Beautiful names and their meanings...

We all have a name, some love it, others would have preferred to be named something else... My name, as many have told me is either Germanic or Italian, it means beautiful but also a beautiful serpent. Sadly, names originate from a certain place, but over time, other meanings take place, other countries to it for their own, and well, nowaday, it is difficult to know where our name come from and what it means. Names are given to us by our parents, grandparents, family members, another person. We don't choose it, and curiosity may happen, completely normal if you are quite the curious one as myself. You may dislike your name, dislike the fact that you have been given a family name, generation after generation, but a name is personal, it's us, it has a meaning. Our name comes from somewhere, the person that named you had reasons to name you the way they did. Sadly,

they don't always make the best choice, sometimes names just happen to be given because of a popular celebrity, a professional athlete, a song, a movie character... I, personally, rarely use my name, usually, my nickname comes up more often, Bella is just a nickname that I got when I was at the airport by two Italians who called me, Bella. Since that day at the airport, I used it, simple enough for people to say and remember. I like it better than my name but I ain't going to change it even if I had the chance to do so.
Since I've been writing my novel, I've been into names, looking to get the best names for novel characters.
I went through many lists, many books, went back in past family names. Took a while to go through them all, but I fell in love with a few names. I thought I would share the list in case you need name ideas for future kids or if you need to write an essay and cannot write the personal name.

Let's start with the boy names...

Owen-  Irish
Young, warrior, well-born, noble... This wonderful, intriguing name is becoming very popular... One of my favourite names, actually...
Matteo- Italian 
A variation of Matthew which means Gift of God. My mother's friend actually named her son, Matteo, written differently, but it really got me interested in seeing the name spelled in different countries. Matteo is a common name back in Italy, which also happens to be one of my favourite countries! 
Mattia- Italian 
Another variation of Matteo... Italians love their "A". Also, means Gift of God. 
Shawn-Irish
Derived from Sean, an Irish cognate of John, the name means God is gracious. 
Luca- Italian
I know another Italian names but can't get enough of them. Many forms of Luca came up, but this one seems to catch my eye a bit more. It means Light. 
Alexander- Swedish/ Greek
This name as many origins making it difficult to choose one country, the name means, "Defender of Man", "Tough". I'm in love with the name, got it from a Swedish actor who plays in True Blood. 
Damon-Greek
According to Greek legend, Damon and Pythias were friends who lived in Syracuse in the 4th century B.C.
The story goes on about Pythias being sentenced to death, but he was allowed to temporarily go free if Damon took his place in prison. Damon means "To Tame". 
Espen- Norwegian (Scandinavian)
God Bear... Strong and unusual name that many of us misspell... No, it has nothing to do with the sports network, ESPN. 
Mark- English/ British with Latin roots
"Consecrated to the God Mars" or "God of War".
Common derived name from Marcus which was one of the three most common given name in Ancient Rome. 
Conor- Irish
Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Conchobhar which means "dog lover" or "wolf lover". Use in Ireland for centuries, kings got the privilege to be called that way. Many legends have the Gaelic name in, but when Conor came into the place, Ireland adopted it. 

Girls names...

Valentina- Italian
Feminine form of Valentine, a saint's name. The meaning of this name is, "strength", "health". The Latin root Valentinus which is derived from Valens (strong, vigorous, powerful). 
Gwendolyn- Celtic/Welsh/ Breton
A variation of Gwendolen. A quite popular name in the United Sates even though it is pretty Celtic. 
Elowen- Irish/Cornish
Meaning "ELM"
The name is pronounced ehl-OWWaaN or EHL-owWehN. Can be used for girls and boys, but I prefer it for a girl. It wasn't given much before the twentieth century, and I still haven't met anyone with this name...
Rose- Norman/ Germanic
Latin roots "rosa", the original form of a German name, "Hrodheid", composed of the words Hrod (fame) and Heid (kind). When I think of this name I go straight to the movie Titanic, bad idea, but yet I still do it. But many will go for the flower. 
Elaina-Greek
Elaine which is the Old French form of Helen, the name of the famous beauty of the Trojan War story in Greek mythology. There are many forms of Elaina throughout the world, but this one stands out most. 
Thyra-Norwegian (Scandinavian)
Feminine name in honor of the Norse god of War, Tyr. Pretty uncommon name, but it's original, unique and you fall for it...
Davina-Scottish
Beloved or friend, it is the feminine name of David, adopted from the Hebrew. It has some kind of love into the name... 
Klara- Czech
Clear, bright, famous... Many derived names, many forms, and I opted for this one, thought about my favourite Disney movie... 
Alena-Celtic
The name of Alena is, Fair, good-looking. Feminine of Allen or variant of Helen.
Colleen-Irish
From the Irish Cailin meaning "girl" and used by the Irish in the USA and Australia as a way of connecting to their Irish roots. 

Every name is special in their own ways, it may not be original, but it's yours and you make it special, unique! Don't be like me and disliking your name, always going for the nickname, make your name stand out! 

"Names are the sweetest and most important sound in any languages."- Dale Carnegie

~Bella
Ps: I won't stop myself from writing the British way, I have a few things that I like to spell that way, so please do not judge!