Zara / Zahra

Meaning: (Seed, which appears to predate the Arabic and Russian meanings. In Arabic, Zara means Star or Flower, and is sometimes spelled Zahra. In Russian, Zara means Princess. Some people believe that Zara is a form of Sarah. Eastern Splendor, Blossoming Flower, Dawn, and Lady.

It was first introduced to English speakers via literature, used by William Congreve for the name of an African queen in his tragedy The Mourning Bride (1697). It appeared again shortly after, as the title of the play Zara (1735), Aaron Hill's translation of Volaire's tragedy Zaïre (1733). The first name was however rarely used till the mid-20th century. It was later chosen by Princess Anne and Mark Philips for their daughter Zara Philips (1981-); the departure from royalty naming convention generated much discussion then. Their choice of the name did not boost its popularity until Zara Philips became famous in her own right in recent times. The trendy Spanish clothing retailer Zara (1975-) could have also increased the adoption of the name.)

Origin: (Arabic, Russian, Hebrew, Literature)

Pronunciation: (ZAHRaa)

Gender: Female

I was listening to singer Zara Larsson song the other day and realized I’ve heard this name a lot in recent years but have been on the fence about adding it but I said whether I like it or not some other author might find it to be perfect so I’ll add it and so here I am. I think it looks like it's trying to be a new age version of the plainer Sara or something. However the name has been around a long time and could be used in many different eras but my thought still goes to my earlier thought of people using Zara to spice up Sara. The meanings are lovely and very feminine! I’m still on the fence if I like it or not but at least its short and recognizable and pronounced easily enough by most people so that is a plus for an author. It also gives off an attractive foreign vibe so that’s interesting!

Troika

Meaning: (Group of Three, A Set of Three, a sled or carriage drawn by three horses harnessed side-by-side, iconic symbol of Russia, a Russian folk dance)

Origin: (Russian)

Pronunciation: (TROY-kah)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was looking at a young adult novel a few weeks back and one of the groups in the story was called Troika and I thought it was the coolest looking word / name. I kind of liked the novel details but when I did further research on the novel I found some of the material wasn’t my cup of tea and not exactly appropriate to what I read and don’t read but I loved the name Troika enough to add it to my list. I intend to have a secondary character be named this in a future novel and then a main character will be named this in another novel. I don’t mind using it twice in two different novels. I love the nickname Troi like Troy which if on a feminine character it gives it a slightly tom boyishness to it.

This name is much like other three meaning words like Triad. The meanings are pretty great and could be used in a novel to mean something to do with a group of three as I intend to use it as in one of my novels.

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)

Mikhail

Meaning: (Gift from God, God Like, Who is Like God, Russian form of MICHAEL, and a variant transcription of Bulgarian MIHAIL. This was the name of two Russian tsars. It was also borne by the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-)

Origin: (Hebrew, Russian, Bulgarian)

Pronunciation: (mee-khah-EEL (Russian), Miy-K-aa-IYL, mihk-eye-EEL, mi-KYLE)

Gender: Male

I forget where I at first saw this name but when I did see it I was quite taken with the name. I love the unique to English speakers look. I love this is the Russian form of Michael as it has deep roots but looks modern to me. I love the meanings and the ageless feel of this name. I can image a very hot sexy male character with a beautiful sexy accent. I love this name so much.

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.

Maksim

Meaning: (The Greatest, Wonderful, Charming, Magical, Handsome, God Miracle Maker, Russian, Belarusian and Macedonian form of MAXIMUS, as well as a variant transliteration of Ukrainian MAKSYM. Variant of Maxim, Variant of Maximilian: Three Roman Emperors and various Saints.)

Origin: (Russian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Latin, Hebrew, Roman)

Pronunciation: (mahk-SEEM (Russian), MAX-im, Mah-KS-IYM)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I really love the look of this name and I love the various meanings and variant names that it comes from. I however love the pronunciation MAX-im better but I do see it being mahk-SEEM much more often. Though I love it I can see the variants, Maximus, Maxim, and Maximilian, being much more popular. If I were to have a character I would probably go with Maxim as it seems to be a hot person’s name. But I love Maksim’s unique look and it has a very foreign sexiness to it.

