Reginald

Meaning: (Powerful Ruler, Advice, Counsel, Decision, Ruler)

Origin: (German, Latin)

Pronunciation: (R-JH-ih-NahLD, REJ-i-neld) 

Gender: (Male)

To me Reginald is very regal and dignified even before I knew the meanings. Its an older name but still a good one. Last year I tried to save a bird up in the lawn and garden department of our super center Walmart where I work, it was a sparrow that got clipped by a fan and I took care of him over the weekend while looking for someone to take him and I named him Reginald A.K.A Reggie but sadly he passed away early the next week. So to me this name seems fit for a King or General someone in a seat of power.

Leon

Meaning: (Lion, The Lion is a figure in art and religious symbolism of many cultures; symbolizing Kingliness and Grandeur and Courage. Fierce or Brave Warrior.)

Origin: (French, Latin, Spanish, German, Polish, Slovene)

Pronunciation: (LEE-awn (English), LE-awn (German, Polish, Slovene)) 

Gender: (Male) 

So Anthony and I were driving to visit a friend and we saw a location with the first part being Leon and so were joking about naming a future son this. We do however really like this name. It has strong meanings and the cool thing is the first part is like my dad’s name Leonard. It seems a name fit for a courageous prince or king on a noble quest. Paired with another strong name and a title it will be a name that will make the character one fit to be reckoned with.

Madchen

Meaning: (Girl, Little Girl, Maiden, It is not used as a name in Germany itself.)

Origin: (German)

Pronunciation: (MEHD-ShehN, MaeD-CH-AHN)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

This is the name of the actress who played Sherry, the girlfriend of Christopher Lorelei’s ex and Roy’s dad, on Gilmore Girls. The look of the name is interesting and kind of reminds me of something from Alice in Wonderland but when you look at the meaning and realize it’s just a word in German and means just Girl it seems a bit silly but if you can ignore the meaning and it being a word it is a cool character name. Of course the meaning could be relevant at some point to an authors character so it might work.

Some of the ways this can be pronounced almost sounds like you’re trying to say Madichen. I have a cousin named Madichen and I’ve never known the reason for her name and now I’m wondering if there’s perhaps a similarity between it and Madchen as they do sound a like and the only difference in spelling is the I. Cute Nickname Options: Mad, Maddy / Maddie, Mads, and Addy / Addie.   

Armando

Meaning: (Army Man, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese form of Herman.)

Origin: (German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese)

Pronunciation: (ahr-MAHN-do (Spanish, Italian), aaR-MAAN-Dow (Italian, Spanish))

Gender: Male

I have realized I haven’t really put a lot of Spanish names on here or at least not very many for males so I was listening to a music channel on my TV the other day and I was listening to a song and just like Enrique *see on list of posts* I saw the artist known as Pitbulls real first name is Armando. So I added Armando to my list as it is Spanish but also has other origins as well and the name is strong and brave as the meaning showcases. I would love to see this name used more often in literature as I do like the over all look and sound of the name. It’s strong and masculine and attractive but also respectable and regal in a way.

If you are looking for another variant of Herman which often feels old which it is you could go with Armin *see on list of posts*, its still has an old history of use as well but is unique.

Melanie

Meaning: (Derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "Blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "Dark". Borne in its Latin form by two 5^th Century saints: Melania the Elder (-410) and her granddaughter Melania the Younger (383-439), the name was introduced to England by the Normans in its French form Melanie. The name was used by English speakers in the Middle Ages, introduced via French settlers, but its use did not persist. It saw a revival in the mid 17th century, and received another boost in the 20th century from a character of the same name in the highly popular Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind (1936) and subsequent film. It was originally given to children with dark complexion, hair, or eyes.)

