#Names

[sweet-seo]

   ── 𝓤𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞    𝓛𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬   ⿻ !

ㅤ        ㅤ            ⠀ꕀ⠀𝆹⠀⠀ׄ⠀⠀ִ⠀ name ⠀ּ ּ    ✧

ㅤ        ㅤ            ⠀˚⠀⠀♡⃕⠀⠀name 𓂃　۪ ׄ

ㅤ        ㅤ            ⠀⡺ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⬚ ⠀name !

ㅤ        ㅤ            ⠀𝆬 𝅄 ◌⠀ name ׄ 　۪

ㅤ        ㅤ             𓏲𓏲⠀⠀.. ⠀name .ㅤ ওㅤ

ㅤ        ㅤ             ⠀⎯⠀ nameㅤ۪ ㅤ⬭

ㅤ        ㅤ             ⠀✣ ⠀۪⠀ ´ name  ⠘ ✫

ㅤ        ㅤ             ⠀◌   𑁍 _ name     ⸝⸝  

ㅤ        ㅤ             ⠀︵⠀ Ꜥ    · name ⠀ ࣪⠀⠀!

⸺ (⠀©⠀)⠀𝆬⠀ ○⠀minsᥱo⠀𖥾

[jkl-fff]

Call me a demon of avarice, because I'm ... a greed!

[byjove]

Since you guys like my male name list, here are some vintage girl’s names from old historic documents, recently updated:

(Sorry I listed the name origin/individual’s place of birth on some and not others.)

[howspital]

✦ — angel npts ଘ(੭˃ᴗ˂)੭

requested by anon

names ﹔

angel , angelica , michael , gabriel , cherub , angie , angelette , softsel , angelo , lacey , seraphine , delilah , bibi , wingina , damselle , whimselle , Idyllic , song , lyricille , bellina , aria , gabriela , fawn , divinity , daintsel , aura , holyness , adorine , eden

pronouns ﹔

holy / holys , wing / wings , heaven / heavens , flutter / flutters , soft / softs , che / ches , halo / halos , ku / kus , bless / blesses , hope / hopes , frill / frills , pure / pures , pray / prayer , light / lights , it / its , lyr / lyrs , ethe / ethereal , sweet / sweets , lala / lalas , gentle / gently

titles ﹔

prn with a halo , pen with wings , the angel , the divine one , prn who is holy , the heavenly * , prn in heaven , the biblically accurate angel , prn who is hope , prns holyness , the * who answers payers , the winged one , prn with a holy song

* — can be changed to anything

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[zornofzorna-blog]

I am just old enough (born in the late 80s) to have seen the rise of the name Madison in my lifetime, and I remember watching Splash as a kid, so it is amusing to me to see gen z-ers getting their minds blown by what was, I thought, a fairly well-documented bit of trivia...

Like, I don't remember having any Madisons in my class in school, but I think my little sister (born in the mid-90s) probably did. I definitely know that our mom had a baby name book from the 80s titled, "Beyond Jennifer & Jason," and by the time my sister came along they had published a sequel called, "Beyond Jennifer & Jason, and Madison & Montana," which attests to the boom in popularity of place names as given names starting right around that time. And I am pretty sure that Madison in Splash had a lot to do with that trend. (It's worth noting that the name Jennifer owed much of its popularity in the 80s to a movie character as well.)

However, I do have an additional theory about the name Madison that I haven't seen anyone else mention - and, yes, it has to do with mermaids!

You see, I am a bit of a folklore nerd, and it has not escaped my notice that Splash is, very loosely, an adaptation of a particular mermaid legend that goes back to the Middle Ages, and the mermaid in that story is named... Melusine.

Like Madison in Splash, Melusine looks like a human woman except for when she bathes, when the water transforms the lower half of her body into a scaly tail. And, like Madison, Melusine has to keep her true nature secret from the man she loves.

I first encountered the story of Melusine in Sabine Baring-Gould's Curious Myths of the Middle Ages. According to Wikipedia, the tale was first collected by Jean d'Arras around 1382-1394 (almost exactly 6 centuries before Splash!) although it had probably existed as a folktale before that, and it went on to influence much of the mermaid lore and literature that came after it. Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid and Dvorak's Rusalka can both trace their literary roots back to Melusine.

