Laureline

Meaning: (Laurel, Noble)

Origin: (Germanic, Latin, French)

Pronunciation: (Lor-uh-leen, Lor-ah-lina)

Gender: (Female)

I was watching a movie a few months back called Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, from 2017, which the movie is based on the comics which I don’t have much knowledge of but I do have to say that I really loved the main girls name Laureline. It sounds adorable and fresh and so cute! I honestly would love to use this name in a novel. It seems to look and sound old fashioned yet on the flip sounds modern at times so all around I love it.

Cato

Meaning- (Intelligent, Shrewd, All Knowing, Wise, Good Judgement, 2^nd Century Roman Statesman)

Origin- (Latin, Ancient Roman)

Pronunciation- (cah-toe, kAI-toh)

Gender-(Male, Uni-Sex)

So I was looking for more unique names and came across this rather old but still very unused and unique name of Cato. Then I remembered I had heard this in the Hunger Games movies and was like well might as well add it. I do like the meanings and the age of the name but it’s a little too short and harsh sounding for me to want to use it in a novel or to even see it much in a novel. It would maybe do well as a secondary characters name or even a surname. I do think it would be cool paired with a surname ending in O I have one in mind but keeping to myself incase I decide to use it, lol!  

Cassia

Meaning: (Cinnamon, Cassia Spice which is a variety of Cinnamon)

Origin: (Greek, Latin)

Pronunciation: (cas-ee-uh, KAH-sha, KASS-ya)

Gender: (Female, Uni-Sex)

I have seen this name used a bit more of late and I really do like it. I have used the other variant Keziah *see on list of posts* before which I love but this version seems more feminine and softer in its look. Either way I love the meaning and the all around look and it fits in the past and present and future so it is versatile.

Aeliana

Meaning: (Sun, feminine form of Aelianus)

Origin: (Latin, Ancient Roman)

Pronunciation: (ee-lee-AHN-a, ie-lee-AHN-a)

Gender: (Female, Uni-Sex)

I have the name Eliana *see on list of posts* already on here and actually love it a lot and Anthony and I would love Eliana to be the name of a future daughter we hope to have some day. Now when I saw Aeliana I think it is lovely and very much fits in a historical novel. Its really pretty. I prefer Eliana but I like Aeliana for a character lol.

Cassian

Meaning: (Empty, Hollow, From the Roman family name Cassianus, which was derived from CASSIUS. This was the name of several saints, including a 3rd-century martyr from Tangier who is the patron saint of stenographers and a 5th-century mystic who founded a monastery in Marseille.)

Origin: (Latin, English, Ancient Roman)

Pronunciation: (KASH-ən (English), KAE-SH-ahN )

Gender: (Male)

I saw this name the other day and I think it is a very attractive rare name that has great possibilities and I’d love to see it used a bit more often. The meanings are interesting and its history is very old and so this could be used in virtually any era which I love as well. It would make a great alternative to the female Cassia which I have seen of late and like as well.

Rysa

Meaning: (Laughter, variant of Risa)

Origin: (Latin)

Pronunciation: (RihSAH)

Gender: (Female, Uni-Sex) 

I have the variant Risa *see on list of posts* already on this blog but I came across this variant and I think I almost prefer it better. They seem with the change of one letter to be different names all together and I like that. Plus one seems when looked at more masculine and one more feminine, to me anyway. I think the meaning is very lovely and beautiful. It is a short and sweet name and not too hard to wrap your mind around when read. 

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.

Anthony

Meaning: (Highly Praiseworthy, Priceless, of Inestimable Worth, from a Roman clan name. In the 17^th Century, the spelling Anthony was associated with the Greek anthos meaning flower. English form of the roman family name Antonius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. The most notable member of the Roman family was the general Marcus Antonius (called Mark Antony in English), who for a period in the 1^st Century BC ruled the Roman Empire jointly with Augustus. When their relationship turned sour, he and his mistress Cleopatra were attacked and forced to commit suicide, as related in Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ (1606).

The name became regularly used in the Christian world due to the fame of Saint Anthony the Great, a 4th-century Egyptian hermit who founded Christian monasticism. Its popularity was reinforced in the Middle Ages by the 13th-century Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of Portugal. It has been commonly (but incorrectly) associated with Greek ανθος (anthos) "flower", which resulted in the addition of the h to this spelling in the 17th century.)

