Natisa

Meaning: (Birth Goddess)

Origin: (Hindi, Hindi Mythology)

Pronunciation: (nah-tee-suh)

Gender: Female  

I was looking up another name Nagisa *see on list of posts* and I came across this similar spelled name. This is a very interesting foreign like name with an interesting meaning. This is definitely a rare unique name. It has a very other worldly like flare which brings a different kind of charm to the name.

Shyama

Meaning: (Dark, Black, Blue, Black Beauty)

Origin: (Indian, Hindi, Sanskrit)

Pronunciation: (SHayaa-Maa or SHayaa-Mah, Shee-ar-mah)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I heard this name and saw it spelled out on the TV screen when watching The Hunt with John Walsh show. That episode was where a man of either a Hindu or Buddhist community molested several young girls and the girls’ parents said if the contact was seen as bad to the girls then there was something perverse in their thinking. When the girls grew up they left and years later reported it. Two of the women were within the statute of limitations but ones statute of limitations had just run out. The man was found guilty but while out on bond he fled to Mexico and then from there to India before sentencing. They are still hunting him down and I do hope they get him so he can go to jail for his crimes and stop running and hurting people like a coward. Anyway one of girls name was this.

This is a unique name that is also very foreign and beautiful looking. The meanings are lovely and exotic and this is a name I could see on a definitely foreign beauty in a foreign maybe Arabic desert setting.

The only problem I have is with the pronunciation as it looks like Shy should to me be pronounced like the word Shy or how you would start the name Cheyenne *see on list of posts*. Then the last part Ama should to me be ah-muh, so SHY-ah-muh but that’s probably because certain foreign names just don’t want to compute with my English speaking brain, lol.

Keena

Meaning: (Brave, a Knot, Ancient One, Little Ancient One)

Origin: (Celtic, Gaelic, Irish, Hindi, English)

Pronunciation: (KIY-Naa, KEE-na)

Gender: Uni-Sex

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.

The meanings are great and the name itself has a very Mans Origin Mythology like look. So maybe this could be used by an author in their story if they add a history or origin story. It has a very old look and I often see an old man, a very father time look, wise and guide like. But also on the flipside sometimes it looks youthful like I can see a very lithe girl running around mischievous and care free. So it is a nice name that can bring about a different thought and feel for different people. So it’s up to the writer as to what kind of character and feeling they want to associate with this name.  

One funny thing though with me is when I say this name I think Quinoa and I have no clue why, lol! It doesn’t look the same obviously but when said I can kind of see going from Keena: KEE-na to Quinoa: KEEN-wah. But perhaps I am just weird that way, lol! Or maybe KEE-na and KEEN-wah are just fun to say, lol!

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.

Shyla

Meaning: (Daughter of the Mountain, Goddess, and Hindu Mythology: One of the names of the Goddess Parvati. Variant of Sheila which is an Anglicized form of SÍLE which is an Irish form of Cecilia- 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: (Hindu, Hindi, English)

Pronunciation: (SHY-lah, SHIY-lə, SHY-la)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I saw this somewhere online when I was looking for another name. I kind of really like it. It has pretty look and is easily pronounceable. I like the meanings and the over all look of this. I do think this would be cool if maybe a sibling name could be Shiloh *see on list of posts*. I think they look and sound alike but could still be sibling names. Or maybe Shyla could be used instead of Shiloh as they sound similar until you get to the end, like LUH versus LOH. It is also a nice alternative to the variant of the name which is Cecilia *see on list of posts*. Though I’ll admit not too many will know Shyla is a variant of Cecilia, it was a surprise to me.

Jahan

Meaning: (The World, Universe)

Origin: (Persian, Hindi, Sanskrit)

Pronunciation: (JHaa-HHAE-N)

Gender: Uni-Sex

There is a band I forget whose name it is but one of the women in the band is named Jahan. I saw it a lot and I really came to like it. The meanings give a look of vastness and beauty.

Tira

Meaning: (Arrow, Land, Encampment, Ancient Goddess)

Origin: (Hindi, Scottish, Hebrew, Persian)

Pronunciation:  (TIHIYR-aa, tea-ra, tear-uh)

Gender: Female

I forget where I saw this but I really like the simple parts of it. It looks like Tyra as in model Tyra Banks but I like Tira much better as it seems a bit more feminine. I also think it looks like a Princess like name. The meanings are interesting.

Indra

Meaning: (Possessing Drops of Rain, Supreme God, Beauty, Splendor, and Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain. He is the chief god in the Hindu text the Rigveda. )

Origin: (Sanskrit, Hindi, Indian)

Pronunciation: (IN-dra, IN-drə, AHNDRah)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was watching Heroes of Cosplay on Syfy a few months back and one of the cosplayers is named Indra. I really came to see, hear and like the name when her name was said or it was on the screen. I like the main meaning of this name but I don’t really pay much mind to it being the name of a foreign deity. The meaning seems very nature oriented which I like a lot.

This name was also used for the name of a city in Kendal and Kylie Jenners’ book, rather they had a ghost writer write the book and they took credit for it but all they contributed was the idea (you can read more about this issue in one of my posts from a month or so ago.) So anyway Indra is a name gathering popularity a bit but it still rings foreign, pretty, strong, exotic, and fascinating all at once.

Kieron

Meaning: (Black, Beam of Light, Dark, Little Dark One, Variant of Kieran and Kiran. Popular for over 1500 years, at least 26 Saints have borne the name.)

