Mordecai

Meaning: (Warrior, Little Man, from "Mara Dachya" meaning "Pure Myrrh", the aromatic resin which was used in incense.)

Origin: (Biblical, Hebrew, Persian, Aramaic)

Pronunciation: (MOHR-də-kiy, mor-də-KIE, MAWR-də-kie (English), mor'-de-ki, mor-de-ka'-I, mordekhay)

Gender: Male

I am so surprised I haven’t added this very nice strong Biblical name before. A relatively new friend Cameron *see on list of posts* told me that if he ever has a son in the future he would want to name him Mordecai. Mordecai in the Bible was the cousin of Esther *see on list of posts* and many years ago we had a Biblical drama about Esther and Mordecai at one of our religious conventions. I like the strong meanings of this name and the whole general look of the name is very nice.

I think Mordecai would do well in a historical fiction novel as it has a strong biblical history.  If used in a historical fiction novel and dealing with sensitive topics of the past it would do well on a character thats perhaps down and out, but comes back strong. Though also it seems like it would do well in a science fiction / fantasy novel set in space as it would be interesting to have that very old name be set in the future on a character. A cute nickname could be Mordy. 

Yeruslan

Meaning: (From Tatar Uruslan, which was possibly from Turkic Arslan meaning "Lion". Yeruslan Lazarevich is the name of a hero in Russian and Tatar folktales. These tales were based on (or at least influenced by) Persian tales of their hero Rostam.)

Origin: (Folklore, Literature, Russian, Turkish, Persian)

Pronunciation: (Yeru: yeh-roo, yar-roo Slan: SLAEN)

Gender: Male, 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.

Reminds me of a name for a Yeti or Big Foot or something. The meaning is strong and it if from Russian and Tatar Folktales so that is interesting. The only problem for me is the pronunciation. I had to split it up and I found Slan to be pronounced SLAEN but I had to guess on Yeru as yeh-roo or yar-roo but I am not at all sure that is right in any way. So if anyone knows the pronunciation then please let me know, in the comment section of this post, as I would be very grateful.

I do like foreign names but this is one I am not too huge of a fan of. I do like somewhat the look as it seems a masculine hot guys name but I think it’s too foreign for any of my characters but another author might feel differently about it.

Nicknames Options: Slan, Ru (Pronounced: ROO), Rus, Rusl (Pronounced: ROO-sul or like the name RUSSELL)

Eldar

Meaning: (Dweller Near the Elder Trees, God Resides, Possessor, Warrior who Fights with Fire"(Eld+ar (ar=Harjar)) Eld=fire, It is also a name meaning “Ruler” in the Turkic language. "El" means state or country in Turkic language, dar is a suffix from Persian language. It is also the word for “Fire” in the Icelandic, Swedish (eld) and Norwegian (ild) language. It is also a common first name among the Tatars, the Crimean Tatars, the Azerbaijanis, the Georgians and the Bashkirs.)

Origin: (Hebrew, English, Norse, Turkish, Persian, Icelandic, Swedish, Azerbaijani)

Pronunciation: (EHLD-R, EHL-dar)

Gender: Male

I used this name as the name of an Island in one of my short stories I intend to enter into a writing contest. I think I first heard this in The Hobbit movie; it was used by the Elves I think. The meanings are beautiful and strong and nature related. It has an interesting use as to its origins and I really like it. It seems to me to be similar to Elder and so it makes me think this would be cool on a wise character but it also has a youthful appearance as well.

Zarina

Meaning: (Of Gold, Golden, Golden One, A Golden Vessel, Blossoming Flower, Splendor)

Origin: (Muslim, Persian, Arabic)

Pronunciation: (za-REEN-ah, Za-RIY-Naa)

Gender: Female

This is from The Pirate Fairy movie. I saw the newest Tinker Bell movie advertised some months back and the Pirate Fairy in the move is named Zarina. I think it is such a beautiful name. The meanings are gorgeous and the name is so fantasy Princess like it isn’t even funny. I would love to see this used more often. I see a Princess who is tough but beautiful and full of spunk when I see this name.  