Origin: (Latin, Old Greek, English, German, Dutch, French)

Pronunciation: (MEL-ə-nee (English), ME-lah-nee (German), MEH-lə-nee, MEHL-ah-Niy (English) or MEH-Laa-Niy (German))

Gender: Female

I came to like this name more when seeing it as the name of Melanie Martinez the singer whose song ‘Pity Party’ I really love right now. I of course have heard of this name my whole life. I had a friend in middle school whose name was Melanie. The meanings are very lovely and exotic in my opinion. It variant forms and this form have been used for so many years and have such a long history of use and such a prominent use as well that it would make using this anywhere in any era acceptable. And of course the nickname options are nearly endless: Mel, Mellie, Melly, Mels, Lanie, Anie (pronounced like Annie), Elan, Lane, Melan, the list can go on.

Pfeifer

Meaning: (Recorded in several ways including Pfiffer, Phifer, Pfeuffer, Pfeiffer, Pfeifer, Pieper, Feifer, and Peifer, this famous German surname is occupational. It can describe either a piper, possibly in the military sense of pipes and drums, although more probably in the general sense of a musician who played the pipes at the various festivals and travelling theatres of the period. Dependent on the spelling, and there are many overlaps, the name can refer to a merchant of spices particularly pepper. The "piper" origination is probably associated with the Roman Invasion of Gaul as far back as the 1st century b.c. The derivation here is from the word "pfeife" meaning to whistle, itself from the Latin "pipa", a pipe. As a pepper merchant, the origin is equally ancient, and certainly back to the 4th century a.d. Not surprisingly this is one of the most ancient surnames recorded, either in Germany or anywhere else. Early examples taken from the authentic registers and charters of Germany include Haintz der Pheiffer of Eblingen in the year 1378, and Claus Pfeffer, a burger of Ravensburg in 1421. The surname is also recorded in forms such as Pfefferer, and Pfefferhart, a "romantic" surname of a type popular in Germany in the post medieval period. The first known recording is believed to be that of Johannes Pipere, in the charters of the city of Bremen, Germany, in the year 1296.)

Origin: (German)

Pronunciation: (FYE-fur, go to this site and run your cursor of the name Pfeifer to hear how it is said: http://howjsay.com/pronunciation-of-pfeifer )

Gender: Uni-Sex

I decided to watch the movie ‘The Gallows’ a while back, which I regret as it was so darn stupid, but I didn’t see the end coming, go figure I suck at figuring out what should be a predictable end, lol! So anyway one of the characters name is Pfeifer and I thought that’s a cool name.

The movie also had Cassidy Gifford in it, Kathy Gifford’s daughter. Her character was named Cassidy and I thought oh isn’t that weird to have the same name in real life as the character you play. Well come to find out when the credits rolled all the main characters names are the same as the first name of the actors playing the part which I thought was dumb. What did they run out of creativity and say just go by your name? Or did they think the actors were so stupid they couldn’t remember the other person’s character name, I highly doubt that one.

Anyway so the girl playing Pfeifer well her real name in real life is Pfeifer which I think is really interesting as you don’t hear of it being a first name. I’ve seen it plenty of times as a last name but never as a first name. I think it’s cool that it’s one of the most ancient recorded surnames and the meanings are very interesting as well. It’s a great alternative to the much more popular name Piper *see on list of posts*. The whole look is really great and I think it looks great as a first name or a last name and most everyone has heard of this name so pronunciation would be a breeze for most everyone.

Olaf / Olav / Olof

Meaning: (Relic; Ancestral Heritage. From the Old Norse name Áleifr meaning "Ancestor's Descendant", derived from the elements Anu "Ancestor" and Leifr "Descendant". St. Olaf is the patron saint of Norway, and there were many kings in Scandinavia named Olaf. The name has long been used in Scandinavian countries. It was introduced into England by the Vikings before the Norman Conquest, and later saw a revival in the 19th century from Scandinavian immigrants in the USA.)

