jo-AN (English), zho-AN (French))

Gender: Female           

I have used this name as the name of a governess of my main character before in one of my Historical Fiction Novellas. I also came to like it in the Hunger Games movies. The meaning is very nice and it has a long history of use and many different spelling options. Though a common name by most people it has fallen out of use in the recent era so you are probably not liable to hear of a lot of kids in school with this name if you’re thinking of this as a baby name. As for a character name it is very nice but I still see this as a secondary characters name but it would do well no matter how prominent the characters role is in their story.

Evadne

Meaning: (Good Fortune, Well, Good, Pleasing One, From Greek Ευαδνη (Euadne), which is of unknown meaning, though the first element is derived from Greek ευ (eu) "good". In Greek legend Evadne was the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body. The name has been used among English speakers since the 17th century.)

Origin: (Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology, Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (eh-VAA-Dneh, iy-VAEDNiy, ee-VAD-nee, ee-VOD-neh)

Gender: Female

I was watching one of those real life crime shows and one of the ladies daughters was named a name similar to this but spelled just a little differently. When I heard it and looked it up this spelling seemed most popular and I instantly liked it. I keep thinking though that I’ve seen or heard this name before or even used it on a character but for the life of me I can’t remember and can’t find any proof to back it up. It’s a beautiful name with a lovely pronunciation. The meanings are divine and the Greek Legend is very interesting if not a bit morbid and sad. It has a nice history of use.

Sophronia

Meaning: (Wise, Sensible, Prudent, feminine form of Sophronius. Torquato Tasso used it in his epic poem ’Jerusalem Delivered’ (1580), in which it is borne by the lover of Olinde.)

Origin: (Ancient Greek, Literature)

Pronunciation: (so-FRON-ee-a, so-FRON-ya, soph-ro-NEE-ah, sof-Roan-ia, so-FRON-yah)

Gender: Female

This was an older name I found on a list and I found it interesting. It has a different look to it and the meanings are very lovely. It also has a long history of use and it is very beautiful really. I could see Sophie being a nickname, just in my mind as this is a tad bit of a long name. I would be very intrigued though to see where an author might take a character named this. The vastly different ways to pronounce this name could be confusing though.

Eos

Meaning: (Dawn, This was the name of the Greek Goddess of the Dawn, Roman equivalent of Aurora. In Greek Mythology, Eos is a Titaness and the Goddess of the Dawn, who rose each morning from her home at the edge of the Oceanus.)

Origin: (Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek)

Pronunciation: (EE-aws (English), E-os (Ancient Greek), IYaoS)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was watching 2011’s syfy movie Red Faction: Origins, the other day and saw this name. It was the name of one of the towns. It is a simple yet beautiful name. I am also thinking of using this name as a race name for one of my future novels. The meanings are lovely and the mythology is interesting. It is also a nice alternative for those that don’t like the name Aurora.  

Zenon

Meaning: (From Zeus, Gift of Zeus, Hospitable, Guest, Host, Variant of Zenas and Zeno.)

Origin: (Greek, Ancient Greek, Polish, French, Spanish, German)

Pronunciation: (ZE-nawn, ZEHNaoN)

Gender: Female, Possible Uni-Sex

When I was younger I loved the Disney movies Zenon: Girl of the 21^st Century, Zenon: the Zequel, and Zenon: Z3. It was movies based off a book series about an adventurous always gets into trouble girl who lives on a space station. Her name is Zenon. I always thought it fit in a futuristic setting but actually the name is old fashioned. I think the meanings are really lovely.

Tycho

Meaning: (Greek name Τυχων (Tychon) meaning "hitting the mark". This was the name of a Greek saint. The name was borne by the 5th-century Saint Tychon (-450), who opposed the worship of Aphrodite on Cyprus, and later by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (Tyge Ottesen Brahe, 1546-1601), famed for his accurate planetary observations. Variant forms of the name include the Russian Tikhon, the Scandinavian Tyge, and the Scandinavian Tyko.)

Origin: (Ancient Greek, Latin, Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (TIE-ko, TAYKow)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was watching a sci-fi movie the other day set in the far future. One of the characters was named Tycho and I learned when resereaching the names from the movie that many were ancient names that sounded like they could fit in the future. So I suppose that is why they used them. This name is strong and has a nice meaning and interesting history.

Ariadne

Meaning: (Very Holy One, Chaste, Devout, Most Holy, Derived from the elements ari (very, much) and nos (holy). Is a name borne in Greek Mythology by King Minos daughter, who gave a thread to Theseus, which enabled him to escape from the labyrinth and the Minotaur, but she was later abandoned by Theseus. Eventually she married the god Dionysus, and when she passed away as mortals do she became a constellation. Name of a Byzantine Empress from Late 5th Century. Saint Ariadne of Phrygia (Second Century) was a slave who became a martyr.)

Origin: (Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology, English)

Pronunciation: ( arr-ee-ADD-nay, a-ree-AD-nee, ah-ree-AHD-nee, ah-ree-AD-nee, Go to this site and run your cursor over the name Ariadne to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=ariadne&submit=Submit)

Gender: Female

I was looking at Greek names the other day and came across this name which I though of adding to this blog. I really loved the name but then I realized this wasn't the first time I had seen the name because upon editing one of my novels a few days later I saw I had used this name on a very minor character already and forgot. The meaning is beautiful and it has an interesting history of the bearers of this name in both mythology and real life. See as this name is an older name it could be used in a great many genres and eras as well. A nickname option could be Aria which is beautiful on it's own *Aria is on my list of posts*.

Praxis

Meaning: (Practical, Another name for the goddess Aphrodite.)

Origin: (Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology)

Pronunciation: (PRAX-sis, Go to this site and run your cursor over Praxis to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=praxis&submit=Submit)

Gender: Uni-sex

I saw this on the T.V Series Sanctuary it was the name of the City in Hollow Earth. The name grew on me but now I love it. I am considering making this part of my Pen Name. Most people think of the Praxis Exams, the exams people take to be certified a teacher. It would work as a character name in maybe a modern mythology novel or in a fantasy/sci-fi novel as well.