Hey folks,
I done goofed pretty early on in my novel - when I named my MC. I need help finding her a new name. I've done a ton of research on my own, but nothing's really stuck out to me.
Background (if you don't care, feel free to skip):
Wants:
I would like something that is culturally relevant to her: Mom is Romani, Dad is Irish. Loads of both options to choose from, since Irish names are prolific through Western culture, and the Romani took up names and languages from their travels, so it's easy to find everything from Italian to Punjabi influences.
A meaning that fits with 'Duty' 'Warrior' 'Protector' 'Magic' 'Spirit' 'Faerie' 'Death' 'Darkness' etc. I'm open minded to this one.
A last name too, probably Irish, but Canada's a big place with lots of cultures, so I'm not too choosey if it works well. No 'Mac/Mc-anythings' though
Do not wants:
I'm looking for unique-ish names, so things like Jane, Sally, Rachael etc are out.
Avoiding Greek names.
Names starting with 'M' which is annoying to me, because I've found a half dozen 'M' names that are great, but I can't use them for story reasons -.-
Current Front runners:
Brigid - Irish Goddess of the Spring, etymological origin of the name 'Bridgit'
Jemisha - Iraq/Islam - Queen of the Night
Rajani - Hindi/Sanskrit - Night
Thanks!
I done goofed pretty early on in my novel - when I named my MC. I need help finding her a new name. I've done a ton of research on my own, but nothing's really stuck out to me.
Background (if you don't care, feel free to skip):
So, I started my story with the good-intentioned, but very, very misguided, silly, and straight up out-of-line idea that 'The Urban Fantasy Genre could use more Native American female protagonists, and I AM THE ONE TO PROVIDE THEM'. While I'd still make an argument for the first half of that statement, I have well and truly miss-stepped in the second half.
The story has changed, all real ties to my MC's previous lineages severed and replaced with a background I have some actual ties-to/experience-with.
The last vestige is her name: Chepi Willow Bearchild
It's Algonquin in origin, meaning, ostensibly, Faerie/spirit.
While I would love to keep it, ultimately, it's confusing. It paints the MC as Native American out of the gate, but she's not, and I don't want to be the kind of jerk who puts my own emotional attachment before somebody else's culture. It's something that's going to happen by virtue of this being Urban Fantasy, and as a genre, it tends to poke people's religions/cultures with a stick, but I want to minimize it where possible.
All that being said, I need a new name, and help picking one!
Wants:
I would like something that is culturally relevant to her: Mom is Romani, Dad is Irish. Loads of both options to choose from, since Irish names are prolific through Western culture, and the Romani took up names and languages from their travels, so it's easy to find everything from Italian to Punjabi influences.
A meaning that fits with 'Duty' 'Warrior' 'Protector' 'Magic' 'Spirit' 'Faerie' 'Death' 'Darkness' etc. I'm open minded to this one.
A last name too, probably Irish, but Canada's a big place with lots of cultures, so I'm not too choosey if it works well. No 'Mac/Mc-anythings' though
Do not wants:
I'm looking for unique-ish names, so things like Jane, Sally, Rachael etc are out.
Avoiding Greek names.
Names starting with 'M' which is annoying to me, because I've found a half dozen 'M' names that are great, but I can't use them for story reasons -.-
Current Front runners:
Brigid - Irish Goddess of the Spring, etymological origin of the name 'Bridgit'
Jemisha - Iraq/Islam - Queen of the Night
Rajani - Hindi/Sanskrit - Night
Thanks!