Origin: (Norwegian, Old Norse, Scandinavian, Danish, German, Dutch, Polish)

Pronunciation: (O-lahf (German, Dutch), OW-LaeF (English), OW-LaaF (Dutch, German))

Gender: Male

When I was looking at the blog Blog of Characters run by Apolla 13 she had added this name to her blog as part of adding names from Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events novels. If you care to look at her blog it is https://apolla13.wordpress.com/ .When I see and hear this name I think of the fun loving snow man from the movie Frozen. The meanings I like a lot and it’s a nice older foreign looking name. It seems like the name Otto *see on list of posts* to me, short, easily pronounced and has a sexy appeal to it. Like I can see a handsome buff guy with a hot accent and rock hard abs when I see this name, lol, way too specific there but I am a writer so I think all out, lol! ;~) I prefer the spelling Olaf or Olav whereas Olof seems off putting to me.

Aubryn

Meaning: (Hill, Horizon, Gold, Golden Hill, Golden Horizon, My Treasured Dream, Elf Ruler, Of the Hill, Elf Ruler of the Hill)

Origin: (English, German, French, Welsh)

Pronunciation: (Ah-brin)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I saw this name on a bloggers blog, apolla13. This name looks a lot like Aubyn which I have used in one of my longest novels. In that novel Aubyn was a gorgeous sweet younger brother of the brother who nobody quite knew if they should or could trust. As for this name Aubryn I think that R throws it off a tad bit for me and reminds me of other things and names like, Auburn and Aubrey. However there is a unique look here I do like, so much so I’ve used this name in another novel as the name for some woods near my main characters house.

I love the meanings a lot though some I can’t quite authorize as true meanings as other people on naming forums had suggested what the name meant but I liked them so I kept them. The meanings I am not sure about are Gold, Golden Hill, Golden Horizon and My Treasured Dream. Even so I think those meanings are great and beautiful and I will take the word of those that listed it on naming forums. However if you want true meanings stick with the other meanings listed above under meaning. 

Elysande

Meaning: (Ely: Jehovah is God, High, Ascent, Name of a river in South Wales and a cathedral and town in Cambridgeshire, England. Also possibly a variant of Eli. Sande: Defender of Men, Protector of Mankind, Shining Upon Man, Sand, Sandy Plain, and Sande is a variant form of Alexandra (Greek): Latinate feminine version of Alexander. Sande is also a derivative of Cassandra (Greek).)

Origin: (German, Hebrew, English, Greek, Norwegian)

Pronunciation: (Ely: EE-liy, IYLay Sande: SAEND Elysande: EE-liy-SAEND, IYLay-SAEND)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I forget where I saw this name but when I saw it I really liked it but like a lot of names now I had to break up the parts of the names to get the meanings. This reminds me of names I’ve seen ending in Sande as well like Melisande *see on list of posts*. The meanings are nice and strong. The pronunciation is pretty good and easy enough.

I think it is a nice name but I am not enamored with it but I do think it is pretty and reminds me of a Goddesses name or maybe someone from Greek Mythology.

Almond / Almund

Meaning: (Defender of the Temple, from Old English Æ {dh} elmund, ‘Noble Protection’, variant of Allman ‘German’, assimilated by folk etymology to the vocabulary word denoting the tree. This interesting and unusual surname is of Old French and Anglo-Saxon origin, and has two possible sources. Firstly, it may be from the English name for someone from Germany, derived from the Anglo-Norman French "aleman", German, or "alemayne", Germany, from the Late Latin "Alemannus" and "Alemannia", from a Germanic tribal name, probably meaning simply "all the men". In some cases the reference may have been to the Norman region of Allemagne, to the south of Caen, which was probably so named from Germanic settlers there.

The second source is from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Athelmund", composed of the elements "athel", noble, and "mund", protection. There is no evidence of any connection with the almond nut or tree. The personal name was first recorded as "Almund" and "Ailmundus" in the Domesday Book of 1086, and the surname was first recorded in the late 13th Century (see below). William and Awdry (as written) Almond were some of the earliest settlers in the New World, leaving London on the "Abigall" in June 1635, bound for New England. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Ailmun, which was dated 1279, in the "Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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.)