Origin: (English, Latin, Etruscan)

Pronunciation: (AN-thə-nee, AN-tə-nee)

Gender: Male

My boyfriend is named Anthony. The meanings are very strong and masculine and very noble! It has a great history of use and is a common enough name to be recognizable but not so common it’s over used or anything in literature! I really do love this name and not just because it’s my boyfriends name! My boyfriend has had a few women say his name is sexy in the last few months, lol! This is a name that could fit in many different genres and backgrounds!

Vincent

Meaning: (derived from the Latin name Vincentius meaning "Conquering" (from Latin "Vincere" - "to Conquer"). The French brought the name to the English and the Irish. The Gaelic forms of Vincent are “Uinseann” and “Uinsionn.” This name was popular among early Christians, and it was borne by many saints. As an English name, Vincent has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the 19th century. Famous bearers include the French priest Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and the post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).)

Origin: (Latin, English, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Slovak)

Pronunciation: (VIN-sənt (English), ven-SAWN (French))

Gender: Male

My boyfriend is named Anthony *that shocking yet extremly exciting new development will be discussed shortly on my Book Worm blog so tune in to that blog for more details not too far off. Oh and Anthony’s first name will be on next months list of posts so come back to check it out then* whose middle name is Vincent so I decided to add it as I’ve yet to add it to this blog. The meanings are very strong and definitely have a masculine flare. It has a long history of use and a varied one which makes it diverse. I love the paintings of post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh so I like this name just because of him. The name would do well I believe if used in a fairy-tale retelling as it does seem a very noble title bearing name and one of someone who champions for the less fortunate because he’s in a place to do so.

Tinsdale

Meaning: (Tin: A Great Thinker, the Latin name stannum originally meant an alloy of silver
and lead Dale: Little Valley, From an English surname which originally belonged to a person who lived near a dale or valley.)

Origin: (Croatian, Latin, Old English, Middle English, Gaelic)

Pronunciation: (Tin: teen, ten Dale: DAY-əl, DAYL Tinsdale: teens-DAY-əl, teens-DAYL, tens- DAY-əl, tens-DAYL)

Gender: Uni-Sex

This is the last name of Christopher’s girlfriend on the TV series Gilmore Girls which I love watching re-runs of.  I had to break up the name to get meanings for them but all the meanings are really nice especially A Great Thinker. This would be interesting if used as a first name as maybe the character is named for a family last name. I can see a brainy book reader type with this name that then gets caught up in a wonderful adventure and falls for a bad boy type, lol.

Ava

Meaning: (A variation of Eve. May be from the Latin "Avis," meaning "Bird." It could also be a short form of the name Chava ("Life" or "Living One"), the Hebrew form of Eve. Saint Ava was a 9th-century princess, daughter of Pepin II of Aquitaine. Ava was also the name of a medieval German woman poet. This name is the origin of the Norman French name of Aveline, which in turn gave rise to the English given name of Evelyn.

As evidence for the name is lacking between the later medieval and the modern period, the Oxford Dictionary of First Names supposes that it was coined anew as a modern innovation, presumably as a variant of Eva or (like Eva) used as an Anglicization of the Irish name Aoife.

Beautiful, Radiant, and Joyful. Known as the greatest woman warrior in the world, Aoife was the mother of Cuchulainn’s only son, Connlach. Aoife Dearg (“Red Aoife”) was a daughter of a king of Connacht who had her marriage arranged by St. Patrick himself. In 2003 Aoife was the third most popular Irish girls name for babies in Ireland.)

Origin: (Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Germanic, French, English, Irish)

Pronunciation: (AY-və, A-və, Ah-vah)

Gender: Female

I was in a nursing home visiting two friends who are of the same religion that I am and when walking to their rooms I was looking at the tags of names on the outside of the doors and saw Ava and said you know I’m not usually one for short common names but maybe others are and the name Ava has a lot to offer an author for their character. It has great meanings and is easily recognized and pronounceable. It has a great history of use and such a long history that it could be used in just about any era.

It says that Eva which Ava comes from is an Anglicization of Aoife *see on list of posts* which I had forgotten about which is surprising as Aoife is one of my favorite Irish names and I think I’ve used it before in one of my novels but can't remember. Anyway Ava would be great as a first or middle name or it could maybe be in a double-barrel name like Ava Marie or Ava Belle or Ava Kelly.

