Theobald

Meaning: (People, Race, Bold, Brave, God, Derived from the Germanic elements Theud "People" and Bald "Bold". The Normans brought the name to England, where it joined an existing Old English cognate. The medieval forms Tibald and Tebald were commonly Latinized as Theobaldus. It was rare by the 20th century.

The Latinized form was recorded in the 11th century Domesday Book. The name was borne by Theobald of Bec (-1161), an archbishop of Canterbury; he was of Norman origin. Medieval forms of the name include Tebald, Tedbald, Tibert, and Tybalt. The form Tybalt or Tibert was known as the name of the cat in the French folklore Reynard the Fox, thus giving rise to the nicknames Tibs and Tibby being used for cats. The form Tybalt was later used by Shakespeare for the name of Juliet's cousin in Romeo and Juliet (1595).

Recorded in over one hundred forms ranging from Theobald, Tudball and Dyball in England, to Thibald, Thibaud and Thibout in France, Thibou in Belgian, Theobald, Thibaut, and Diebald in Germany, Tibold in Hungary, and many more, this interesting surname is of pre 7th century Germanic origins. It derives from the the elements "theudo", meaning people, and "bald"- bold or brave, and as such was a very popular name in the period of history known as 'The dark ages'. The personal name and the subsequent surname of the 12th century is believed to have been introduced into England by followers of William, The Conqueror, after the Norman Invasion of 1066, and it was in that country where the earliest examples of the surname recording are to be found. Examples of the recordings illustrating the hereditary surname development include: Hugo Tebaud, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Lincolnshire in the year 1202; William Theobald, in the court rolls known as the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1250, and Simon Tebalde in the register of Ramsey Abbey, in 1255. In Germany Stammfolge Theopolt was recorded in Hildburghausen in 1420, Thiebaud von Worms in 1435, and Christoph Theobald of Rudolstadt in 1529. Examples taken from early surviving English church registers include: the marriage of Francis Theobald and Judith Conquest on February 20th 1622, at St. Dunstan's in the East, Stepney, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere in the world is believed to be that of: Tomas Teobald. This was dated 1199, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Gloucestershire, England. This was during the reign of the famous King Richard 1st of England, known as "Coeur de Leon", 1189 - 1199. 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/Theobald )

Origin: (English (Rare), Ancient Germanic, French)

Pronunciation: (THEE-ə-bawld (English), DHIY-owBaoLD)

Gender: Male

I was watching a movie the other day and I’m not sure if the character had this spelling but when they said his name I saw it in my head as this spelling so I added it to my list. The meanings are strong and the look of the name is old fashioned but is handsome and brave looking as well. I really like this name a little more each day.

Integrity

Meaning: (One who is Truthful; Of Good Character, the Quality of being Honest and having Strong Moral Principles, Moral Uprightness.)

Origin: (English, English (Rare), American)

Pronunciation: (ihNTEHGRAHTiy)

Gender: Female

I saw this word when I was driving and saw a billboard that said Integrity Hills and I was like that’s gorgeous and I wonder if it could be used as a name. This is a virtue that is a rare name unlike other virtue names like Honor, Serenity, Justice, Prudence, Chastity, Mercy, Felicity, Truly (pretty rare too), Clarity (pretty rare too), Cherish (pretty rare too), and Harmony *see all these on list of posts*. I love the meanings. Also since one of the bearers of the name Aristides *see on list of posts* was said to be just and was renowned for his Integrity it would be cool if Aristides was paired somehow with the name Integrity.

Levada / Lavada

Meaning: (Levada is an irrigation channel or aqueduct specific to the Portuguese island of Madeira.)

Origin: (Portuguese, English (Rare))

Pronunciation: (leh-VAY'-duh, leh-vah-duh)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was watching a TV show about islands of the world that are improving the world with green technologies and one of the islands I saw on the one show was about the Portuguese island of Madeira *see on list of posts*. On the island they have a series of irrigation canals called a Levada. I think they are not only ingenious but very pretty and seem to enhance the islands unique flare. As a name I think it would be very cool if used in reference to these canals or maybe the characters parents might have a connection to the islands and the Levada irrigation canals. It’s a unique pretty name!

Amethyst

Meaning: (Jewel. A purple or violet gemstone. Also 'Against intoxication.' According to ancient Greek superstition an amethyst protected its owner against the effects of strong drink.)