Marusya

Meaning: (Bitter, Sea of Bitterness, Rebelliousness, Wished for Child, To Swell, Tart, Beloved of Amun, Pregnant)

Origin: (Russian, Hebrew, Egyptian, French)

Pronunciation: (Maa-R-UW-SYaa)

Gender: Female

I was reading either the 2013 or 2014 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses and I saw this name. The meanings are diverse and interesting. I rather love the look of this name. It has a unique look but looks like Mary which has many of the same meanings. It is a really pretty name. I would love to see this name more often.

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.

Olesia

Meaning: (Man’s Defender, Defending Men, Holy, Diminutive form of Olga. Variation of Alexandra and Aleksander.)

Origin: (Greek, Russian, Polish)

Pronunciation:  (ow-LAH-SHuw, o-LEH-see-ah, O-lee-see-ah)

Gender: Female

I saw this name on the TV series Stargate Atlantis; it was the name of one of the alien cities the Stargate team went to. It does look very alien and exotic and I love it. It is beautiful and the meanings are nice.

Irisa / Iris

Meaning: (Rainbow, A name of two distinct derivations in use throughout Europe and the British Isles. In England, Iris is one of the flower names and is derived from the genus Iris. Elsewhere in Europe, it is generally taken from Iris, the mythical Greek Goddess of the Rainbow.)

Origin: (Russian, Old Greek, English Nature Name)

Pronunciation: (Irisa: iy-RIY-Saa-, -ay-RIHS-ah- or -ay-RIY-Saa Iris: EYE-riss, I-ris, EE-ris, IE-ris, I-riss)

Gender: Female

I can’t quite remember where I first saw Irisa but when I heard and saw it I really came to like it a lot. I have used Iris before in one of my novels. I used it because it was an older fashioned name and was a nature name because nature names particularly flower names were popular around the year my character was born. Both Iris and Irisa have beautiful meanings and are quite sophisticated names. They are short yet carry a dignified air to them. I’ve seen Iris in novels before but I would love to see Irisa.

Katya

Meaning: (Pure, Blessed, Holy, Variant of Yekaterina (Russian form of Katherine *see Catherine/ Kathryn/ Katherine on my list of post*))

Origin: (Russian, Ukrainian, Greek)

Pronunciation: (KAH-tyah)

Gender: Female

I was watching a Syfy movie the other day and there was a woman named Katya on there. I know it is a form of Katherine but I thought it deserved its own posting because it can be its own stand alone name. It's pretty and I love the look and sound of it.

Elena / Eleena

Meaning: (Sun Ray, Shining Light, Bright One, Light Bearer, Wicker, Reed, Shoot, Torch, Basket, Cognate of HELEN, and a variant Russian transcription of YELENA. Elena variation of Helen dates back to the 12th century.)

Origin: (Greek, Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Macedonian, Croatian, Slovene, Lithuanian, Russian, German, Medieval Slavic)

Pronunciation: (E-le-nah (Italian), e-LE-nah (Spanish), ye-LYE-nah (Russian), ee-LYE-nah (Russian), eh-LAY-nah, ah-lay-nah, eh-LAYN-ah, el-AY-na)

Gender: Female

I was watching the movie The Mask of Zorro a few weeks ago and there was a lady Elena played by Catherine Zeta-Zones in the film. So I thought to add this to my blog because a few years ago I used the name Eleena as a minor characters name in my trilogy. So hearing Elena in The Mask of Zorro it reminded me of Eleena and also reminded me I have yet to add this name to my blog. The meanings are pretty and the name it's self is very beautiful. It's got a great look and it easily pronounced.

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.

Nicolai

Meaning: (Victory of the People, Victorious, From the Latin Nicholaus, a derivative of the Greek Nikolaos (Victor of the People) a compound name composed of the elements nike (Victory) and Laos (the People). The name was borne by St. Nicholas, a 4^th Century bishop of Myra who is regarded as the patron Saint of Russia and Greece, and of Children, Sailor’s and Wolves.)