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.

Padme

Meaning: (Lotus Blossom, From the Tibetan chant, “Om Mani Padme Hum”, meaning “The Jewel is in the Lotus”. Name of a fictional “Star Wars” Queen, Padme Amidala, who was the secret wife of Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) and the mother of Luke & Leia.)

Origin: (Persian)

Pronunciation: (PAD-may, pad-MAH)

Gender: Female

I was watching a bit of Star Wars III the other day. I have always thought Queen Padme Amidala was such a cool character and she had such pretty names. So I decided to add Padme. It is a pretty name with lovely meanings. It has a beautiful foreignness to it.

Arya

Meaning: (Noble, Great, Truthful, Friend, Faithful, Is a form of Aria.)

Origin: (Persian, Latin, English, Hebrew, Italian)

Pronunciation: (AR-re-ah, AHR-yah, AH-ree-yə, AA-RYaa, AA-RYuw)

Gender: Female

I read the information for an episode of The Game of Thrones (which I have never watched and have no desire to) anyway one the main characters name is Arya. I really do love the name and its meanings. It’s unique and really beautiful but the only problem is the pronunciation. There are far too many possibilities. It’s a form of the name Aria *See on list of posts* but I decided to give it, it’s own posting because it looks vastly different than Aria and from time to time I will give variants and forms of other names there own postings.

Esther

Meaning: (Star, Myrtle Leaf, Biblical: A young Hebrew woman named Hadassah who became the wife of the Persian King Ahasuerus, and risked her life to save her people. The name may also be a Hebrew form of the name of the Persian Goddess of Love, Ishtar. Ester is a Spanish form. It was adopted as an English name in the 17^th Century.)

Origin: (Persian, English)

Pronunciation: (ESS-ter, EH-stur)

Gender: Female

This is a name I didn’t quite like years ago. There was a horror / thriller movie a few years back with a crazy little girl in it named Esther. I was put off by the name because of that movie and that coupled with the pronunciation. I have the hardest time pronouncing this name. I always want to try and pronounce it ES-thur. Just the other day though I started watching Turner Classics Movie channel and began watching the movie Meet Me in St. Louis. Judy Garland was in it and she played a character named Esther often called Es. So I looked the name up. Now I know how to pronounce it and I kind of like the name. It has good meanings and is a nice old fashioned name that would still fit today.   

Jessamine / Jessamyn

Meaning: (Jasmine, A Flower, He Sees, Variant of Jasmine and Jessica.)

Origin:  (Arabic, Old French, Persian, Hebrew, English)

Pronunciation: (JH-S-aa-MihN, Jess-uh-men)

Gender: Female

I was adding new quotes to my list of inspirational quotes and I came across some new writing quotes on the internet. Just like the name Havelock *See on list of posts* this name was the name of an author whose quote I read. Jessamyn was the one I saw but when looking up the name I often saw the spelling Jessamine so I added them both. It seems this name was around as far back as the 1950’s but I would assume it may go even farther back but I am not sure how far back this might have been used or how often. It has good meanings and is a pretty name. A good nickname could be Jessa.

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.

Lila / Lilah

Meaning: (Dark-Haired Beauty, Night, Dark Beauty, Derived from the Arabic Leila (Night, Dark Beauty) or the Persian Leila (Dark-Haired). Its use in England began with George Byon’s “The Giaour” (1813). Short form of Delilah (Hebrew) "lovelorn, seductive". Feminine form of Lyle: From the Island.)

