Aysuna

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Turkish

Meaning: “As beautiful as the moon.”

Pronunciation: (ahy-SOON-uh)

Nicknames: Aya, Ays (Ice), Suna, Suni

Eowyn

Gender: Feminine

Origin: English / Tolkien

Meaning: “Delightful charger; horse lover.”

Pronunciation: The first syllable of Eowyn sounds like “eh-ah,” with the “ah” just barely pronounced. The y in the second syllable is the same sound as the German letter ü or the French u.

(eh-ah-weun) [French u]

In the films it is pronounced (EY-oh-win)

Nicknames: Eo, Wyn

Detail: J.R.R. Tolkien created the name Eowyn using elements from Old English. In the Old English language the word eoh (or eh) means “war-horse, charger” while wyn means “delight, pleasure.”

Alena

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Czech / Gaelic Meaning: “Rock.”

Origin: French Meaning: “Bird; Hazelnut.”

Origin: Greek Meaning: “Bright one; shining one; defender of men.”

Pronunciation: (ah-LEY-nah)

Nicknames: Ala, Ali, Lena, Leni

Detail: Saint Alena was a Belgian martyr.

Variations:

• Ailina
• Aleena (English)
• Alena
• Alene (English and Czech)
• Aleni
• Alenia
• Alenka (English, Russian, and Slavic)
• Alenna
• Alenya
• Alyna (Russian)

Francesca

Paolo and Francesca by Charles Edward Halle

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Latin

Meaning: “From France.”

Pronunciation: (frahn-CHES-kah)

Nicknames: Cesca, Cesi, Chess, Frankie

Detail: Francesca (and Paolo) were historical contemporaries of Dante Alighieri.

Francesca was blatantly tricked into marrying Gianciotto, who was disfigured and uncouth, when the handsome and elegant Paolo (Gianciotto’s brother) was sent in his brother’s place to settle the nuptial contract. Angered at finding herself wed the following day to Gianciotto, Francesca made no attempt to restrain her affections for Paolo and the two in fact soon became lovers. Informed of this liaison, Gianciotto one day caught them together in Francesca’s bedroom (unaware that Paolo got stuck in his attempt to escape down a ladder, she let Gianciotto in the room); when Gianciotto lunged at Paolo with a sword, Francesca stepped between the two men and was killed instead, much to the dismay of her husband, who then promptly finished off Paolo as well.

Ailith

photo by Julie Reeman

Gender: Feminine

Origin: English

Meaning: “Noble battle; seasoned warrior.”

Pronunciation: (EY-lith)

Nicknames: Aili, Lith

Detail: Modern form of the Old English Æthelgyth, a compound of the elements Æthel meaning “noble” and gyth meaning “battle, strife.”

Evangeline

Evangeline Lilly

 

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Greek

Meaning: “Good news.”

Pronunciation: (ee-VAN-jeh-leen)

Nicknames: Eva, Eve, Evie, Lina

Erasmus

St Erasmus In Bishop Islips Chapel Westminster Abbey by Joseph Mallord William Turner

Gender: Masculine

Origin: Greek

Meaning: “Lovely.”

Pronunciation: (eh-RAS-muss)

Nicknames: Ermo, Raz

Detail: A famous bearer of this name is Desiderius Erasmus, a Dutch philosopher.

Saint Erasmus once fled to Mount Lebanon during the Christian persecution of Diocletian and lived a life of solitude there for some time, being fed by a raven. After the emperor discovered his whereabouts, he was tortured and thrown in prison. Legend records that when a blue light appeared at mastheads before and after a storm, the sailors took it as a sign of Erasmus’s protection. This was known as “St. Elmo’s fire” (the glow accompanying the brushlike discharges of atmospheric electricity that appears as a tip of light on the masks of ships during stormy weather).

Skula

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Norse

Meaning: Debated “Skull; future.”

Pronunciation: (SKOO-lah)

Nicknames: Sku, Suki

Detail: One suggestion is that it is derived from Old Norse, there are a few possibilities: From the word skàli, meaning hut or shed, or from scala, meaning skull.

