Character Names for TQF

Alec, though an old nickname for Alexander, is much fresher sounding than Alex, with the additional advantage, at least to some parents, of being distinctly male (there are as many girl Alexes these days as there are boys). While Alec has a clipped British image, it's actually one of the classic Greek names for boys, by way of father name Alexander.

Eris was the goddess of strife and discord, turned fairy tale and then popular culture figure Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. Ironic, as her name sounds so much like that of Eros, the god of love.

Evanna is the name of a Harry Potter actress who pronounces it ee-vah-na. This might be considered yet another international feminine form of the many variations of John; Ivana, Giovanna, and even Joan are cousins of Evanna.

Kaj is a name that looks great on paper, but while it's pronounced with to rhyme with rye, it is sure to be pronounced by most people to rhyme with "raj" or, much worse, "Madge".

Russian forms, like Russian supermodels, are hot these days. This is a strong, worldly way to make Nicholas new; it was chosen for his son by Barry Bonds, Jr. Nikolai also comes with several attractive nickname options, including approachable Nik, spunky Niko, or even hip Kai. A traditional nickname for Nikolai in Russia is Kolya.

More authentic and original form of Ryan, but far less common of the two spellings.

This spirited Gaelic classic, which became popular in Ireland via the illustrious twelfth century king Rory O'Connor, makes a highly energetic choice, now used for either sex. Rory's gender split is still trending boyward; it's one of the coolest boys' names starting with R.

Snow is increasing in usage mostly as a girls' name, but hero Jon Snow of Game of Thrones just might nudge it into the boys' column. Currently, there are 12 times as many girls named Snow as boys, but its usage is much higher in middle place.

This Scottish form of Thomas has a lot of charm, evoking images of men in plaid kilts playing the bagpipes. As for the 'ish' ending, it could either be seen as cozy and hamish, or a little wishy-washyish.