Origin: (Indian, Arabic, Persian, Polish, Hebrew)

Pronunciation: (LIY-lə, LIE-lah, LYE-lah, lee-LAH, LEE-lah)

Gender: Female

I have had this on my list for a while but since I have added the similar meaning name Layla *See on list of posts* I decided I wasn't going to add it but I decided though a few weeks ago to add it when I heard it when I was down in St. Charles. I was in the rest room and I saw this woman who kept wrangling in her cute little toddlers, a boy and girl who were I would say a year or two apart in age. I never heard her sons name but she kept calling the little girl when she ran out the bathroom door while she was trying to wash her hands. The little girls name was Lila. It is a super cute name with beautiful meanings. It's an exotic sounding name as well. It's a bit old fashioned but making it well in the modern era.

Asha

Meaning: (Hope, Life, Wish, Desire, Alive and Well, She Who Lives, Protection of Fire, Variant of Aisha.)

Origin: (Arabic, Indian, Persian, Swahili)

Pronunciation: (ahh-sha, Ash-uh, AH-shuh, AA-SHaa, AH-sha, AE-SH-aa)

Gender: Female

I was watching BBC America channel and there was this lady named Asha who was talking about hosting some show about Top British celebs or something like that. I really wasn't paying much attention to the commercial about the upcoming show because I was thinking about the name Asha. It is pretty and simple and easy to pronounce. I love the meaning and really love the look of it. I like certain names that start with Ash which I think is a pretty cool nickname. So I think Asha is a great name and great alternative to more popular Ashley (not that there is anything wrong with Ashley as I've used the name on a character before.)

Cyrus

Meaning: (Sun, Lord, Throne Of the Sun, Derived via the Greek form Kyros of the name of several kings of Persia. In earlier times, it was linked with Greek "kyrios" meaning "lord". It may also derive from the Persian word for "throne". Historical: Cyrus the Great (fifth century BC) conquered Babylon at the height of its powers and founded the Persian Empire. Biblical: Cyrus is prophetically named in the book of Isaiah as the one who would overthrow Babylon and liberate the captive Israelites. Also the name of a fourth-century saint, a doctor in Alexandria. Inventor Cyrus McCormick; former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.)

Origin: (Greek, Persian, Biblical)

Pronunciation: (SY-russ)

Gender: Male

I think this would make a cool given name in both ancient or modern times. Of course the down fall is -Billy Ray Cyrus/Miley Cyrus- people might think the character is named after there last name. I think this name has a great meaning and an interesting history so I ignore the Billy Ray Cyrus/Miley Cyrus association.

Dasha

Meaning: (Gift of God, Maintain Well, Possess and Good)

Origin: (Greek, Russian, Persian)

Pronunciation: (DAH sha)

Gender: Female

I heard this name years ago when I watched the movie Zenon: Z3 it was the main character Zenon's adopted cousin. The name Dasha sort of grew on me and when I saw the meaning I liked it even more. I think most might not want to use this name because they think it is odd or something but I think it is fun and unique and beautiful. I don't think people should be afraid to use a name because they fear what the reader will think. Go with your instinct on any name. It's your story.

Casper

Meaning: (Treasurer, Royal, Dutch and Scandinavian form of Jasper.)

Origin: (Persian, Arabic, German, Dutch, Scandinavian)

Pronunciation: (KAS-per, KAHS-pər (Dutch)

Gender: Male

Most think of Casper the friendly ghost when they see and hear this name. That could be a down fall thus you might want to use Jasper or Gasper. I personally like Casper and Jasper and Gasper. I have used Jasper before in a novel but haven't used Casper.

Jasmine

Meaning: (Refers to the climbing plant with delicate, fragrant flowers, which derives from Yasmin. Gift from God. The name was made popular by character Princess Jasmine in the film "Aladdin" (1990). The name is popular among Hispanic and African American families.)

Origin: (Old French, Persian)

Pronunciation: (JAZ-min, jaz-MEEN, Go to this site and run your cursor over the name Jasmine to hear how it is said: http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=jasmine&submit=Submit)

Gender: Female

I always think of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin or the perfume Jasmine. There are a few actresses with this name. It is a pretty nature related name. It has a pretty meaning and the look of it is very nice. I have used this for a secondary characters child's name. The character I used it on is a Fairy and a sister of Lavender.