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Help[Opinions] Names inspired by my characters moodboard or that my character could like (a long post, sorry)
Leni is an autistic girl (by modern standards) born in 1915 in Austria who was fascinated with the Middle Ages specifically with Medieval German literature, German folklore, and Germanic, Nordic, and Anglo-Saxon mythology.
Leni's father is a religious protestant who died in the Great War when Leni was little so it would make sense that her mother would also be religious.
Leni is interested in the Middle Ages but through a German and childlike lense (Leni is Austrian but she is interested in German-speaking medieval Europe and later on aligns herself with German nationalism - due to her being an outcast)
Some names I thought could suit her taste in names (and that remind me of her moodboard below):
Jerusha (a biblical name she heard once and likes)
Wolfhilde/Wulfhilde (a name of Old High German origin Leni likes)
Theresa (A name of a saint and also used in German circles)
Amabilia (A name of Latinate origin that sounds medieval according to Leni)
Salomea (was used in Medieval Silesia)
Friedegard (a name of Old High German origin that sounds medieval according to Leni)
Melisende (inspired by Melisende queen of Jerusalem)
to keep it short I want anything that is unusual and could fit into her childlike taste it doesn't have to "make sense" for her to use, but it preferably has to a have German medieval fantasy vibe (non-German names are also good). Leni is an outcast and has an unusual "weird" taste in names.
also, feel free to suggest names inspired by her moodboard I need all of these names for my next CAF
(this is her moodboard)
even if you are unsure of whether it would suit her taste any suggestions are great!
*******
rate my PLN:
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/229415/142623
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/229415/165832
discord server for name-nerds:
https://discord.gg/P6PFaDut
Leni's father is a religious protestant who died in the Great War when Leni was little so it would make sense that her mother would also be religious.
Leni is interested in the Middle Ages but through a German and childlike lense (Leni is Austrian but she is interested in German-speaking medieval Europe and later on aligns herself with German nationalism - due to her being an outcast)
Some names I thought could suit her taste in names (and that remind me of her moodboard below):
Jerusha (a biblical name she heard once and likes)
Wolfhilde/Wulfhilde (a name of Old High German origin Leni likes)
Theresa (A name of a saint and also used in German circles)
Amabilia (A name of Latinate origin that sounds medieval according to Leni)
Salomea (was used in Medieval Silesia)
Friedegard (a name of Old High German origin that sounds medieval according to Leni)
Melisende (inspired by Melisende queen of Jerusalem)
to keep it short I want anything that is unusual and could fit into her childlike taste it doesn't have to "make sense" for her to use, but it preferably has to a have German medieval fantasy vibe (non-German names are also good). Leni is an outcast and has an unusual "weird" taste in names.
also, feel free to suggest names inspired by her moodboard I need all of these names for my next CAF
(this is her moodboard)
even if you are unsure of whether it would suit her taste any suggestions are great!
*******
rate my PLN:
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/229415/142623
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/229415/165832
discord server for name-nerds:
https://discord.gg/P6PFaDut
This message was edited yesterday, 3:20 AM
Replies
Adeliza
Clotilda
Ermentrude
Gisella
Hildegarde
Ida
Leocadia
Mathilda
Radegund
Theophania
Walburgis
Ysabeau
Zdislava
Wiltrude
Clotilda
Ermentrude
Gisella
Hildegarde
Ida
Leocadia
Mathilda
Radegund
Theophania
Walburgis
Ysabeau
Zdislava
Wiltrude
I love Wiltrude.
I love Adeliza, Ermentrude, Ida, Hildegarde ,Wiltrude
I love Ethel, Mathilde, Gerda, Edda, Rosamund, Theodoric and Swithun
Anselm
Albrecht
Ambrosius
Friedrich
Ludwig
Oswald
Enderlein
Balthazar
Bertram
Christoff
Dieterich
Clotilde
Griselda
Richilda
Adalinda
Ethelinde
Galiena
Albrecht
Ambrosius
Friedrich
Ludwig
Oswald
Enderlein
Balthazar
Bertram
Christoff
Dieterich
Clotilde
Griselda
Richilda
Adalinda
Ethelinde
Galiena
Leni would use these:
Anselm
Ludwig
Enderlein
Balthazar
Ambrosius
Clotilde
Griselda
Richilda
Ethelinde
Anselm
Ludwig
Enderlein
Balthazar
Ambrosius
Clotilde
Griselda
Richilda
Ethelinde
Glad I could help!