Skuld means “future” in Old Norse. She was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny, in Norse mythology. She was also one of the Valkyries.

Yfke

Yfke Sturm

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Frisian

Meaning: “Bow; Yew.”

Pronunciation: (EEF-keh)

Nicknames: Yffy, Effy

Detail: Possibly derived from the French name Yves, which originated as a shortened form of any Germanic name containing ‘iv’ (‘yew’).

Yfke Sturm is a Dutch supermodel.

Alcott

Gender: Masculine

Origin: English

Meaning: “Old cottage.”

Pronunciation: (AL-kot)

Nicknames: Al, Alo

Ghislaine

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Germanic

Meaning: “Vow; hostage.”

Pronunciation: (gees-LANE); (JEES-lane)

Nicknames: Ghis, Gea, Ghisli

Noor

Gender: Feminine & Masculine

Origin: Arabic

Meaning: “Light.”

Pronunciation: (noor)

Detail: This name is borne by the Queen Noor of Jordan.

Noor is a city in northern Iran.

Noor is also a beautiful Pakistani actress.

In the Dutch and Flemish ethymology the name Noor is a form of Eleanor, meaning “God is my light.”

Sive

Midsummer Eve by Edward Hughes

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Gaelic

Meaning: “Sweet; goodness.”

Pronunciation: (shee-vah); (SAHYV)

Detail: According to Irish mythology, Sive refuses the advances of the Druid Fear Doirche who then casts a spell on her making her take the form of a deer. Sive is rescued by Fionn mac Cumhail (fyun) and discovers that spell is broken while under Fionn‘s protection. They have a son (Oisin (uh-SHEEN)) together but eventually Sive is tricked into leaving Fionn‘s house and is turned back into a deer.

Variations:

• Saibh
• Saidhbh
• Sive

Neela

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Indian

Meaning: “Sapphire; blue; color of the sea.”

Pronunciation: (NEE-lah)

Nicknames: Nee, Neeli

Detail: Neelakurinji is a plant that used to grow abundantly in the shola grasslands of South India. The Nilgiri Hills, which literally means “the blue mountains”, got their name from these purplish blue flowers that blossoms gregariously only once in 12 years.

Fjola

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Icelandic

Meaning: “Violet.”

Pronunciation: (FYOH-lah)

Nicknames: Fee, Yola

Detail: It is the Icelandic form of the Latin Viola meaning “violet.”

Edeline

Edita Vilkeviciute

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Germanic

Meaning: “Noble; honorable.”

Pronunciation: (EH-deh-line); (EH-deh-leehn); (EY-deh-leehn)

Nicknames: Edie, Ede (EY-deh), Edel, Ed

Quirinus

Gender: Masculine

Origin: Latin

Meaning: “Spear.”

Pronunciation: (kwih-REE-nus)

Nicknames: Q, Russ

Detail: In Roman mythology, Quirinus was an early god of the Roman state.

Name of several early saints

Professor Quirinus Quirrell taught Defence Against the Dark Arts during Harry Potter’s first year at Hogwarts.

Psyche

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Greek

Meaning: “Soul.”

Pronunciation: (SAHY-kee) Psyche

Nicknames: Psych

Detail: Personification of the Soul, Goddess of Beauty and wife of Eros.

The ancient Greek word for butterfly.

In this tale Psyche is a young girl of admirable beauty who is unfortunately subject to the jealousy of the goddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite sends her son Eros (Cupid) to Earth to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest living man but the young god falls in love with her himself. She was united with him after Aphrodite’s jealousy was overcome, granted immortality and bore a daughter (Volupta, which means bliss, delight or pleasure).

Suadela

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Latin

Meaning: “Persuasion.”

Nicknames: Dela

Detail: The goddess of persuasion, and especially in love.

Ravenna

Artwork by Emmanuel Polanco a French designer/illustrator/artist.

Gender: Feminine

Origin: English

Meaning: “Raven.”

Pronunciation: (rah-VEN-nah)

Nicknames: Ravi, Raven, Venna, Enna

Detail: Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven.

In Dante’s Inferno, Guido da Polenta is lord of Ravenna.