Eilonwy

Meaning: (Oak Tree, Big Tree, Name created by Author Lloyd Alexander for the Princess character in his children’s fantasy series “The Chronicles of Prydain”. He purposefully used historic Welsh name elements. The series later became a Disney movie: The Black Cauldron (1985).)

Origin: (English, Welsh, Fictional)

Pronunciation: (EYE-lawn-wee, AY-lawn-wee, eye-LAHN-wee)

Gender: Female

This is a fictional name made up by author Lloyd Alexander, so I am pretty sure it can’t be used by another author but I put this on here because I saw it on someone’s list for their future child’s middle name. So I thought I would add this here so maybe a future parent might like a Welsh inspired name with a unique look. Now the meanings “Oak Tree, Big Tree” I came to find from the real name Eilon (Pronounced: AY-lahn) which has the same root origin as Elon *see on list of post*. So if you want to use a real name similar to Eilonwy for say a novel and or child then try Eilon or Elon or even Elowen / Elowyn *see on list of posts*.

As for this name I think it is so pretty but I think some can be tripped up by the look and struggle for a pronunciation. So if using for a child I say keep it to a middle name but it would make an incredible first name. Of course for a novel character try something similar as this was a made up name by another author.

Rhydian / Rhidian

Meaning: (It's a form of Rhydwyn, which is a village in Wales. The name apparently means 'Blessed, White Ford' or 'Crossing'. Also from Old Welsh rhudd ‘Red’. Ardor, Passion. Sharing some similarities with Rowan. An early Welsh saint may have had this name. There is a church established by the saint in the 6th century.)

Origin: (Old Welsh)

Pronunciation: (RID-ee-an, hri DEE an, HRID yan)

Gender: Uni-Sex

I was watching a show a few weeks ago and it had an all English (British) cast. One of the male characters was named Rhydian. I fell in love with this name. I had never heard of this name before. Upon looking it up I really do like the meanings. I love the spelling and I think I love it because recently I am becoming obsessed with Welsh names. I am not sure where this may be used but it seems to fit in the modern era as it was in the show I watched. I also read that this is a commonly used name in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.

Elsa

Meaning: (My God is a Vow, God’s Promise, God is My Oath, Joyful, Short form of Elisabeth. Literary: name of the lioness in the book “Born Free” by Joy Adamson, which was made into a movie.)

Origin: (Hebrew, Scandinavian)

Pronunciation: (EL-sah)

Gender: Female

I was reading something about Disney’s new animated movie Frozen. One of the Princesses is named Elsa. I have seen this name before but never really cared for it but I saw no reason not to add it here on my blog. It is also a variant of Elisabeth *see Elizabeth on list of posts*. It is a decent name with good meanings. It is short and easily pronounced so that is a major plus for some authors.

 

Elixabete

Meaning: (Basque form of Elizabeth, My God is a Vow, My God is Plenty, God of Plenty.)

Origin: (Basque)

Pronunciation: (ee-LEESH-ah-bet-EH, ee-LICKS-ah-bet-EH, iy-LIY-SH-aaBehT-EH)

Gender: Female

I came across this variant of Elizabeth *see on list of posts* when I was looking up another name on the internet. I absolutely love this spelling. Of course when I went to Yahoo Answers for opinions people were not thrilled. Even though I told them it was for my blog not a child they couldn’t help but keep telling me if I named a child this then it would be bullied because of the name. They fail to realize kids get bullied all the time and most of the time it has nothing to do with their name. I hate people that think that people should conform to certain naming patterns. I can’t help but say that if we do that our lives may all turn into an episode of Twilight Zone, where we all look alike and are named alike. I don’t care for crazy difficult names or spellings but it is the parent’s decision just like having unique names is an author’s prerogative. Also they got all bent out of shape because I felt like pronouncing it differently than the internet reads.  

To Note: I pronounce this name ee-LICKS-ah-bet-EH, I found no evidence on the internet that this name is pronounced that way. The proper pronunciation is ee-LEESH-ah-bet-EH. I will continue to pronounce it as ee-LICKS-ah-bet-EH and so I added the pronunciation under pronunciation. Plus another person saw it pronounced the way I do so I decided to add it to under pronunciation. Of course if you are staying authentic and wish to stick with the Basque pronunciation it is ee-LEESH-ah-bet-EH.

I think this name is really pretty and unique looking. It is sort of futuristic looking to me.

Marina

Meaning: (From the Sea, Of the Sea, From “Marine”. From the God Mars. A Saint’s name. Shakespeare gave the name to Pericles’ daughter in his play “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” (1607-1608). In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Marina (-304) is the name by which Saint Margaret of Antioch is known. The name was adopted by English speakers in the 14^th Century. It was later popularized by Princess Marina of Greece and Demark (1906-1968) who became the Duchess of Kent in 1934. In Scotland, the name is used as an Anglicized form of Mairi. Marina is the feminine form of the Dutch, German, and Scandinavian Marinus. The name is popular in Russia.)

Origin: (Latin)

Pronunciation: (mah-REE-nah, MaaRIYNaa)

Gender: Female

Most see this and think of a Marina by a lake or other body of water. I never thought of this as an actual person’s name. Though the other day I did hear a woman call her daughters name and I think it sounded like Marina but not sure it was the same name or spelled the same way. Also there is the actress from Star Trek: The Next Generation who played Counselor Deanna Troi, the actresses name is Marina Sirtis. With the long history and varied uses this could fit just about anywhere in history. From the history you can see all the different people named this and how many different characters with different backgrounds can be named this. It is a versatile name and the use of it is up to the author.

Marisol

Meaning: (Bitter, Combination of Maria and Sol ‘Sun’. Sometimes interpreted as mar y sol- Sea and Sun)

Origin: (Spanish)

Pronunciation: (Maa-Riy-SAAL, mah-ree-sole)

Gender: Female

I was at a wedding at the end of August and there was a woman there whose name is Marisol. She was a good friend of a woman who attends my congregation at our Kingdom Hall (place of worship). I had seen the woman before but I didn’t know her name was Marisol. Now I have heard the name Marisol before, most notably on CSI: Miami. I also heard it on the movie Cheetah Girls 2. I think it is a really pretty Spanish name. It is super exotic sounding and the meanings are good.

Fiora

Meaning: (Fair, White, Beautiful, A Variant of Fiona, created by A.E Maxwell for lead character in the “Fiddler” series of mystery novels. The Fiora is a river in Italy.)

Origin: (Gaelic, Celtic, Latin, Fictional)

Pronunciation: (fee-OR-uh)

Gender: Female

I was watching an episode of Heroes of Cosplay on Syfy and one of the cosplayers (Yaya Han, I think) was dressing up like a character named Fiora. I think this an absolutely beautiful name. The meanings are beautiful and of course it is a variant of Fiona *see on list of posts*.  It sounds like a lovely name with a foreign look but also a very futuristic look too.