Andren

Meaning: (Male, Manly, Brave, Virility, Defender of Men, Latinized patronymic from the personal name Andreas. This ancient surname recorded world-wide in over two hundred and fifty spellings, and including as examples Andre, Aindrias, Andrew, Anders, Jendrusch, Vondrak, Dandy, Andriol, Andretti, Ondracek, Vondraeck, Andress, Jedrzejewicz, and Andriuis, is of pre Christian Greek origins. It derives from the personal name "Andreas", meaning manly, and was held by the first of Christ's disciples. Prior to the 10th century a.d., the name as a first name only, there were no surnames before the medieval period, was almost exclusively held by members of the church, one of the first of such recordings being that of a monk "Andreas", in the English Domesday Book of the year 1086. The name gained in popularity throughout Europe after the 12th century Crusades to free the Holy Land. These expeditions were largely unsuccessful, nethertheless it became the normal practice for returning soldiers to name their children after biblical and particularly Christian, saints or martyrs. St Andrew is the patron saint of both Scotland and Russia, and legend has it that his remains were brought to what is now the city of St. Andrew's in Scotland, in the year 900 a.d.. Certainly the name is very popular in that country. The surname was also one of the earliest settler names in America. Anthony Andrew being recorded in the first listings for the state of Virginia in 1623. The very first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere, is probably that of William Andreu, which was dated 1237, in the ancient charters of the county of Buckinghamshire, England, in the year 1237. 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/Andren )

Origin: (Swedish, Latin, Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (AENDerAHN, AN-dren)

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

I first saw and came to like this name when looking up longer names with Ren in them as I have a character named Ren I thought to give a longer name to and have him be nicknamed Ren but I decided against it and kept Ren as his full name. But I added Andren to my list for my blog. The meanings are strong and brave. It has a long history of use or rather all its variants have long history of uses.

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.

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.

Camillus

Meaning: (Priest’s Assistant, Temple Servant, Altar Server, the Honorable Born, and Young Ceremonial Attendant.)

Origin: (Latin, Ancient Roman, Etruscan)

Pronunciation: (kə-MIL-əs (English), ca-mi-llus)

Gender: Male, Possibly Uni-Sex

I’ve been looking for a knife for when I go camping and hiking off the beaten track and I saw a cheap knife that had this as its name. I didn’t buy it as it was as cheaply made as the price entails so I’m still looking but I did really like the name. Well rather I really quite loved it. It reminds me of names like Carnelian / Cornelian *see on list of posts* as it has this cool unique ancient look about it that is rare now a days.

The meanings are all really great and do fit into the ancient world really well but would also do well I think in the modern era or even the future. I think this names meanings could fit well to describe the job of the character as this is one of those names that is occupational and if described in the story it could fit well. It kind of reminds me of YA Novels where the characters jobs were preordained in their society so this could fit and with the unique YA Novel character names now a days it could fit really well also.

Nickname Options: Cam, Mill, Millus, Millie (Female), Milly (Uni-Sex but may look more Feminine), Cami (Female), and Miles.

Enzo

Meaning: (Winner, Winning, Giant, Rules the Home, House Owner, Lord of the Manor, in some cases it seems to be an Old Italian form of Heinz (diminutive of Henry), though in other cases it could be a variant of the Germanic name Anzo. In modern times it is also used as a short form of names ending in Enzo, such as Vincenzo or Lorenzo.)

Origin: (Italian, Latin, French, Germanic)

Pronunciation: (EHNZow, EHN-zoh)

Gender: Male

I love to watch WWE wrestling and one of the new tag teams is Enzo Amore and Big Cass. After hearing the name Enzo I came to like it and the last name Amore *see on list of posts* of course it’s a ring name not his real name but each part was interesting to me. The meanings of Enzo are pretty strong and great, I particularly like the Lord of the Manor one. I do think it is a great nickname option for names with Enzo in it like, Vincenzo and Lorenzo. However I think it can also stand on its own as its own name.