Origin: (Irish, Gaelic, Hindi, Sanskrit)

Pronunciation: (KIH-R-aeN, ke-ronh, kee-ron, keer-awn, keer-in)

Gender: Male

I was looking up another name and stumbled upon this name, which happens a lot, LOL! The meanings I really like a lot. The look is different and seems a handsome sort of name. This name reminded me a lot of a main character in one of my stories who is named Kiernan. With such a long use and history this name would be a wonderful character name for an author. I don’t know if I will use it even though I love it because I will confuse myself because of its close look to my characters name Kiernan. Also I might not realize that I may try to make any Kieron be too similar to Kiernan in looks, personality, background, everything. That said I love this name and would love to see it used more often. Oh also I think my writer friend might have used this name, but not sure. But I keep thinking she has but I don’t know. 

Ishani

Meaning: (The Ruling Goddess, Desire, Variant of Ishana.)

Origin: (Hindi, Sanskrit, Indian)

Pronunciation: (ee-shah-nee, iy-SHaa-Niy)

Gender: Female

I saw that new Disney Pixsar movie Planes advertised the other day and one of the planes is named Ishani. I think this is a really pretty exotic name with really lovely meanings.

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*. 

Keira / Kyra / Kira

Meaning: (Dark, Lady, Black Haired, It is an Anglicized version of Ciara, the name of a 7th century saint, Kyra it is a form of the name Kiran, pronounced /ˈkɪərən/KEER-ən. Kiran is of Hindi and Sanskrit origin, meaning "beam of light". From Sanskrit, it evolved to the Persian and Egyptian word Ki-Ra for "like Ra, the sun" and later to ancient Greek where its meaning became "lady" (male name Kyros (see Kyrie), meaning "lord"). A short form of kyria, κυρία, the Greek title of respect for a woman.

The word Sire for addressing royalty in western European languages is a modern variant of it. Therefore it can also be used as a female form of Cyril. In Slavonic, it means "strong woman".

Kira (Ки́ра): Feminine form of Russian Kir, meaning "mistress, ruler." This also can translate to "Leader of the people" or "One the people look to". Though the popularity and direct translation for the Russian forms of the name Kira are debated, there are several other Russian translations including Кира meaning "beloved". Kira is another Russian derivative for the name Kyra, descended from Kyros, the Greek form of the Persian name Kûrush, which may mean "far sighted" or may be related to the Persian word khur "sun". The name is sometimes associated with Greek kyrios "lord". This was the name of several kings of Persia, including Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon. He is famous in the Old Testament for freeing the captive Jews and allowing them to return to Israel. The etymologically unrelated Japanese name, romanized as "Kira", is common in Japan, as both given name and family name. "Kira kira" also means glittery, or shiny, in Japanese. Irish derived from Ciar (Black): hence, “Black-Haired One.” In the U.S., Ciara is pronounced phonetically, rather than with its Gaelic pronunciation of keer-ah.)

Origin: (Irish, Gaelic, Celtic, Greek, Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian, Egyptian, Russian)

Pronunciation: (KEER-ə, KEE-ruh, KEE-ra)

Gender: Female

I have used this name as a main characters daughter's name. I used Keira but I like Kyra and see that spelling a lot. I love the beautiful meanings and the simple shortness of this name. There are many different genres and characters this could fit. I also like the pronunciation of this name.

Avani

Meaning: (Earth, The Good Earth, Stream Bed, Hindu Goddess Sita was also called Avanisuta meaning “Daughter of the Earth”. The legend goes that she was found while ploughing the Earth.)

Origin: (Sanskrit, Indian, Hindi)

Pronunciation: (ah-vah-nee, ah-VAHN-ee, aa-VAA-Niy, OVEN-ee)

Gender: Female

I love going to this Medieval / Fantasy Wedding Gowns site I found years ago. I am not married or even planning to right now but I went there to get ideas for some of my characters who lived in the Medieval like era. The designer is in the UK and her gowns are briliant. They are beautiful and so well done. Anyway Avani is the name of one of her gowns. I really liked the name and a few others I will add later.

I am going to add the website below just so you can check it out if you like.

Rivendell Bridal Designs by Emily Jane

http://www.rivendellbridal.com/

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.

Shylah or Shyla

Meaning: (Loyal to God, Daughter of the Mountain, Strong, Shy, Creative, One Who Loves God, Variant of Shyla.)

Origin: (Celtic, Hindi)

Pronunciation: (shy-luh, SHY-lah, SHIY-la)

Gender: Female


I saw this in the book The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook second edition By Sherrilyn Kenyon. I absolutely love the meaning and the look of the name is pretty cool. I think it is just such a beautiful name.

Sundeep and Sandeep

Meaning: (Filled with Light, Enlightened, Goodness, Obedient, Lighted Lamp, Lighting the Way, Eternal Light)

Origin: (Hindi, Punjabi, Sanskrit)

Pronunciation: (SAHNDIY-P, san-DEEP, sun-DEEP)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I heard and saw the name Sundeep the other day when watching Beverly Hills Wedding Dresses show. This Indian (from India not Native American) lady brought her brother along to help her pick her wedding gown and his name was Sundeep. When looking up the name I came across Sandeep they are used interchangeably I believe. I still like Sundeep better but when I saw the name I was like that can't be a real name but it is and it has a great meaning. Some will see it and think like I did at first that, that must be made up or is a hippie name. It isn't just look at the origin it's an Indian name. For a character I would advice to put this name on the right nationality...someone whose culture would use this as a name.