It’s Friday!!!
Over at the Scribble Chicks blog, we’re talking about home offices and how we get started. Which got me thinking about some of the things I use every day while I write! So, I thought I’d dig through my desk and share some of my favorites over the next few Fridays.
Here’s the first one! It’s The Name Book, by Dorothy Astoria:
The Name Book: Over 10,000 Names, Their Meanings, Origins, and Spritual Significance
This is by far the BEST resource for naming characters! (Other than my infamous name contest, that is!) š I have used this book nearly on a daily basis since my grandmother gave me it for my fourteenth birthday (thanks Nama!). Mine does not look as nice as the one in the picture – 10 years of flipping through this book in search of the perfect name has left it kind of sad and tattered looking. Oh well – you can tell it’s been well-read!
What I love about this book is each name has multiple spellings – it’s actually one of the few name books to have my name spelled correctly! š And, it has the origin, the inherent meaning, spiritual connotation and a Bible verse to go along with each name.
A few characters that I’ve written about exist just because I saw their name in this book. Laurie Holbrook? Yep. Brandon Knox? Yups. Or my favorite? Ryan Palmer? Yuppers. š
Here’s a sample of one of the names (and actually, the main character in my upcoming series!):
MAYA, Mayah
(see also Maia, Maija, Mia, Miya)
Language/Cultural Origin: Latin
Inherent Meaning: Esteemed
Spiritual Connotation: Honored
Scripture: Psalm 143:8 TLB
“Let me see your kindness to me in the morning, for I am trusting You. Show me where to walk, for my prayer is sincere.”
So, you can see how this is way inspiring! Look at that verse! I immediately knew Maya would be struggling with how to trust God with all her heart.
If you click on the title of The Name Book, it will take you right to Amazon so you can order your own copy. Or, you might be able to find it in your local Christian bookstore. Either way, it comes highly recommended. If you are an author like me who struggles to find the perfect name for characters, your copy of this will be tattered and dog-eared just like mine soon enough!
Hope you are all having a great day!
Oh, that book looks great! I go to baby naming websites for my characters, but it'd be nice to eventually get a book of names instead of having to go online š
Ooh, I love this post! It's like peeking over your shoulder into your creative space and seeing what makes you the fabulous writer you are (well, aside from your obvious talent!).
That's a great book. I had a copy once, but I lent it to a pregnant friend and never got it back. I should order another.
Another book I love is the Baby Name Wizard. It also lists possible sibling sets, so it really helps with naming minor characters as well.
Ooh…I really like that it gives you a Scripture for the names! I'd love to know my Scripture. That's very cool.
I actually bought a baby names book about a year ago that has tons and tons of names. It's called The Complete Book of Baby Names and has alternate spellings of names, too. A big plus, it has both your name and my name in there! Now, that's really cool!
Erynn…
How funny! I LOVE looking at names and their meanings and I was just making a list of my own. I found another name book besides Dorothy's that I think you might find really fun and interesting, it's called "A is for Atticus" by: Lorilee Cracker. She gets most of the names in this book from none other than great authors and their famous works! This is a fun read and you might find some you like.