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captivating character names
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Gelsomina
Italian
"jasmine"
The Italian form of Jasmine and Yasmin.
Greer
Scottish, contraction of surname Gregor; Latin
"alert, watchful"
This attractive Scottish surname choice, has a certain amount of glamour thanks to feisty British-born red-haired forties Academy Award winner Greer Garson, who was born Eileen Evelyn Greer…
Ianthe
Greek
"purple flower"
Like Violet, Lavender and Lilac, Ianthe is a purple flower name. Chosen by the poet Shelley for his daughter, Ianthe has a poetic, romantic, almost ethereal quality. In the ancient myth, she was the…
Ishtar
Mesopotamian
The mother goddess Ishtar (also called, or identified with, Ashtoreth, Ashtoret, Astarte and Inanna) was worshipped by the Assyrians and Babylonians as the goddess of love, war, justice and…
Iskra
Slavic
"spark"
A vocabulary word used as a name in many Slavic countries, Iskra means "spark" or "sparkle". It was the name of a revolutionary communist newspaper founded by Lenin in 1900. A famous modern bearer is…
Isra
Arabic
"nocturnal journey"
An Arabic name with a powerful and alluring meaning, in Islamic tradition, Isra refers to one part of the Night Journey that the Prophet Muhammad, in which he led other prophets such as Ibrahim, Isa,…
Iovana
Jessamine
English from Persian
"jasmine"
Jessamine, a charming name occasionally heard in England, is just beginning to be appreciated in the U.S. as a possible successor to all the Jess names of the past. It's also spelled Jessamyn, as in…
Joplin
English surname
"son of Job"
Used as a first name for a handful of girls every year, Joplin could be seen as a distant cousin of other -lin names, like Caitlin, Brooklyn and Braelynn. We think it works even better as a musical…
Junia
Latin, Feminine variation of Junius
"born in June"
Juno is hot, June is showing signs of a comeback along with other month and day names, whereas Junia, the name of the the first century Christian referred to by the apostle Paul as an apostle (and…
Kahlo
German
"bald"
Contrary to popular belief, the name Kahlo has German origins, rather than Spanish. It derives from kahl , a German word meaning "bald." Mexican Artist Frida Kahlo was born to a German father,…
Liriel
Brazilian
"lily"
Possibly a variant of Lirio, from Latin lilium .
Makelesi
Tongan variation of Margaret
"pearl"
Definitely one of the more unusual Margaret translations.
Mariska
Hungarian and Dutch diminutive of Maria
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Robust and energetic with an even blend of spikiness and elegance, Mariska is a diminutive of Maria, notably used in Hungary and The Netherlands. Internationally, it was brought into the spotlight by…
Maximiliana
Female variation of Maximilian
A feminization with a long (if sparse) history of use among European aristocracy. One young member of the illustrious Arco family of Central Europe is named Maximiliana.
Morrigan
Irish
"phantom queen"
The mythological Morrigan was the ancient goddess of war, often symbolized by a crow. Besides being a name, this is also used as a proper noun preceded by an article: the Morrigan, defined as a…
Morwenna
Welsh
"maiden"
Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard…
Michaelangela
Máirín
Niobe
Greek mythology name
The mythological queen whose perpetual weeping for her slain children turned her into a stone has always cast a pall over this name. Still, when other names with less-than-savory associations --…