Origin: (Anglo-Saxon, Middle English, Old English, German, Nordic, Old Swedish)

Pronunciation: (AOL-MahND, AHL-muhnd)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was looking at names and somehow I saw this as a name. I mean Almond I think the nut but Almund does look kind of cool and doesn’t make me think nut. The meanings are pretty strong and it has a pretty long history of use as well. I think this would be a cool surname or first name if used right. I would think it cool to see a character named this. It would give a rare unique charm to the character and would be amazing to see how an author would make it fit so right. 

Just this month I used Almund as the surname of my main character in one of my short stories. The first name of my main character is Sawa and is on my list to be added in a few months. As for Almund I thought it went well with Sawa and seemed to balance the unique looking name Sawa with a more common last name, plus the last name goes well to describe her job and heritage.

Ravenor

Meaning: (Rave: Raven, Applied as a nickname for a thievish or dark haired person. Nor: Light, The Light, Honored, Honorable, God is My Light, Mercy, and Pity.)

Origin: (Arabic, Latin, Old Greek, English, German, Dutch)

Pronunciation: (REYV-NAOR, REYV-NAWR)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I saw this as the name of a Trilogy of books and I liked the look instantly as I love names with Raven in them. I looked it up and saw it is a last name but I could find no definite meaning or origin so just like Gwen-Gana *see on list of posts* I looked up the separate parts of the name Rave and Nor.

So the meanings together in this name are interesting. The first part is dark and mischievous where as the latter half is light and pleasant and good, so a funny name in that regard. I can see a very mixed character with this name, I mean mixed in regard to personality and the way they handle themselves. I can see a mischievous thievish character that truly has a good heart but has a hidden reason for their fiendish pursuits.  

Tobias

Meaning: (The Goodness of God, In England it became popular after the Protestant Reformation.)

Origin: (Greek, Hebrew, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English)

Pronunciation: (to-BEE-ahs (German), tə-BIE-əs (English), Tah-BAY-ahS (English), Tow-BIY-aaS (German), toh-BIY-əs)

Gender: Male

I was watching the Divergent movie (also a book) and the main male character Four had a real name which was Tobias. I love the name and the meanings. I also like the long history of use of this name. The obvious nickname will be Toby but that’s cool.

When I see this name I see a knight or peasant in medieval times. This has a very on a pilgrimage look or a I will save the fair maiden look which I love in a way but would also look great in the modern era as well. So a very diverse name.

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.

Florian

Meaning: (Flowering, Flower, Blossom, From the Latin word Flos, given name borrowed from the ancient Roman name Florianus, a derivative of Florus. Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3^rd Century, is the patron saint who was martyred under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. He is the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria, and of Firefighters. Masculine form of Flora, from a Roman clan name. The name was used, albeit rarely, by English speakers since the medieval period.)

Origin: (Latin, German, Polish, French)

Pronunciation: (FLO-ree-ahn (German), FLAWR-yahn (Polish), FLOR-ee-an, FLOH-ree-ehn, FLOW-Riy-aaN (German), FLAOR-YaaN (Polish))

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

I think this is a strong name. I was reading a yearbook published by Jehovah’s Witnesses and it had an example about a person named Florian. It’s a great old name. I was watching the Disney Movie Descendents a few weeks ago and in the movie Prince Benjamin’s middle name he admits to Mal *see on list of posts* is Florian. This is not a name I would use on most of my characters but I would love to see how this could be used by other authors and maybe someday I too will find a way to use it.

Also though it is Masculine I could see this perhaps used on a female character, if it’s pulled off right. There are lots of names that seem male that are used for females, so this could be one of them.

Grethel

Meaning: (Pearl, She Who Reigns Over the Earth, Variant of Greta, Pet form of Margaret.)

Origin: (Norwegian, Old Greek, German)

Pronunciation: (GREHTHAHL)

Gender: Female

I was reading a yearbook published by Jehovah’s Witnesses and it had an example about a person named Grethel. I love the name a lot really. It looks a bit unique to me but it’s really just similar to Gretel just with an H in it. As usual this is a name that is a pet form of another name and the two names to me look nothing alike, lol.