I can suggest my daughter's middle name, Wivina. It's the name of a 12th Century Belgian saint and has apparently fallen out of use. The meaning can be found here: https://www.behindthename.com/name/wivina/submitted
As for Saint Wivina herself, her history can be found here: https://omgevingsonderwijsdilbeek.be/sint-wivinakapel-groot-bijgaarden/
Wivina is associated with Catholicism, though she lived prior to the Reformation, and her miracles are rooted in prayer and community leadership, which align with Protestant values. I can see Leni being drawn to Saint Wivina, who chose solitude and piety over marriage and social status. From your beautiful mood board, I think Wivina's association with curing illness and the Medieval forest of Groot-Bijgaarden near modern-day Brussels, would also appeal to Leni based on the images of trees, butterflies and anatomy. Leni is a wonderful character.
Other Medieval and saint names that come to mind:
Alodia & Nunilo: Spanish child martyrs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunilo_and_Alodia
Heilwig: saw this name today and thought it sounds like "Heilig" (meaning "holy" in Afrikaans and probably other Germanic languages)
Floris: I think this one is more Renaissance than Medieval, but it means "flowering" which links to her mood board.
Ealhswith/Ealhswita: Anglo-saxon name belonging to the wife of Alfred the Great https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ealhswith
As for Saint Wivina herself, her history can be found here: https://omgevingsonderwijsdilbeek.be/sint-wivinakapel-groot-bijgaarden/
Wivina is associated with Catholicism, though she lived prior to the Reformation, and her miracles are rooted in prayer and community leadership, which align with Protestant values. I can see Leni being drawn to Saint Wivina, who chose solitude and piety over marriage and social status. From your beautiful mood board, I think Wivina's association with curing illness and the Medieval forest of Groot-Bijgaarden near modern-day Brussels, would also appeal to Leni based on the images of trees, butterflies and anatomy. Leni is a wonderful character.
Other Medieval and saint names that come to mind:
Alodia & Nunilo: Spanish child martyrs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunilo_and_Alodia
Heilwig: saw this name today and thought it sounds like "Heilig" (meaning "holy" in Afrikaans and probably other Germanic languages)
Floris: I think this one is more Renaissance than Medieval, but it means "flowering" which links to her mood board.
Ealhswith/Ealhswita: Anglo-saxon name belonging to the wife of Alfred the Great https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ealhswith
This message was edited 2/7/2025, 6:31 AM
I love Wivina, I love seeing people name their children names that are very rare. Wivina is a beautiful name, what made you pick this name? I also want to give my potential daughter a rare name. Or is Wivina a common name in South Africa?
I love Heilwig, Wivina, and Alodia, and I am adding them to the list.
edit: Leni is a huge part of my soul, thank you for the compliment
I love Heilwig, Wivina, and Alodia, and I am adding them to the list.
edit: Leni is a huge part of my soul, thank you for the compliment
This message was edited 2/7/2025, 8:25 AM
Thank you. I'm so glad you like those names. As for choosing Wivina for my daughter, I want her initials to be EW in honor of my late brother. I don't like any well-known W names for girls, though, so I've been scouring every name reference I could get my hands on. I found Wivina by sheer luck. The French form, Wivine, has some use in Francophone Africa, but I couldn't find a single living person called Wivina, which is part of the appeal. I feel like naming my kids is giving them a prologue to a story to help them write their own chapter. I have some unfortunate associations with my own name, so I want my kids to have names that are "only" theirs while still being grounded, if that makes sense. I love that you and Leni both like unique names.
This message was edited 2/7/2025, 10:02 AM
Oh, I see.
Is her name well-perceived? What do people usually think of her name? (I am not sure if it's the right way to word it)
Is her name well-perceived? What do people usually think of her name? (I am not sure if it's the right way to word it)
This message was edited 2/8/2025, 12:56 AM
Oh, she's not born yet and I haven't told anyone. You see, the thing with people is when the baby is there to distract them, they forget to have an opinion on the name. I originally wanted Estelle for her first name, but it's extremely popular on this site and I expect it'll go the way of Isabelle, so I've changed to Ester (without an "h"), which was my inspiration for choosing Estelle in the first place. Ester is an old-fashioned name in my culture, familiar but not common and I doubt it'll boom anytime soon. Wivina is her middle name and completely unknown, but it's easy to read and say in Afrikaans. The advantage I have is that South Africa is highly diverse with many different naming conversations. I've worked with people named Happy, Queen, Chairman and Precious (in serious corporate jobs :P). So most people tend to be accepting. I anticipate the most criticism from her grandma (her twin brother's name is Coetsee, which is a traditionally a surname, but I love it). Thank you for asking, btw. I am so excited about their names XD
This message was edited 2/8/2025, 7:58 AM
Ester Wivina is a gorgeous name, I love Ester! I consider Esther as a middle name option and I am most likely going to use it. It is the name of my great-great-grandma and is very common in the Jewish diaspora. It's a lovely way to honor my heritage I also love the association with the court Jewess Esther Liebmann.
This message was edited 2/8/2025, 8:15 AM
Oh, that's wonderful! Thank you for telling me :D Esther/Ester is a classic name and very meaningful. My daughter has the same initials as my brother and my son's name is from my Great-grandfather.