Aila

Meaning: (Oak Tree, From the Strong Place, Hazelnut, Bird, Bringer of Light, Bright One, Shining One, Variant of Ayla, Aila/Ayla is also a Turkish/Farsi name that means halo around the moon, and more generally it means moonlight.)

Origin: (Hebrew, Scottish, Old French, Old Greek, Finnish, Turkish)

Pronunciation:  (EYE-la, AY-Lah)

Gender: Female

I was looking on the internet at costumes or something and I think this was the name of one off the costumes. It has nice strong meanings and they are beautiful as well, especially the moonlight and halo around the moon meanings. I like this name a lot and it is short which is nice but the pronunciation would put most readers off as it has two pronunciations that don’t always looks like it is spelled.

I would however go with AY-Lah versus EYE-la if I were to see this name in a novel. Or I might even wind up saying it as AY-EYE-lah which looks more like it is spelled to me.

Anja

Meaning: (Grace of God, Gracious, Full of Grace, Diminutive of Anna.)

Origin: (Russian, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Croatian, Serbian, German, Portuguese)

Pronunciation: (AHN-yə, AHN-ya, AHN-yah, AHN-zha (Portuguese))

Gender: Female

I was either reading the yearbook published by Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Watchtower by Jehovah’s Witnesses and saw this name. The meanings are pretty and the name is unique. It was interesting to me that it is a derivative of Anna. It is a pretty name but I am afraid it may not be so memorable to me. If I saw this in a novel at least I know now how to pronounce it.

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.

Anki

Meaning: (God is Gracious, God Has Shown Favor, Learning by Heart, Memory Work, Variant of Ann.)

Origin: (Swedish, Dutch, Nordic, Finnish, Hebrew, Japanese)

Pronunciation: (AENGKIY, AHN-key)

Gender: Female

I think this was one of the names of the mother of one of my favorite music artists. It’s been a while so I can’t really remember if this is it. So this I believe was one of the names and the other was Alla *see on list of posts*. I think this is a pretty name that has good meanings. I like the foreign to English speakers look.  

Alla

Meaning: (Deity, God, The Other, Of a Noble Kind, Defender of Men, Noble, Honorable, Ornament, Brightness, Variant of Ella and Alexandra.)

Origin: (Swedish, Icelandic, Finnish, Russian, Old Greek, Germanic, Hebrew)

Pronunciation: (AALLaa, ahl-lah)

Gender: Female

I think this was one of the names of the mother of one of my favorite music artists. It’s been a while so I can’t really remember if this is it.  I think though short it has a good look. I don’t think I would particularly like it as a characters first name but maybe if it was part of double barrel name I would like. The meanings are lovely and strong. I like the name but am not like in love with it.

Maisa

Meaning: (Table, Variant of Mesa, Variant spelling of Majsa)

Origin: (Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Norwegian)

Pronunciation: (MAY-sah)

Gender: Female

I forget where I saw this but I think it was on a TV show. It is pretty but reminds me of a mess hall because of the variant Mesa and the meaning table, LOL. I think this is another really pretty exotic name that has a good look and is easily pronounceable.

Elin

Meaning:  (Nymph, Woman of Intelligence, Bright One, Also Finnish and Swedish form of Helen.)

Origin: (Sanskrit, Hindi, Finnish, Swedish, Welsh, Old French, Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (ee-lyn, EHL-ahN, ee-l-ih-n, ai-l-ih-n)

Gender: Female

I can’t remember where I saw this name but I came to like it. It is short and has a good look and is easily pronounced. It is also a foreign form of Helen *see on list of posts*. 

Gretel

Meaning: (A Pearl, Variant of Greta and Margaret, Diminutive of GRETE. This name is well-known as the character in Grimm's fairy tale who is captured, with her brother Hansel, by a witch. Also the name of the youngest child of Captain Von Trapp in the movie The Sound of Music.)

Origin: (German, Greek, Finnish)

Pronunciation: (GREH-təl, GRE-tel, GREH-TL)

Gender: Female

There is that movie Hansel and Gretel movie out a few months back and so I got to hearing Gretel a lot during the commercials. It is a decent name with a pretty meaning. I haven’t been a fan of this name before but it is ok and so I am adding this.  

Otto

Meaning: (Wealth, Fortune, Prosperity, From the Old High German Otho and Odo, which are derived from Auda (Rich). The name was borne by Otto I (912-73, 10^th Century), a King of Germany and the first Emperor of Holy Roman Empire he was known as Otto the Great. The older form Odo is also bestowed, but it is much less common. This was the name of four kings of Germany. This name was also borne by a 19th-century king of Greece who was originally from Bavaria. Another notable bearer was the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898). Common in English-speaking countries until Otto von Bismarck's German armies became threateningly powerful in the early 20th century. Ottone is the Italian form. The Ottoman Empire was one of the most successful, creative and prosperous civilizations in the last 1000 years. At their height during the 16th Century, their Muslim influence can still be seen in architecture, religion and culture. Otto is the name of a volatile and highly fragrant essential oil obtained from the petals of roses. As short a name as Otto is, it is actually based on even shorter compound personal names containing the Germanic elements "od" and "ot" -- derivatives of prosperity, wealth, fortune and riches. (A similar example is how the English "ead" is used in names such as Edward and Edwin). Otto has a rich religious and royal history, and the name has maintained its popularity through the ages by having christened those important and wealthy surviving families during what were for many turbulent times.)