In the film, of course, the joke is that the mermaid asks the Tom Hanks character to list some possible girl's names for her while they are walking in New York, and he interrupts his list to read the street sign for Madison Avenue, and the mermaid, mistaking "Madison" for a name on the list, immediately adopts that as her name.

Now, I've seen some good commentary in the notes about why "Madison," in particular, works here (and why it subsequently took off): obviously, it was funny at the time because the name was known only as a surname, the most notable bearer of which being a man, so it was incongruous on the surface as a name for an attractive young woman. However, by the end of the film, viewers should fully accept it as her name, and so "Madison" works where, say, "Washington" probably would not, partly because of its similarity to names like "Madeline" and "Alison," both of which date back to at least the Middle Ages as women's given names ("Madeline" comes from Mary Magdalene, and "Alison" is attested to in Chaucer). And, thus, "Madison" came into the public consciousness as a charmingly quirky, unconventional name for an attractive girl.

All of that is certainly reason enough for the scriptwriters to choose the name Madison for their mermaid. And maybe that really is all there is to it! But I like the idea that the literary lineage I mentioned was actively on their minds, and that, perhaps, of all the quirky, off-beat names they could have given their mermaid, they (consciously or unconsciously) gravitated to a name that bears a loose similarity to that of her medieval foremother, Melusine!

So, if all the Madisons of today are named after a mermaid, it may just be that they are actually, indirectly named after another, older mermaid!

I’m watching Splash (1984) which is a romcom about a guy who falls in love with a mermaid, and when she chooses a human name she chooses Madison and guy says “that’s not a real name, but alright” which seems to imply that Madison was not a name until at least the 80’s and all girls named Madison are actually named after the mermaid. thought you should know

[writingwithcolor]

Naming International POC Characters: Do Your Research.

This post is part of a double feature for the same ask. First check out Mod Colette's answer to OP's original question at: A Careful Balance: Portraying a Black Character's Relationship with their Hair. Below are notes on character naming from Mod Rina.

~ ~ ~

@writingraccoon said:

My character is black in a dungeons and dragons-like fantasy world. His name is Kazuki Haile (pronounced hay-lee), and his mother is this world's equivalent of Japanese, which is where his first name is from, while his father is this world's equivalent of Ethiopian, which is where his last name is from. He looks much more like his father, and has hair type 4a. [...]

Hold on a sec.

Haile (pronounced hay-lee), [...] [H]is father is this world’s equivalent of Ethiopian, which is where his last name is from. 

OP, where did you get this name? Behindthename.com, perhaps?

Note how it says, “Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. Check marks indicate the level to which a name has been verified.” Do you see any check marks, OP? 

What language is this, by the way? If we only count official languages, Ethiopia has 5: Afar, Amharic, Oromo, Somali, & Tigrinya. If we count everything native to that region? Over 90 languages. And I haven't even mentioned the dormant/extinct ones. Do you know which language this name comes from? Have you determined Kazuki’s father’s ethnic group, religion, and language(s)? Do you know just how ethnically diverse Ethiopia is? 

~ ~ ~

To All Looking for Character Names on the Internet:

Skip the name aggregators and baby name lists. They often do not cite their sources, even if they’re pulling from credible ones, and often copy each other. 

If you still wish to use a name website, find a second source that isn’t a name website. 

Find at least one real life individual, living or dead, who has this given name or surname. Try Wikipedia’s lists of notable individuals under "List of [ethnicity] people." You can even try searching Facebook! Pay attention to when these people were born for chronological accuracy/believability. 

Make sure you know the language the name comes from, and the ethnicity/culture/religion it’s associated with. 

Make sure you understand the naming practices of that culture—how many names, where they come from, name order, and other conventions. 

Make sure you have the correct pronunciation of the name. Don’t always trust Wikipedia or American pronunciation guides on Youtube. Try to find a native speaker or language lesson source, or review the phonology & orthography and parse out the string one phoneme at a time. 