Origin: (Latin, Greek, Russian)

Pronuciaion: (NIY-KowL-ay, neek-oh-LYE, nik-kuh-LY, nik-oh-LIE)

Gender: Male

I was watching a Syfy movie the other day and one of the characters was named Nicolai. I actually really like the name a lot. It is a great spelling alternative to Nicholas. It has a great meaning, look, pronunciation, and there is nothing I don't like about this name. It's also a great old fashioned male name.

Dimitri

Meaning: (Earth Mother, Earth Lover, Devoted to, dedicated to, or follower of Demeter “Mother Earth”, the Greek Goddess of Agriculture. Russian and French variant of Demetrius.)

Origin: (Russian, Greek, French)

Pronunciation: (Dem-MEE-TREE, De-MEE-tree, Di-MEE-tree, Dee-MEE-tree)

Gender: Male


While watching the movie Anastasia (1997) the other day I started liking the name Dimitri which in the film was the name of Anastasia's love interest. The meaning is great and it has an interesting look.

Anastasia / Anastacia

Meaning: (Resurrection, Breaker of Chains, Reborn, From the word "anastasis". Russian feminine form of the Greek male name Anastasios. Popular in Eastern Europe in honor of a fourth-century saint who was martyred at Sirmium in Dalmatia. Also used occasionally in England in the Middle Ages and as late as the 17th century. Anastasia Romanova, Grand Duchess of Russia and the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Russian czar. Anastasia and her family were murdered by the Bolshevik secret police in 1918, though rumors of her escape have persisted. A 1956 film and a 1997 animated film, were based (loosely) on the circumstances of her family's death and the possibility of Anastasia's survival.)

Origin: (Greek, Russian, English, Spanish)

Pronunciation: (ahn-a-STAH-shah, ahn-a-STAY-zhah, ah-nah-stah-SEE-yah (Russian), a-nə-STAY-zhə (English), a-nə-STAS-yə (English), ah-nahs-TAH-syah (Spanish)

Gender: Female

I have used Anastasia as a character name before. I love the meaning and though it is a long name it is pretty with plenty of nickname options. I was watching the Disney movie Anastasia (1997) the other day and realized I hadn't put this name on my blog yet. It is a great name. The history of those named Anastasia is interesting as well.

Faina

Meaning: (Crown, Garland, Shinning, Light, Young Deer, Variant of Fawn.)

Origin: (Old French, Russian, Old Greek)

Pronunciation: (Fay-ee-na, fah-EE-nah, f ah ee n ah, Faa-IY-Naa)

Gender: Female

I get emails from Amazon.com advertising there books of the month. I read some details about this one book and it had a character named Faina and I thought I might have heard the name before. I looked it up and love the meanings. It has a unique look but is an old name. It's such a beautiful name.

Tatiana

Meaning: (Feminine form of the Latin Tatiānus, a derivative of the old Roman family name Tatius. A king by this name was said to have reigned over the Sabines and the Romans with the legendary Romulus. Also the name of a third-century saint.)

Origin: (Russian, Latin)

Pronunciation: (tah-TYAH-nə, ta-TYA-nah, tat-YAH-nah, taht ee AHN ah)

Gender: Female

This is the name of several real life Princesses. I heard this name the other day on a show I was watching and I sort of like it. It isn't a name I would personally use on a character but I think it is a lovely name.

Vladimir

Meaning: (Renowned Prince, To Rule with Greatness, Great Ruler, To Rule with Peace, Ruling Peace, The Owner of Peace, Has Peace)

Origin: (Slavic, Russian)

Pronunciation: (vlah-DEE-meer)

Gender: Male

I have always liked this name and I am not sure why. I think I like the name because of the nickname Vlad. The whole name is just fun to say. I think this name has a fantastic meaning and a strong masculine look and sound to it.

Aksana or Oksana

Meaning: (Praise God, Glory to God, Welcoming, Derived from the Greek Xenia (hospitality), which is from Xenos (a guest, stranger)

Origin: (Russian, Hebrew, Slavic)

Pronunciation: (ahk-SAH-nah)

Gender: Female

I heard this name on WWE Smack Down. I have heard this name before but I guess I forgot about it until I heard it on there. I like the name and the meaning as well.