Cole

Meaning: (People’s Victory, Peaceful, Cabbage Farmer, From an Old English appellation meaning “Coal,” referring to someone with dark hair or complexion; also a nickname for Nicholas. From a surname which was originally derived from the Old English byname Cola: Old English byname meaning “Charcoal”, originally given to a person with dark features. The name is known from the Old King Cole in the nursery rhyme, who is based on the 3^rd Century King Cole of Colchester in Essex. In recent times, the name has often been bestowed in honor of the American songwriter Cole Porter (1891-1964).)

Origin: (Greek, Old English, Anglo-Saxon, Latin)

Pronunciation: (KOHL, KOL, KowL)

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.

Apolla 13 one main character is named this. The twin brother of Cole is Warren *see on list of posts*. It’s interesting that Warren and Cole have similar meaning names in a way. Cause I see Warren as Defender, Watchmen and Cole as People’s Victory, so warrior and then triumph / success, war and then peace that follows. I wonder if Apolla 13 chose it that way or it was just a pleasant coincidence. Or maybe I am just seeing the names that way.

Cole I never saw as being used on a female but Apolla 13 used it that way and I am sure she is not the only one to do so, so I decided to put it as Uni-Sex. The meanings are great in general except Cabbage Farmer which is interesting in a way at least but odd too. It’s an easily pronounced and recognizable name. The dark features meaning kind of reminds me of Keira / Kyra / Kira *see on list of posts* or Lila / Lilah *see on list of posts* or Kieron *see on list of posts* or Darcy / Darcie *see on list of posts*. So Cole could be a great alternative to Keira, Lila, Kieron, and or Darcy if you want a name to mean something to do with dark features like Cole’s meaning.

I wouldn’t have thought noble when I see this name but as seen under meaning there was a King named this in the 3^rd Century. So it has both a noble use and a long history of use. All in a all a decent name though I tend to not use too common of names for my characters so I don’t know if I’ll ever use this. This name is easily recognizable and easily pronounced which is great for author and reader alike.

Lucrezia

Meaning: (Succeed, Italian form of Lucretia: Feminine form of the Roman family name Lucretius, possibly from Latin lucrum "Profit, Wealth". In Roman legend Lucretia was a maiden who was raped by the son of the king of Rome. This caused a great uproar among the Roman citizens, and the monarchy was overthrown. This name was also borne by a saint and martyr from Spain.)

Origin: (Italian, Ancient Roman, Roman Mythology, Latin)

Pronunciation: (loo-KRE-tsyah, loo-KREET-see-uh, to know how to pronounce this name then go to this site and run your cursor over the name to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=lucrezia+&submit=Submit )

Gender: Female

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.

Lucrezia I do believe was Apolla 13 main characters mothers’ name. It has a very foreign unique prettiness about it. The meanings are very pretty and make the name have even a wealthier noble look and feel to it than it already did. The long history of use and the stories behind some who were named this are interesting but a bit sad at times.

When I saw the name I thought it was an old name of perhaps Latin or Italian Origin and I was right but I am afraid some might not see it that way though from the naming forums I saw with ones discussing this name were positive. I however am afraid some might not know how to pronounce it or may believe it was made up in the current era and see that as bad without knowing the names long history.

I can see a noble woman being named this. It has a very ethereal look and feel to it when said as well. All in all this is a lovely name and I would love to see it used more often if appropriate, I think only the right character and author can pull this name off in the right way.

Drusa

Meaning:  (Feminine form of Drusus: Roman family name, also sometimes used as a praenomen, or given name, by the Claudius family. Apparently the name was first assumed by a Roman warrior who killed a Gallic chieftain named Drausus in single combat. Drausus possibly derives from a Celtic element meaning "Strong".)

Origin: (Ancient Roman, Celtic, Gaelic, Latin, Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (droos-uh, DRUW-Sah)

Gender: Female, Possibly 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.

Drusa is a very interesting name but makes me think Druid a bit when I see it so I think magic and so not thrilled by that but Drusa has nothing to do with Druid I just see that when I see Drusa. The meaning and long history of use and the reason for the name is very interesting and the name does seem as the meaning says Strong.

I can see an Empress or a baddy character being named this. It has a superior air to it which is interesting and likable in a very hoard power over you kind of way. Of course that is my thoughts on the look of the name. It could be used in many different genres and for different types of characters but the air I get from the name is very dangerous and lethal, lol! But I love that as I am always looking for bad like female character names!