Suggestions for web sources:

Wikipedia! Look for: “List of [language] [masculine/feminine] given names,” “List of most common [language] family names,” “List of most common surnames in [continent],” and "List of [ethnicity] people."  

Census data! Harder to find due to language barriers & what governments make public, but these can really nail period accuracy. This may sound obvious, but look at the year of the character's birth, not the year your story takes place. 

Forums and Reddit. No really. Multicultural couples and expats will often ask around for what to name their children. There’s also r/namenerds, where so many folks have shared names in their language that they now have “International Name Threads.” These are all great first-hand sources for name connotations—what’s trendy vs. old-fashioned, preppy vs. nerdy, or classic vs. overused vs. obscure. 

~ ~ ~

Luckily for OP, I got very curious and did some research. More on Ethiopian & Eritrean naming, plus mixed/intercultural naming and my recommendations for this character, under the cut. It's really interesting, I promise!

Ethiopian and Eritrean Naming Practices

Haile (IPA: /həjlə/ roughly “hy-luh.” Both a & e are /ə/, a central “uh” sound) is a phrase meaning “power of” in Ge’ez, sometimes known as Classical Ethiopic, which is an extinct/dormant Semitic language that is now used as a liturgical language in Ethiopian churches (think of how Latin & Sanskrit are used today). So it's a religious name, and was likely popularized by the regnal name of the last emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie (“Power of the Trinity”). Ironically, for these reasons it is about as nationalistically “Ethiopian” as a name can get.

Haile is one of the most common “surnames” ever in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Why was that in quotes? Because Ethiopians and Eritreans don’t have surnames. Historically, when they needed to distinguish themselves from others with the same given name, they affixed their father’s given name, and then sometimes their grandfather’s. In modern Ethiopia and Eritrea, their given name is followed by a parent’s (usually father’s) name. First-generation diaspora abroad may solidify this name into a legal “surname” which is then consistently passed down to subsequent generations.

Intercultural Marriages and Naming

This means that Kazuki’s parents will have to figure out if there will be a “surname” going forward, and who it applies to. Your easiest and most likely option is that Kazuki’s dad would have chosen to make his second name (Kazuki’s grandpa’s name) the legal “surname.” The mom would have taken this name upon marriage, and Kazuki would inherit it also. Either moving abroad or the circumstances of the intercultural marriage would have motivated this. Thus “Haile” would be grandpa’s name, and Kazuki wouldn’t be taking his “surname” from his dad. This prevents the mom & Kazuki from having different “surnames.” But you will have to understand and explain where the names came from and the decisions dad made to get there. Otherwise, this will ring culturally hollow and indicate a lack of research.

Typically intercultural parents try to

come up with a first name that is pronounceable in both languages,

go with a name that is the dominant language of where they live, or

compromise and pick one parent’s language, depending on the circumstances.

Option 1 and possibly 3 requires figuring out which language is the father’s first language. Unfortunately, because of the aforementioned national ubiquity of Haile, you will have to start from scratch here and figure out his ethnic group, religion (most are Ethiopian Orthodox and some Sunni Muslim), and language(s). 

But then again, writing these characters knowledgeably and respectfully also requires figuring out that information anyway.

~ ~ ~

Names and naming practices are so, so diverse. Do research into the culture and language before picking a name, and never go with only one source.

~ Mod Rina

[classycookiexo]

[writerthreads]

Fantasy names ideas (with meanings!)

By Writerthreads on Instagram

I always have trouble coming up with names for side characters, so hopefully this can help you as much as it helped me! The names in brackets are additional ones that are similar.