The meanings are lovely, though She Who Reigns Over the Earth I am not sure is an actual meaning. I went to a website for baby names that I usually don’t go to and this I assumed was the meaning. Though when I searched my own name it said my name meant The Queen of Beauty and my name doesn’t at all mean that. So I am not sure the meaning She Who Reigns Over the Earth is the actual meaning of Grethel, though I thought it was so beautiful I added it. If you want the really authentic meaning than Pearl is it, which is lovely and beautiful on its own.

Behati

Meaning: (Blessing, She Who Brings Happiness, possibly a modern Afrikaans variant of Beata or Beate.)

Origin: (German)

Pronunciation: (ba-hot-ee, be-ott-ee, bay-AHT-ee, bay-AH-tee)

Gender: Female

I know this name and others will too as the name of super-model Behati Prinsloo who is married to Maroon 5 singer front man Adam Levine who is also a judge on The Voice. I love the meanings a lot and the name itself is unique and lovely. It seems a name fit for a Fantasy realm kind of story as the look and feel seems to denote.

Gunnar

Meaning: (Lighter, Battler, Warrior, Fight, Army, Battle Strong, Derived from the Old Norse Gunnarr, which is from the word Gunnr (War, Strife, Battle). The name Gunnar was borne by several interesting characters in Norse Legend, one of whom was the son of Giuki and Grimhild. He was the brother of Gudrun and the husband of Brynhild. Also known as 'Roland.' The name Gunnar means fighter, soldier, and attacker, but mostly is referred to by the Viking saying which means Brave and Bold warrior (gunnr "war" and arr "warrior").)

Origin: (Norse, Scandinavian, Swedish, Danish, Norse Mythology, German)

Pronunciation: (GOO-nar, GOON-ar, GUW-N-er, GAHN- aaR, GUH-ner)

Gender: Male

I was reading a novel called, “Listen for the Whisperer” by Phyllis A. Whitney last month and the main male character was named Gunnar. I came to like the name a lot and I had no problems with pronunciation at all. I immediately knew it as GOO-nar. Americans may hear this as GUH-ner though but I prefer the correct pronunciation as it sounds much better and stronger. GUH-ner sounds like GUN-er and thus excuse me sounds a tad bit redneck like.

The meanings are strong and this strikes me as such a masculine brave name even had I not known the meanings. It has a nice old history of use and I do love Viking names. All in all I love it and would love to see this name used a bit more often.

Illiana / Illyana / Ileana

Meaning: (The Lord has Responded, Bright, Trojan, The poetic name for the ancient City of Troy was “llion.” A cognate of the Greek Helene, a name derived from Ele (Light). Ileanna has been used by the Greek Royal Family.)

Origin: (English, German, Spanish, Latin, Old Greek, Hebrew)

Pronunciation: (ee-lee-AHN-ah, ee-lee-AH-nə, Iy-Liy-AE-N-aa, ILL-ee-AHN-ah)

Gender: Female

I was watching a TV show and a characters name was Illiana. I’ve heard this name a few other places as well before and after watching the show. The meanings are pretty as is the name itself. It’s interesting that it’s a poetic name for the City of Troy as well. All the variant spellings are interesting though with English speakers I would try and stick with the closest variant to the actual pronunciation so it will be pronounced properly when a reader reads your novel.

Braum

Meaning: (Americanized Form of German Brahm. Jewish (Ashkenazic): Perhaps a variant of Braun. Father of a Mighty Nation. Short form of Abraham.)

Origin: (Hebrew, German, English, Dutch)

Pronunciation: (BRaeM)

Gender: Male

Similar in many ways to Bram *see on list of posts* but come to think of it, it does have very few differences. The meanings are strong and it has a decent look to it. I like the name but it is however a name I don’t think I will be very memorable with me.

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.