Origin: (Greek, English (Rare))

Pronunciation: (A-mə-thist, AM-ə-thist, go to this link and run your cursor over the name Amethyst to hear how it is said: http://howjsay.com/pronunciation-of-amethyst )

Gender: Female

The real first name of rapper Iggy Azalea, she was born Amethyst Kelly. I hadn’t thought to add this gem name until I saw it was Iggy Azaleas real name and then I started to see it as a name. It goes well with other gem / jewel names, Opal *see on list of posts*, Beryl *see on list of posts*, Emerald or Esmeralda *see on list of posts*, Sapphire *see on list of posts*, Ruby, Pearl, Jade *see on list of posts*, Peridot *see on list of posts*, Olivine *see on list of posts*, Ambra *see on list of posts*, and Carnelian/Cornelian *see on list of posts*.

I think this is an interesting rarely used gem name and I like it for that quality. Also Amethysts are very beautiful gems. I think it would be amazing if the character is named Amethyst upon birth because her eyes are purple to violet like an Amethyst gem. I also like the Greek thought that Amethysts would protect the wearer from the effects of strong drink. All in all I really like this name and would like to see it used a bit more but not so much so that it becomes over used like some gem names.

Leith

Meaning: (River, Harbor, Water, Wet, Damp, Broad River, Lion, This intriguing name is of medieval Scottish origin and is locational from the coastal town of Leith near Edinburgh, which takes its name from the river at whose mouth it stands, and is derived from the Gaelic 'lite' meaning wet, and is comparable to the Welsh 'llaith', damp or moist. There are reported to be three fables as to the origin of the Leiths, the first being that they held the barony of Restalrig, secondly, that they were burgesses of Edinburgh, who gave their name to Leith Wynd, and thirdly, that the founder of the family of Leith of Harthill, in the parish of Oyne, was William de Lethe, burgess of Aberdeen. The following examples illustrate the name development after 1342; Laurence de Leth (1388), Robert de Leithe (1406), Leithe (1641), James Leith married Christian Watson on December 27th 1670 at Canongate, Midlothian. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gilbert of Leth, which was dated 1327, Edinburgh, Scotland, during the reign of King Robert 1, 'The Bruce', 1306-1329. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as 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/Leith )

Origin: (Scottish, Celtic, Gaelic, English (Rare), Arabic)

Pronunciation: (Liy-TH)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I saw this name on a fellow bloggers blog, Apolla13. I think this is a really cool name. It reminds me of the name Leif though the meanings and origins are far different; I knew a guy in High School named Leif. I really love the meanings and for anyone looking for a water meaning name then look no further for this name is chockfull of water meanings. It has an interesting history and is even a town and river in Scotland. It seems a nice old name with many different variants.

To me I think this would work best in a Fantasy or Sci-Fi novel as it has that historical look but with an elfish or time travelers kind of look which is odd for me to see but I do see it. Not to say this couldn’t work in the modern era or even a Historical Fiction novel. Also would look good in a romance novel as this is an attractive name, I can see a gorgeous club owner in circa 1920’s New Orleans being named this, lol, very specific there!

Anima / Animas

Meaning: (Infinite Smallness, Minuteness, Soul, Spirit, Hindi name derived from writings on yoga. In yoga texts, this is the name of the ability to make oneself infinitely small so to be invisible. Also refers to a petite and especially feminine physique. In Jungian psychology the anima is an individual's true inner self, or soul.)

Origin: (Sanskrit, Spanish, Latin, Hindi, English (Rare))

Pronunciation: (AN-i-mə, AENihMAH, Animas: ON-ee-mas)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

A few months back a river in Colorado went yellow after contamination of waste from an old gold mine and the river was named this. The contamination was an awful accident and probably will leave lasting effects to the area but it was kind of interesting looking but a sad state of affairs for the EPA.

The name is pretty and the meanings are interesting and lovely. The name does look like you are trying to spell Animal but left off the L at the end or for Animas left off L and added an S.

I have used Anima as the name of some woods in one of my stories I am currently writing. My character finds something in the woods that no one thought could exist for someone twice and so it seemed to be about the heart or soul so I thought this name fit that quite well. I know my description is odd and lacking but I am not getting into the long story that I am writing as I am tweaking it as I am writing so ideas may change but I am keeping Anima as the name of the woods in the story.

Doria

Meaning: (Of the Sea, Gift, Bountiful, Of the Dorian Tribe, Feminine form of Dorian: Of Doris, a District of Greece; or of Dores, a legendary Greek Hero.)