Male Fantasy Names

Aldric – (Germanic) old ruler / wise ruler

Caelum – (Latin) sky / heaven

Druvan(/Dhruv) – (Sanskrit) steady / immovable

Fenris – (Norse) named after the mythical wolf Fenrir

Kaelen(/Kaelan) – (Celtic) warrior / mighty

Leofric – (Old English) beloved ruler

Maelor – (Welsh) prince / lord

Rurik – (Slavic) famous ruler

Torin – (Gaelic) chief / thunder

Zarion – (Hebrew) full of sadness

Baldric(/Balrik) – (Old Norse) mighty warrior

Garron – (Irish) strength / protection

Ithran – (Arabic) crowned / majestic

Jorah – (Hebrew) autumn rain / early rain

Oberon – (Germanic / French) noble bear, associated with royalty

Female Fantasy Names

Ariella – (Hebrew) lioness of God

Brienne – (Celtic) noble / strong

Elysande – (French) noble / gracious

Isolde – (Germanic / Celtic) ice ruler / beauty

Lyra – (Latin) derived from the constellation Lyra, lyre

Mirabel – (Latin) wonder

Seraphine – (Hebrew) burning one / angelic being

Taliyah – (Arabic) blooming / rising

Yvaine – (Old French) evening star

Althea – (Greek) healer / wholesome

Calantha – (Greek) beautiful flower

Elira – (Albanian) free spirit / liberated

Selene – (Greek) moon goddess / light of the moon

Eleanor – (Greek / French) shining light

Gender-Neutral Fantasy Names

Aeris – (Latin) air / ethereal

Elynor(/Aenor) – (Greek) light / shining

Lior – (Hebrew) my light

Orin – (Celtic) pale / fair

Rune – (Old Norse) secret / mystery

Selwyn – (Old English) good friend / companion

Vesper – (Latin) evening / evening star

Aenor – (Germanic) strength / honor

Ilan – (Hebrew) tree / oak

Soren – (Scandinavian) stern / severe

Next up, country name ideas?

[sweetcardamom]

The twin daughters of my mom's friend did this! One married a man with the same first name and last initial; the family refers to them as [redacted]boy and [redacted]girl. She took his last name.

The twin sister married a man with on letter difference in his first name, such as Sam and Pam.

more people with the same first name should date. i want to study the linguistical influence

[aquariumpacific]

idk what you’re talking about Parker, I don’t have a favorite animal! But if I HAD to choose…🥹

[yooncleves]

Assigning Ancient Greek Names to Some Ninjago Characters

I'm spilling my obsession with names onto these characters just like every other fandom I'm in. i already did it with haikyuu, so this time I'll do it with ninjago

disclaimer: while i did do a lot of research (dictionaries, articles, wiki pages, and every other source i could find about ancient greek onomastics), chances are these names might be incorrect/a mistranslation. i won't provide an explanation why i chose these names since the meanings are self explanatory

———

Kai - Hephaistodoros. "gift of hephaestus". hephaestus is the god of blacksmiths and fire

Cole - Khthonios. "of the earth". from "khthon" meaning earth or soil, also an epithet of some gods relating to the underworld.

Jay - Astrapios. from "sterope" meaning lightning. also an epithet of zeus as a weather god

Zane - Boreades. "son of the north wind". Boreas is the god of the north wind, associated with winter

Lloyd - Moiraphilos. "favored by destiny". from "moira" meaning destiny or fate and "philos" meaning love

Nya - Halimede. "the cunning sea dweller". also the name of a sea nymph

Pixal - Autonoe. "a mind of her own", from "auto" meaning self and "nous" meaning mind/intelligence

———

Arin - Thoenous. "quick mind". from "thoe" meaning quick and "nous" meaning mind/intelligence

Frak - Gorgos. "dazzling". same root word for gorgon, three monstrous sisters with snakes for hair)

Sora - Ergane. "the industrious". also an epithet of athena relating to workers and craftsmen

Wyldfyre - Pyrrha. "fiery red", a name used by achilles while hiding as a maid in skyros

———

Euphrasia - ...Euphrasia. "good cheer". derived from "euphraino" meaning to delight or cheer

Geo - Xenogenes. "foreign-born". xenos is also the root word for xenia, a ritual of hospitality towards guests)

Tox - Toxikrate. "power of arrows". the word toxic comes from "toxon" which means bow, specifically referring to poisoned arrows

[santapau]

One from the archives.

[lurks-no-more]

Dunno about small children, but there are several obvious goblin names there.

when i was 8 i wrote this list of “new” children’s names with the conviction i was predicting the future

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.