Cara

Meaning: (Beloved, Friend, 20^th Century Coinage, though it did not become popular until after the 1950’s, Feminine form of the Latin and Italian word for “Dear”. In Irish Cara means “Friend”.)

Origin: (Latin, Irish, Gaelic, Italian, English, German)

Pronunciation: (KAR-ah, KEER-ah, KAHR-a (English), KER-a (English), KAH-rah (German), KAAR-aa, KEHR-ah)

Gender: Female

I was reading a book description the other day and I misread the characters names as Cara but her name was Cora. I really like Cara. It is pretty and the meanings are lovely. It is a short name that could be paired well with a nice old fashioned last name and could be cute as part of a double barreled first name.

Audie

Meaning: (Wealth Protector, Noble Strength, Variant of Audrey.)

Origin: (Old English)

Pronunciation: (AWD-ee, AO-Diy)

Gender: Female, Possibly Uni-Sex

I was trying to think of a name to add to my list. This name just popped in my head. The look and pronunciation is unique. The meanings are good and this could be a good stand alone name or nickname for Audrey. It’s super cute.

Gretel

Meaning: (A Pearl, Variant of Greta and Margaret, Diminutive of GRETE. This name is well-known as the character in Grimm's fairy tale who is captured, with her brother Hansel, by a witch. Also the name of the youngest child of Captain Von Trapp in the movie The Sound of Music.)

Origin: (German, Greek, Finnish)

Pronunciation: (GREH-təl, GRE-tel, GREH-TL)

Gender: Female

There is that movie Hansel and Gretel movie out a few months back and so I got to hearing Gretel a lot during the commercials. It is a decent name with a pretty meaning. I haven’t been a fan of this name before but it is ok and so I am adding this.  

Aphrodite

Meaning:  (Risen from the Foam, Greek Mythology: Name of the Greek Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, lust, and procreation, known to the Romans as Venus. She was said to have been born on the sea foam. She was the wife of Hephaestus and the mother of Eros, and she was often associated with the myrtle tree and doves. Root of the word “Aphrodisiac”.)

Origin: (Old Greek, Greek Mythology, Phoenician, English)

Pronunciation: (a-frə-DIE-tee (English), aeFRahDAYTiy, a-fro-DIE-tee)

Gender: Female

I love Greek God and Goddess names and so I have decided to add this one. I love the meaning and the mythology behind this name. It’s a name not used too often because of it being the name of a mythical goddess but it is a beautiful name. I was watching a wedding dress show a few months ago and one of the brides was named Afrodite which is a variant spelling of Aphrodite and she was engaged to a man named Achilles, how cute is that. So there are still people named this in the real world.

Aoife

Meaning: (Beautiful, Beauty, Radiant, Joyful, The name has also been associated with Esuvia, a Gaulish Goddess, and was borne by several heroines in ancient Irish legend. In Irish legend Aoife was a warrior Princess. In war against her sister Scathach, she was defeated in single combat by the hero Cuchulainn. Eventually she was reconciled with her sister and became the lover of Cuchulainn. The name was also borne by a daughter of King Dermot of Leinster, who married Richard de Clare, the 2^nd Earl of Pembroke and leader of the 1169 Norman invasion of Ireland. This name is sometimes used as a Gaelic form of Eve or Eva due to the similarity in pronunciation, Eva has thus been a popular name in Ireland, and many historical Eva’s were actually named Aoife.)

Origin: (Irish, Irish Mythology, Celtic, Scottish, Gaelic)

Pronunciation: (ee-fah, a-ee-fah, EE-fya, EE-fa, IY-Fah)

Gender: Female

I was watching this special on T.V about the British girl band The Saturdays. One of the women had a baby named Aoife. I have never been a fan of classic Irish names because of the spelling of them and how hard they are to pronounce but this one isn’t too bad. Still the pronunciation looks nothing like the name spelling but both are pretty in a way. It has a beautiful meaning and I do like it.

Reed

Meaning: (Red, Variant of Red, or possibly a place name referring to the reeds in a swampy place. From the Reeds, From the Cleared Land, Variant of Reid, which refers to reddish or ruddy facial complexion. Variant of the surname Read, which is commonly believed to be a nickname-derived surname referring to person’s complexion or hair being ruddy or red.)

Origin: (Old English, Scottish)

Pronunciation: (RIY-D)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was reading a Yahoo Answers question and they were talking about having nature names for there characters and one of the names was Reed. I think Reed is an interesting name. It has decent meanings.

Chanel

Meaning: (Channel, Canal, Pipe, From a French occupational name and surname for pipe fitters and manufacturers. Contemporary usage may be due to the influence of the legendary fashion designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971), and a number of famous perfumes. Also the name of a 14^th Century French Missionary Saint.)

Origin: (Old French)

Pronunciation: (sha-NELL, SHAH-nell, Shaa-NEHL)

Gender: Female

This is one of those names I could see on a nice rich preppy character. I have only seen this name as a last name most notably of the fashion designer Coco Chanel but I have heard it as a first name of a character on The Cheetah Girls movies. Chanel has very industrious meanings but is associated with high fashion so that’s interesting.

Celia

Meaning: (Heaven, Sky, Blind, Musical, From Caelia, feminine form of the Old Roman Family name Caelius, probably from “Caelum” meaning “Heaven”, Sometimes also used as a short form of Cecelia. Celio is the masculine form. The name was not used in the middle ages, and was introduced to the English- Speaking world as the name of a character in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” (1599). Made popular in the 1940’s by actress Celia Johnson. )

Origin: (Latin, English, Italian, Polish, Scandinavian, Spanish)

Pronunciation: (SEEL-yah, SIYLiyah (English), SIYLYah (English), CHEHLYaa (Italian), THEHLYaa (Spanish), SEHLYaa (Spanish-Latin American))

Gender: Female

I was watching Law and Order: SVU and one of these ladies on the show had a baby who she named Celia. I think it is a pretty cute name. It is short, easily pronounceable and has decent meanings. It is a name that’s been in use for a nice long time but is still really nice in the modern era.   

Anika / Anneka

Meaning: (Grace, Favour, Sweet Faced, Gracious, Merciful, Diminutive form of Anne. Popular among African Americans at the end of the 20^th Century.)

Origin: (African Hausa, Scandinavian, Hebrew, English, German, Dutch)

Pronunciation: (AH-ne-kah, aa-NAY-Kaa, AEN-iy-Kaa, AHN-nee-kah, Ahn-ihk-uh)

Gender: Female

I have used this name before, the spelling Anneka, and I really like it. I first saw this as the name of an African American actress. I love the pronunciation and the look of this name. It has a unique and rare look. The meanings are lovely and beautiful.

Cassiopeia

Meaning: (She whose Words Excel, Cassia Juice, Greek Mythology: Cassiopeia was an Ethiopian Queen, the wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda, the maiden who was chained to a rock and rescued by Perseus. According to legend, both mother and daughter were placed among the stars after death, and there are constellations named after them.)

Origin: (Greek, Greek Mythology)

Pronunciation: (ka-see-a-PEE-a, KaeSiyahPIYah)

Gender: Female

I have added Andromeda recently *See on list of posts* which in the myth was Cassiopeia’s daughter. I love the meanings and the look of this name. It is a beautiful wonderful mythology name. It could fit in modern age with a character with this name going by just Cass.