Names & Meanings

    The names of the characters in Dead Night can say a lot about them. Well, most of them, I’ll be honest, some of them seem to name themselves! Anyway, here is a list of reasons as to why I named some of the characters. Some of them are by meaning, others by context, and some for entirely different reasons:

 

The Guild

 

Cybelle Marrie DeHamphir

 

    Cybelle’s name is pretty misleading, all things considered. Cybelle is a Scandinavian name meaning ‘mother’ and DeHamphir comes from the word Dhampir, which is a half human Vampire in Balkan folklore, something the Night society in the book look down upon a great deal (in fact, it’s forbidden). Cye’s name was first and foremost chosen as a parody; she named herself this because it’s basically an insult. She’s making fun of the way Night people try to act like they’re superior when they’re basically monsters, so she took a name that means something foul, and made it sound pretty and exotic. The other reason she went for the name Cybelle, is in reference to her aunt, whose name was Sybella (they are very alike). Marrie, her middle name is kind of a mystery to me, it seemed to just…work, and in hindsight it was a good choice…Marie means ‘bitter’.

 

Valentia Saage

 

    Cybelle’s ‘real’ name, Valentia means ‘brave’, part of the reason I think she abandoned it. Her family name, Saage, means ‘wise’.

 

Leanne “Lina” Kaela LaBelle

 

    Lina’s full name has quite a few different meanings. For Leanne, I like to use the meaning that derives from the name Helen meaning ‘light’. Her middle name, Kaela, was chosen as a tribute to her mother, and LaBelle means ‘the beautiful’ in French. So her full name meaning is ‘the beautiful beloved light’ or something to that effect…being a reference to her character (always bright and positive if she can help it), and her acts in chapter fifteen. Her nickname, Lina, means ‘tender’.

 

Thalia Saage

 

    Thalia, Lina’s real name also has a number of meanings, but I tend to go with ‘to blossom’, which may give you a clue as to what I’m going to do with her character. Her story is by no means over, it’s only just begining…

 

Avangelene Katrina Wright

 

    Avangelene’s name means ‘popular’, which is questionable, since she has a very short temper at times, and some people haven’t quite taken a liking to her. I mainly went for the name just for the way it sounds, it really suited her, and from the moment I created her character, she has pretty much always been called Avangelene. Her middle name Katrina, was chosen a slight homage to Katrina Van Tassel from Sleepy Hollow and means ‘pure’. Wright is a name meaning ‘worker’, again she pretty much named herself, although she and Emmett are indeed hard workers, as they founded the Guild.

 

Emmett Anthony Wright

 

    I’ll be honest, I really like the name Emmett (although in hindsight, I’ve now given it a load of negative connotations) so that was half why I chose it for him. It actually means ‘powerful’, which is fitting considering he is from a long line of powerful Witches. Anthony, his middle name means ‘priceless’ or ‘worthy of praise’ ahh…he might think so.

 

Emma Lusine Bennett

 

    Emma is another one of those pesky characters who don’t trust me to name them. From the moment I created her, for some reason, her name HAD to be Emma Bennett…perhaps it has something to do with how most of the Emma’s I know are bright bouncy personalities, and that Emi was a nickname we used to use for a friend of mine who bears a bit of a resemblance to Miss Bennett. Emma actually means ‘whole’ or ‘universal’…I guess this is slightly ironic, but I can’t tell you why! Lusine, her middle name means ‘moon’ which is quite self-explanatory, and Bennett comes from Benedict, meaning ‘blessed’…all things considered, maybe not…

 

Accalia Bennett

 

    Accalia is a name I really love, and means ‘wolf’, so that’s why I gave it to Accalia Bennett. That’s it.

 

Elizabeth Adelaide Vice

 

    First and foremost, Lizzie’s name was not chosen for it’s actual meaning. She’s actually named after Elizabeth Bathory, who you may know as the original vampiress. I don’t think she’d think very much of the name’s actual meaning though. Her middle name, Adelaide was partly chosen (I’ll be honest) for how it sounds…and it means ‘noble natured’ which sort of sums her up. Lizzie’s family name, Vice, was given to them because of it’s literal meaning and harsh sound.

 

James Thomas Lovett

 

    James means ‘supplant’ or ‘replace’, symbolising what he brings to each person he meets and interacts with; he brings positivity to people, and replaces their negativity. Partly, I like the name a lot, and partly, it very loosely referenced his role in the story. His middle name, Thomas is a cryptic little reference, a tribute actually. James shares his middle name with someone very close to me who gave me a lot of inspiration for his character. As for the family name, Lovett, I really like the double meaning, considering their family history. It can mean either ‘wolf’, the obvious, or ‘decedent of little love’.

 

Marrok Lovett

 

    Marrok was named for a legend about a knight who was rumoured to be a Werewolf, although I think his brother is far more knightly than he is.

 

Verity Harman

 

    I very consciously named Verity for the meaning, ‘truth’, because she is the voice of reason to the Guild. The irony is also fun considering that her roles in the Guild and council make her almost like a double agent. From my research, it looked like Verity’s surname had a couple of meanings, but the one I recall when I made the decision was ‘army-man’ because many of her family are derived from warriors, much like the Saages. The ‘man’ part, I’m not sure is as relevant…I mean, it always seemed to me that the women in her family wore the trousers!