Origin: (Greek, English (Rare))

Pronunciation: (DOR-ee-ah, DAOERiy-aa)

Gender: Female

I was watching a rerun of CSI: Miami and one of the little girls who had to watch her mom die was named Doria and I really like the name but not that story line so much. I love any name with Dora in it, Dorabella *see on list of posts*, Andorra *see on list of posts*, Endora *see on list of posts*, and Adorabella or Adorabelle *see on list of posts*.

The meanings are beautiful and lovely. I think this is a lovely name and a bit of a shortening on Dora but with the same charm and would make a great nickname for any name with Dora in it.

Juniper

Meaning: (Juniper Bush, Taken from the name of a small evergreen shrub bearing berries used in flavoring gin. Either in reference to the English common name for the juniper tree or berry, or in reference to a derivation of the Welsh name Guinevere. Juniper has historically been used as both a boys' name and a girls' name. The Juniper tree's name is derived from the Latin word juniperus. In Latin, juniperus is combination of the word junio, which means young, and parere, to produce, hence youth producing, or evergreen. Ginepro (Italian for Juniper), Ginevra (Italian variant form of Juniper), and Ginny are other names that also refer to the Juniper tree. During the Renaissance era, Junipers were  used symbolically in art to represent chastity.)

Origin:  (Latin, Welsh, English (Rare), English Nature Name)

Pronunciation: (JOO-ni-per, JOON-ə-pər, JHUW-Nay-P-er)   

Gender: Female

I was thinking about adding this the other day. I have added Geneva which has a root in Juniper. I think Juniper is a super cute name. It’s a nature name that I really like that isn’t used too often.

Kestrel

Meaning: (Type of small Falcon, From the name of the bird of prey, Ultimately derived from Old French Crecelle “Rattle”, which refers to it’s cry)

Origin: (Old French, English (Rare))

Pronunciation: (KES-truhl, KES-trəl, KES-trel, KEHSTRahL)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

When looking up the name Kestra I saw it was a variant of Kestrel. So I decided to add Kestrel. It has a good strong meaning and is unique and rare. This name has been used quite a few times in books and movies but still remains a not over used name. It has been used more in sci-fi / fantasy novels.

Azalea

Meaning: (Dry, Dry Earth, From the name of the flower, ultimately derived from Greek αζαλεος (azaleos) "dry". Flower name of a shrub that flourishes in dry soil and blooms in spring. First coined in the 18th century.)

Origin: (English (Rare), English Nature Name, Greek)

Pronunciation: (ah-ZAY-lee-ə, ə-ZAY-lee-ə, ə-ZAYL-yə, a-ZAYL-yah)

Gender: Female

I was on Yahoo Answers a few weeks ago and this person was asking about naming one of there princesses in there story Azalea. They were also asking about Amaryllis *see on list of posts.* So I have seen this plant name used as a name before but never really gave it much thought. Now I have started to think about it and I like the name so I have decided to use it as one of my characters middle names. It is a name you don’t really hear too often and the meaning is decent. It’s a nice nature name and really quite pretty. I would love to see this name used in more stories but not so many that it becomes over used and boring.

Sequoia

Meaning: (Sparrow, Large Tree, Giant Redwood Tree, Tallest Tree on Earth and one of the longest lived, From the name of huge trees that grow in California. The tree got its name from the Cherokee scholar Sequoya (also known as George Guess), the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet.)

Origin: (Native American, English (Rare), English Nature Name)

Pronunciation: (se-KWOH-yə, sə-KOI-ə, seh-KWOY-ah, Go to this site and run your cursor over the name Sequoia to hear how it is pronounced: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=sequoia )

Gender: Female

I was watching a show on TV the other day and the persons name was Sequoia. I think it is a beautiful, powerful name. There is an interesting history behind the name of the Sequoia tree. It's a beautiful nature name.

Bronte

Meaning: (Thunder, The Sound of Thunder, From a surname, an Anglicized form of Irish O’ Proinntigh meaning “Descendent of Proinnteach.” The given name Proinnteach meant “bestower” in Gaelic. Most famously known as the last name of Charlotte, Anne, and Emily- 19^th Century English Novelists.)

Origin: (Teutonic, English (Rare), Greek, Gaelic)

Pronunciation: (Bron-tay, BRAHN-tay, BRAHN-tee)

Gender: Uni-Sex

One of my favorite classical writers is Charlotte Bronte. I never thought Bronte would be good as a first name but the other day I was watching this show on T.V and this ladies name was Bronte. After researching the name I came to really like it as a first name. The meaning is good and it looks nice and is easily pronounced.

