Tabitha

I never really felt attracted to the name Tabitha until recently while reading my Bible.
The end of Acts chapter 9 tells us about a time when the apostle Peter raised a woman named Tabitha from the dead. Now, the fact that she was raised from the dead is not why I like her name. What gives this name significance to me is the people's reaction to her death. Everyone was extremely sad at her death and begged Peter to come quickly. The reason everyone loved her so much was because "She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor." (Acts 9:36b) "The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing [Peter] the coats and other clothes Tabitha had made for them." (Acts 9:39)
I can only imagine how exciting it was when this sweet lady was brought back to life. I can picture all the people hugging her, exclaiming over the miracle, and taking the advantage of a second chance to thank her for all the kindnesses she had shown them over the years. :)
In my opinion, it would be an honor to be named after such a woman.


Meaning: Beauty, grace
Origin: derived from the Aramaic word for "gazelle"
Greek translation (used in the Bible): Dorcas
Alternate spellings: Tabetha, Tabytha, Tabatha, Tabathina
Nicknames: Tabby, Tibby, Tab

Tabitha was the 209th most popular name for girls in England and Wales in 2007, and the 647th most popular in the U.S. in 2009.

This name carries with it a beautiful implication and story; and I think it sounds pretty, too! :)

Gwendolyn Ryelle

Meaning: Gwendolyn is derived from the Welsh words "gwen" and "dolen" or "dolyn". Both words have multiple possible meanings. The word "gwen" can mean "white", "fair" or "blessed".[1] The word "dolen" can mean "ring",[1] "bow"[2] or less commonly "brow",[3] "moon"[4] or "hair".[5] Thus, Gwendolyn may mean "White Ring", "Fair Brow" or any other combination.

[from Wikipedia]

Origin:   The name Gwendolyn is a modification of the name Guendoloena, a fictional queen in the Historia Regum Britanniae written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1135. Geoffrey also used the name in his Vita Merlini to refer to a different character, Merlin's wife; the metre shows that he pronounced the name as a pentasyllable, Guĕndŏlŏēnă, with the "gu" pronounced "gw". Spelled Gwendoloena, the name appears as that of Arthur's queen Guinevere in the Latin romance De Ortu Waluuanii. Arthur Hutson has suggested that Geoffrey misread the masculine Old Welsh name Guendoleu as Guendolen, and then chose to Latinize it.[6] The first records of a real person being named Gwendolen appear in the 19th century. Gwendoline was in use in England in the 1860s, and Gwendolen appeared inDaniel Deronda, written by George Eliot and published in serialized form 1874-6.[6]

[Wikipedia]

Nicknames:  Gwen, Wendy, Lynn, Wynne, Gwennie

Variant spellings: Gwendolen, Guendolen, Gwendolynne

Personally, I like the name Gwendolyn because it sounds elegant and old-fashioned. Yet, it also has such a unique spelling as to give it a modern look. In my favorite names list, I have it paired with the middle name "Ryelle"

I actually thought that I had made this name up...but then I googled it, and it is actually a name! :) Apparently it is undecided whether Ryelle is a boy or a girl's name, but I like it either way. It doesn't really have any meaning or history...or else I would give more information about it.

The name "Gwendolyn Ryelle" makes me envision a princess... But maybe I'm just being a romantic ;)

Benjamin

This is my brother's name. :)

Benjamin:

Meaning: "Son of my right hand"

History: Benjamin (Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין, Modern Binyamin Tiberian Binyāmîn) was the last-born of Jacob's twelve sons, and the second and last son ofRachel in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin. In the Biblical account, unlike Rachel's first son, Joseph, Benjamin was born in Canaan. 

[from Wikipedia]

Nicknames: Ben, Benji, Jamie, Enji

Arwen Rose

My all-time favorite name... :)

Arwen \a-rwen; ar-wen\ as a girl's name is of Welsh origin

Meaning: muse

Literary use: An elf maiden in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", where, in the elven language, Arwen means "noble woman".

Variant form of Arwen: Arwyn
Of course...you could always spell it however you want :) Arwynne, Arwenn, Arwinne, etc.

(information derived from: http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Arwen)

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Rose \r(o)-se\ as a girl's name is pronounced rohz. It is of Latin origin, and the meaning of Rose is "rose". Flower name. The name, which the Normans brought to Britain in the 11th century, can also be traced to the Old German words "hros" meaning "horse", or "hrod" meaning "fame, renown". The flower meaning is possibly more valid, given the Christian symbolic meaning of the rose. The "rosa mystica" is the Virgin Mary.
(http://www.thinkbabynames.com/)

And since we're speaking of the name Rose....may I suggest to you that the books "Eight Cousins" and "Rose in Bloom" by Louisa May Alcott are very good books.... :)

Elizabeth

Well, I figured I might as well begin with my own name... :)

Elizabeth or Elisabeth is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "God's promise," "oath of God," or "I am God’s daughter." Elizabeth and Elisabeth are the parent unit names of Lisa, Lilly, Beth, Betty, and Ella; Elsa, Isabel, and Isabella are etymologically related variants.
[from Wikipedia]

Meaning of Elizabeth: "God's promise" or "God is my oath"

In the top female baby names of 2011, Elizabeth is number 20. In 1880, it was number 3.

Nicknames for Elizabeth:
Betty
Beth
Ellie
Eliza
Libby
Lillah
Izzy
Zabby
Lizzie


Famous Elizabeths:
Queen Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011), Anglo-American actress
Elizabeth Bennet (from Pride and Prejudice)
Elizabeth Swann (from Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy)
Elizabeth Elliot (missionary, wife of Jim Elliot, author)

Introduction

Hello there! Well, as you may have noticed...this is a blog about names. Last night, I was adding yet another name to my favorite names list, realizing once again that I would never have enough children to use said favorite names on, and feeling quite sorrowful that such lovely names would go to waste - unnoticed and unappreciated!
Hence, a blog discussing and appreciating beautiful names.
I wanted to share a list of my favorite names. Names that I have heard and thought to myself, "Ooh! What a lovely ring that has to it! But..I don't quite like the spelling. Alrighty then, I shall change it!". Or names which I have read in a book and said, "Wow! What a beautiful-looking name! How would it sound paired with this one?". And so on.
But, as I thought about this idea, I realized that simply posting my favorite names would be, quite obviously, too insubstantial for an entire blog. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that it would be fun to also include more traditional or common names and their meanings and origins. It would be interesting and educational for myself, as well as any who may read my blog!
Well, now that I have explained the purpose of this blog, I shall move on to the first "name post". :)