 

Edward Daniel North

 

    Edward’s name means ‘wealthy guardian’, where he might not be wealthy, he was a warrior conscripted to guard the noble families with their lives. His middle name, Daniel, was chosen for it’s meaning of ‘judgement’ (which if you know the first thing about the man, makes a lot of sense), and his surname North, was chosen because of his tendency to gallivant off travelling…well, at least until he met Avangelene.

 

William Desmond North

 

    Edward and Avangelene’s baby was really tough to name. Eventually, I went with William, meaning ‘protector’, as I imagine him growing up to be quite that, and it also makes reference to his father’s name. Desmond was his middle name as another cryptic reference, although I shan’t explain it…it came from a conversation with someone significant.

 

Sun Sector

 

Jessica Dakota DelAmor

 

    Jessie actually shares her name with a good friend of mine, and that is largely why I chose it. Also, Jessica DelAmor means ‘rich of love’ because despite her tough, cool exterior, Jessie is actually quite a sweet person in her own way, and has a strong sense of pity…why do you think she chose to help most of the Sun Sector and take them in? Her middle name, Dakota, means ‘ally’ or ‘friend’.

 

Constance Arawyn

 

    Constance was chosen because it means ‘steadfast’, which is pretty self-explanatory. Her surname is a variant of a welsh myth name Arawn meaning ‘unrestrained wilderness’, which was chosen because I wanted something that sounded a bit ‘wild’ given her personality and background.

 

Lucian VanHaine

 

    Lucian means ‘light’, chosen because he is one of few of my characters who was not originally from the Night. His surname, VanHaine, is a reference to Van Helsing from Dracula, as he spent a lot of time hunting Vampires (or one Vampire in particular).

 

Loretta Lune

 

    Loretta’s name means ‘laurel tree’, which is symbolic of honour and victory. She is one of the few members of the Guild who hasn’t done something significantly wrong, and is often the genius behind the Sun sector’s victories. Her surname, Lune, comes from ‘Luna’ meaning moon.

 

Alekzander Rosencrans

 

    Coming from Alexander, Alekz’s name means ‘protector’, which he was as the older of the Rosencrans brothers…until he went mad and roles were reversed. I liked the idea of a weird, warped spelling because of this.

 

Pre-Dead Night Characters

 

Kaela Saage

 

    Cye and Lina’s mother’s name was Kaela, meaning ‘beloved sweetheart’, which really says a lot about her personality. She was very sweet and caring (although I still wouldn’t get on her bad side).

 

Sybella Saage

 

    Kaela’s sister, Sybella, was another one of those characters who sort of named herself. Sybella actually means ‘soothsayer’ or something to that effect, and I think this is hilarious considering how much irony follows her around!

 

Amdis Saage

 

    Amdis means ‘immortal’ and I chose it because he was a pure blooded aristocrat Vampire. I’m sure his parents would have chosen something that very proudly made reference to that.

 

Council Members

 

Pierce Hale

 

    Pierce wasn’t a name I chose for meaning. To be honest, it’s hard to really imagine him being called anything else. I mainly chose it for its literal harsh sound, and let’s face it, it has a tiny little bit of foreshadowing there, doesn’t it? It actually means ‘rock’, if you trace it back, which is quite fitting considering he’s one tough individual with a cold personality. Hale, his surname, has quite a few meanings, but I like the one that derives from Harald, for Pierce. It means ‘warrior to rule’ because I get the feeling that’s how he thinks of himself.

 

Lowell Bennett

 

    Lowell also means a few different things. I chose it for the meaning ‘wolf’ although it also means ‘dearly loved’ apparently. Haha, I don’t think so…

 

Cornelius Rosencrans

 

    We haven’t met this character yet, but he will be a prominent character in book two. Cornelius’s whole name had a lot to do with how grand I could make it sound. Cornelius actually means ‘horn’ which I find dead funny considering how he loves the sound of his own voice. Rosencrans is partially a reference to Hamlet (the family name being more fitting to his hilariously mad brother than him). Turns out it means ‘garland of roses’, I’m sure he’d love that.

 

Other Characters

 

Ava Chimera

 

    Ava’s name means ‘life’ and yes, I did intend that irony…I bet it shows how fond I am of it! Her family name, Chimera, is after the multi headed beast of Greek mythology. I very consciously pronounce her surname differently, as she-me-ra instead of it’s proper pronunciation. This is because her family were once Witches, and the Chimera would have been their name and family crest, although as the years went on and the family distanced from it’s Witch roots, and so the name was changed a little so something less magical.

 

Lily Chimera

 

    Lily was named for the flower, it being delicate and pretty, but also the flower’s connotations with death. Her character only comes into her own after the death of her sister.

 

Naryssa Harman

 

    Verity’s sister was named Naryssa which means ‘sea nymph’. I largely went for the name because I liked the sound of it and it suited her, but actually I believe she specialised in water elemental magic, and is a High Priestess of the Goddesses (who if you didn’t know, all represent the elements), so it does fit well. This character will be a side character in book two, so stay tuned!