Peony

Meaning: (Praise Giving, Flower Name, As a Chinese name motif, the Peony signifies riches and honor. The Peony is named after Paeon (also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greek God of Medicine and Healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil. Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the Peony flower. It was originally believed to have healing qualities, so it was named after the Greek Medical God Paeon.)

Origin: (English (Rare), Greek, English Nature Name)

Pronunciation: (PEE-a-nee, PEE-ah-nee, PAY-uh-nee, Go to this site and run your cursor of the name Peony to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=peony+&submit=Submit)

Gender: Female

I used to not like this flower name but recently I keep hearing it and I do like the meaning and history behind the name. I also think Peony flowers are pretty. This could work if you are looking for a rarely used flower name for a character.

Crispin

Meaning: (Curly Haired, From the Roman cognomen Crispinus which was derived from the name CRISPUS. Saint Crispin was a 3rd-century Roman who was martyred with his twin brother Crispinian in Gaul. They are the patrons of shoemakers. They were popular saints in England during the Middle Ages, and the name has occasionally been used since that time.)

Origin: (Latin, English(Rare)

Pronunciation: (KRIS-pin)

Gender: Male

I forget where I first saw this name but I really came to like it. It is a very Crisp name, LOL. It is an older name so it could be used in most any era. It has a good look and sound to it.

Avalon

Meaning: (Apple Tree, Island of Apples, Celtic mythology: Avalon is an island paradise. In Arthurian legend, it is the island where King Arthur took refuge after his final defeat, and whence he will reappear. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh afal meaning "apple", a fruit which was often linked with paradise.)

Origin: (Celtic, Welsh, English (Rare)

Pronunciation: (AV-a-lahn, AV-ə-lahn, Go to this site and run your cursor over Avalon to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=avalon&submit=Submit)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I really love the meaning and look of this name. I have quite a few names on my blog which were in the Arthurian Legend. I think this name is unique and I would love to see an Author use this name in there novel.

Lavender

Meaning: (Purple Flowering Herb, A Purple Flowering Plant, From the English word for the aromatic flower or the pale purple colour.)

Origin: (English, English (Rare)

Pronunciation: (LA ven dur, Go to this site and run your cursor over the name Lavender and hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=lavender&submit=Submit)

Gender: Female

Lavender as in the plant and color is a nature name that is rarely used in novels though I have seen it a few times. I like the name and the Lavender plant. It would be a good name for an Elf or Fairy as well as for a normal character. I have used it as the name of a secondary characters child. The character I used it for is a Fairy.

Isolde

Meaning: (Beautiful, Fair Lady, She Who is Gazed Upon, The origins of this name are uncertain, though some Celtic roots have been suggested. It is possible that the name is ultimately Germanic, perhaps from a hypothetical name like Ishild, composed of the elements is "ice" and hild "battle".
In Arthurian legend she was an Irish princess betrothed to King Mark of Cornwall. She became the lover of his knight Tristan, which led to their tragic deaths. The story was popular during the Middle Ages and the name became relatively common in England at that time. It was rare by the 19th century, though some interest was generated by Richard Wagner's opera 'Tristan and Isolde' (1865).)

Origin: (German, English (Rare), Celtic)

Pronunciation: (-ZOL-də (English), i-SOL-də (English), ee-ZAWL-du (German)

Gender: Female


I have put Tristan so I thought I should put the love interest to Tristan in the story which is Isolde. It is a beautiful name with a pretty meaning and I have used this as the name of one of my secondary characters daughters.

Saffron

Meaning: (Flower Name: Saffron is used as a spice as well as a bright orange-yellow color dye. Monks of some Eastern religions wear saffron robes. Yellow Flower.)

Origin: (English, English (Rare))

Pronunciation: (SAF-rən, Go to this site and run your cursor over the name Saffron to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=saffron&submit=Submit)

Gender: Female possibly Uni-Sex

Some will think of the actress Saffron Burrows. I like the name. I have used it as a middle name of one of my characters. I would like to see a character with this as it's first name. It is nature related and a very nice name.

Allegra

Meaning: (Cheerful, Joy, Lively, It is not a traditional Italian name. It was borne by a short-lived illegitimate daughter of Lord Byron. The musical term "allegro" means "quickly, with a happy air".)

Origin: (Latin, English (Rare), Italian (Rare))

Pronunciation: (ə-LEG-rə (English), ah-LAY-grah (English), ahl-LE-grah (Italian))

Gender: Female

Most people think of the allergy medicine but I promise this is a real name and there are people named this. I like it and I have a place in a novel for it as a main characters daughter. It's different and as far as I know not used in literature much.