captivating character names

lifted from my thread in the writer's corner with the same name :) a collection of gems right here!
  1. Abbigael
    • Alethea
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "truth"
      • Description:

        Alethea, the name of the Greek goddess of truth, came into fashion in England in the 16th century, in tandem with the virtue names. Alethea may find new favor now as one of the goddess names stylish for baby girls.
    • Alodia
      • Origin:

        Germanic
      • Meaning:

        "foreign riches"
      • Description:

        A melodious ancient saint's name now more commonly heard in its French form, Elodie.
    • Amabella
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "lovable"
      • Description:

        Amabella is an elaboration of Amabel, a popular medieval name. Neil Gaiman and Liane Moriarty used Amabella as a character name in their novels, The Graveyard Book and Big Little Lies, respectively.
    • Amadea
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "God's beloved"
      • Description:

        Amadea is a strong and musical feminine form of Amadeus, as in Mozart.
    • Amadeus
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "lover of God"
      • Description:

        Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's middle name could make an interesting pick for music-loving parents--if only in middle place. Amadeus is the title of a Peter Shaffer play which became an award-winning film in 1984.
    • Amarantha
      • Origin:

        Flower name; Greek
      • Meaning:

        "unfading"
      • Description:

        Amarantha is a rare botanical name whose mythical equivalent was believed to be immortal. The Italian and Spanish form is the somewhat-more-acccessible Amaranta.
    • Amparo
      • Origin:

        Spanish and Portuguese
      • Meaning:

        "refuge, shelter"
      • Description:

        Amparo is a medieval name related to the Virgin Mary most closely associated with the city of Valencia, in Spain. Although it does not appear at all on the most recent US name roster, meaning it was used for fewer than five babies last year, it was used in the US throughout the 20th century.
    • Anatolia
      • Anaïs
        • Anika
          • Origin:

            Nordic diminutive of Anne or African, Hausa
          • Meaning:

            "sweetness of face"
          • Description:

            Anike is an attractive name with ties to several cultures, both African and Scandinavian. The African pronunciation emphasizes the second syllable while the Nordic one emphasizes the first. While there will be inevitable confusion over pronunciation, either form is "correct".
        • Arcturus
          • Origin:

            Greek
          • Meaning:

            "bear guardian"
          • Description:

            The brightest star in the constellation Boötes, and the third-brightest in the night sky. According to Greek myth, Arcturus was placed in the sky by Zeus to protect the two bears — the adjacent constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor — hence the name’s meaning of "bear guardian".
        • Aster
          • Origin:

            English; Amharic
          • Meaning:

            "star"
          • Description:

            This is a fresh new addition to the botanical list; comedian Gilbert Gottfried made it a real bouquet when he named his daughter Lily Aster. And the name of the little girl on television's Dexter sounds like Aster, but is actually spelled Astor, which brings it more high society name. Aster relates to the Greek word for star. In Ethiopia, Aster is pronounced "ah-STAIR", and is the Amharic variation of Biblical Esther.
        • Astrid
          • Origin:

            Scandinavian
          • Meaning:

            "divinely beautiful"
          • Description:

            Astrid has been a Scandinavian royal name since the tenth century, and many people associated it with the Swedish author of the Pippi Longstocking stories, Astrid Lindgren. Astrid is derived from the name Ástríðr, which is made up of the Old Norse elements that mean "god" and "beautiful."
        • Astro
          • Origin:

            Greek
          • Meaning:

            "star"
          • Description:

            More common as a dog name than a baby name for now, but that hasn't stopped Milo and Rex rising back up the charts! Lovers of edgy o-ending names like Otto, Arlo and Cosmo might like this starry-eyed possibility.
        • Astrophel
          • Origin:

            Literary name
          • Meaning:

            "star lover"
          • Description:

            Invented by 16th-century English poet Sir Philip Sidney for the hero of his sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella, this name is derived from the Greek elements aster "star" and philos "lover". Sidney’s heroine, and Astrophel’s love-interest, is Stella — whose name means "star".
        • Atlas
          • Origin:

            Greek
          • Meaning:

            "bearer of the heavens"
          • Description:

            Atlas is one of those names that was previously thought too powerful for a baby boy, who would have to be strong enough to carry the world on his shoulders. Now Atlas has joined the pantheon of Greek and Roman god and goddess names in the realm of possibility, along with Mars, Zeus and Apollo.
        • Atticus
          • Origin:

            Latin
          • Meaning:

            "from Attica"
          • Description:

            Atticus, with its trendy Roman feel combined with the upstanding, noble image of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, is a real winner among boy names. Atticus entered the US Top 1000 in 2004 and is a firm Nameberry favorite.
        • Aubrette
          • Aurembiaix
            • Origin:

              Aragonese
            • Meaning:

              "from the lower golden land"
            • Description:

              Aurembiaix was an impressive medieval countess, whose father Ermengol fought for her to inherit his lands, title and estate. Aurembiaix later fought for her right to succeed her father, and being a skilful negotiator was able to convince her local nobles to back her, despite being a woman. She later saved her city from invaders by dressing local women in men's clothing to give the appearance of greater military might. A year before she died she married Pedro, exiled prince of Portugal. When she died, she had no children and therefore she was the last of her dynasty.