Origin: (German, Nordic, Scandinavian, Dutch, English, Finnish, Ancient Germanic)

Pronunciation: (AH-toh, AW-to (German), AH-to (English), AW-toh, OT-toe) 

Gender: Male

I was watching a furniture commercial the other day. It was a commercial where the furniture introduced there selves and the ottoman said his name was Otto. I have heard this name before and I thought to add this now. The meanings are lovely. It’s got a very long interesting history. I love that it is short and the pronunciation is fun (say Otto over and over and see).

Camilla

Meaning: (Alter Server, Helper to the Priest, Free-born, Noble, Derived from the Latin Camilla (Virgin of Unblemished Character), Camilla was a huntress in Greek Mythology who fought along side men in battle in the Aenied. The poet Virgil claimed she was so fast she could run across the Sea without getting her feet wet and run across a field of Grain without bending any of the plants. Feminine form of Camillus. Was popularized in the English speaking world by Fanny Burney’s novel ‘Camilla’ (1796). Camilla is the name of the Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Prince Charles of the United Kingdom)

Origin: (Latin, Scandinavian, Ancient Roman, Roman Mythology, Greek Mythology, Finnish, French, Italian, English)

Pronunciation: (kah-MIL-ə, ka-MEEL-ah, ke-MIL-ə (English), kah-MEEL-lah (Italian)

Gender: Female

I was watching a movie called The Quite the other day with actress Camilla Belle. Then last night I saw another movie Camilla Belle was in when she was younger. So I decided to add this name. This name has many great nicknames and it is very pretty. I do think this name is used a bit too much which might deter some from using it for one of there characters. I like this name because of the Greek Mythology it was definitely cool to read about.

Henna

Meaning: (Home Ruler, House Owner, Lord of the Manor, God was Gracious, God has Shown Favor, A shrub that bears clusters of small cream-colored, four-petal flowers at the tips of its branches; their strong fragrance is especially enjoyed by Middle Eastern peoples. Often a sprig of henna is put in bouquets, and women wear it in their hair and in their bosom. From ancient times henna has also been employed as a cosmetic. This shrub (Lawsonia inermis), which still grows wild in Palestine, attains a maximum height of about 4 m (13 ft). It is mentioned only in The Song of Solomon (1:14; 4:13; 7:11). Henna paste, which is made from pulverized leaves of the plant, is used as a cosmetic. When the paste is washed off, the stain, commonly an orange or reddish color, remains. Henna has been used to dye the nails of fingers and toes, fingertips, hands, feet, beards, hair, and even the manes and tails of horses, as well as skins and leather. The Hebrew root from which ko′pher is thought to be derived has been defined as “cover,” seemingly indicative of its use as a dye.—Compare Ge 6:14.)

Origin: (German, Hebrew, Finnish)

Pronunciation: (he en na, hen-nuh, Go to this site and run your cursor over Henna to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=henna)

Gender: Female

I thought of this the other day and I think Henna would make a cool name. It is a plant which is rarely used as a name and the other meanings are really nice. I saw on Yahoo Answers that the views on this as a name are not so good but I think in a novel it would be cool on a character. It is easy to pronounce and is kind of pretty. It sort of looks like the name Hanna or Hannah so if you don't want to use those names this could be a great alternative.

Johannes

Meaning: (God is Gracious, God is Merciful, Johannes is the Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek name Ιωάννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name Yehochanan meaning "Yahweh is gracious". The name became popular in Northern Europe, especially in Germany. Common German variants for Johannes are Johann, Hans (diminutized to Hänschen or Hänsel, known from "Hansel and Gretel", a fairy tale by the Grimm brothers), Hannes, Jens (from Danish) and Jan (from Dutch). Common English variants for Johannes are Johanan, John, Johnny, and Jonny. In French is Jean, in Spanish Juan, in Portuguese is João, in Catalan is Joan, in Russian - Иван, in Lithuanian - Jonas, in Romanian is Ion and in Italian is Giovanni. In Indonesia, it is Yohanes. The Irish or Scottish Gaelic equivalent is Eoghan or Eóin, and in Welsh it is Ieuan or Ifan, anglicized as "Evan". In Estonian Juhan, Jaan, Jaanus, Joonas and Hannes do come from the same root; Juss and Juku are the familiar names for Johannes. The astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and the composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) are famous bearers of this name.)

Origin: (Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Finnish)

Pronunciation: (Jo-hanns, yoh-HAH-nehs, yo-HAH-nes (German), yo-HAHN-nus (Dutch), Go to this site and run your cursor over Johannes to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=johannes&submit=Submit)

Gender: Male

I thought of adding this name because the other day I was watching a movie that talked about Johannesburg, South Africa. I kind of like Johannes it has a very foreign look and sound but still not too crazy. There have been a few great composers with this name or close variants as well.