For the past few days, I’ve been going through my (very) long list pulling out a few rare little beauties that particularly caught my eye. I’m interested in some good reviews, offering some details to help with that…
Artula (Celtic: ancient) ahr-TYOO-lah “bear?” [perhaps derived from Celtic artos &/ Latin [i]ursa /i] Keresen (Cornish: modern) ke-[name_f]REZ[/name_f]-en “cherry” Iluka (Australian Aboriginal–Bunjalung) eye-LOO-kah “by the sea” Taika (Finnish) [name_m]TAH[/name_m]-ee-kah “magic; spell” Kielo (Finnish) KYEH-loh “lily of the valley”
Artula- I like the meaning and I think the sound could definitely grow on me! Equally, the possibility of [name_m]Artie[/name_m] as a nn is intiriguing
Keresen - I’m in two minds. On one hand it reminds me of the word caressing , on the other, it gives me the vibes of [name_f]Cerys[/name_f] and [name_m]Kerrigan[/name_m] mixed together which I like. Also, lovely meaning! I think I like it
Iluka- sounds stunning and the meaning is a definite draw
Taika- love the meaning and how it looks but the sounds are a little awkward for me. I think i wpuld jave to get used to them before i can give a final review
Kielo _- I’m in two minds again. On one hand it reminds me of the star wars character, on the other it has a distinctive and charming sound and I like it
Artula: This is absolutely precious. It has such an adorable, sweet sound, and it’s so distinctive. I love the meaning, too. Keresen: I think it’s a little too close to [name_f]Kerensa[/name_f], which is quite trendy on this site, and I can see some pronunciation troubles. A little clunky with the syllable of emphasis. Iluka: So beautiful. Peaceful, evocative, and wonderful. Taika: This is not a bad thing, but the first thing I thought of was Taiko drumming! It suits its meaning, and has a lot of whimsy to it, but I think pronunciation would be a bit of a problem. Kielo: Artistic, bold, and gorgeous. Reminds me of [name_f]Ciel[/name_f] and [name_f]Kahlo[/name_f]. However, I do think of the [name_f]Star[/name_f] Wars character.
Re: Kielo – I’ve never got onto the [name_f]Star[/name_f] Wars train, so had to Google the character being associated – [name_m]Kylo[/name_m], I assume? That’d be pronounced [name_u]KYE[/name_u]-loh, right, and male? Also, the more I look at Kielo, the more I’m seeing ‘kilo(gram)’ which is unfortunate as it’s such an interesting little thing. I’m also getting a very cool Japanese-type feel from it somehow, but sometimes, it can look a bit trendy too.
I’m loving Artula at the moment. There is a small town that my Mum and I stopped in once called Aratula, which had this brilliant little antique store and coffee shop all-in-one deal which we said in another life we’d own and run, so that’s kind of a nice association I have. I love the idea as [name_m]Artie[/name_m]/[name_m]Arty[/name_m] as a nickname, too, art/creativity being of great importance to me.
Iluka is a gorgeous seaside town (suitably named for the Bunjalung word) a few hours from me of which I’ve visited, and adored, so there’s another positive association for me there. Also, such a gorgeous sound!
Taika is an older love for me. The meaning is brilliant, I love it, but for me, Taika does look somewhat trendy and/or masculine, so it’s never really shone enough for me to think on it more.
Keresen is a new find. The meaning is sweet, though I do keep finding myself thinking ‘kerosene’ & ‘resin’ when I see/say it.
Thankyou for drawing attention to such an interesting list. I love Keresen. The sounds just really appeal to me. Among my longterm favourites are the Welsh [name_f]Ceridwen[/name_f] and Cornish [name_f]Kerensa[/name_f], so I guess there are similarities.
Artula is very nice, and could work as a female nod to [name_m]Arthur[/name_m]. Good to see the ‘ula’ ending cropping up - other than singer [name_f]Petula[/name_f] [name_m]Clarke[/name_m], or the occasional Fionnula, you don’t see that ending much. I really like the Finnish names Taika and Kielo. Kielo reminded me of the Danish princess [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] who has [name_f]Ivalo[/name_f] in her middle names. Finnish names deserve another look I think! Kielo particularly appeals to me - there’s always something a little bold and quirky about ‘o’ ending names.
@araminty – Thanks. I, too, enjoy the -ula ending, though other than [name_f]Tallula/name_f, I too very rarely see/hear them. Another (from the long list) I’m thinking on at the moment is [name_f]Alula[/name_f]. Finnish names are indeed interesting, quirky little gems - [name_f]Lumi[/name_f] is a favourite, and Pilvi, [name_f]Tindra[/name_f], Satu & Virva are some others on my long list.
Artula is very striking, though I could definitely see a lot of people pronouncing it arh-TOO-lah.
Keresen I actually have a little trouble with when I try to say it aloud, and as someone else said it’s quite similar to [name_f]Kerensa[/name_f] (which is the easier of the two to pronounce.)
Iluka is lovely and while some might initially think “ill-” instead of “eye” I think this one would be easy enough to correct people on.
Likewise Taika could face minor pronunciation troubles but would be pretty easily corrected.
Kielo feels the most intuitive to say aloud when looking at it, and is really lovely! There aren’t too many -o ending names I really like but I find this one fantastic. And I love the meaning.
Keresen is charming - there’s something so fresh and breezy about her; I picture a freckle-faced girl looking for shells in a Cornish cove. Might you also like the Greek Kerasia (keh-rah-SEE-uh), meaning “cherry tree”?
Kielo and Taika are very pretty and spunky and have stunning meanings. The latter brings to mind the Welsh Swyn, which has the same meaning. Iluka is very nice, especially if you like the place, and I like the possible nicknames Iley and [name_u]Lucky[/name_u].
There’s something intriguing about Artula and I love the meaning, but I prefer the sound and look of some other similar Ancient Celtic names such as Artio (from the same root as Artula) and Arduinna.
@kew – I’ve not come across any of the names you mentioned (Karasia, Artio or Arduinna) and while I’m not all too fond of the latter two, Kerasia sure is interesting. [name_f]Lovely[/name_f].
Artula: I like this a lot. “[name_m]Bear[/name_m]” names almost all appeal to me; there’s a certain calm warmth they all seem to share. Artula feels a little bit celestial to me too — no idea why, maybe the combination of [name_f]Ursa[/name_f] [name_m]Major[/name_m] and [name_m]Minor[/name_m] + Arcturus? — but it adds a certain sheen and spark to this name in my mind too. Pretty and strong.
Keresen: Another I like. It reminds me of [name_f]Kerensa[/name_f] and Chesten, both of which I like a little better, but Keresen is still lovely and lilting, with a sweet meaning.
Iluka: I seem to be in the minority here, but this is my least favourite, although I can see the appeal. To me, the “eye” sound is not as intuitive or attractive as a short “i”, and the look of it reminds me of manuka honey. Amazing meaning, though!
Taika: This reminds me of a whole load of similar-sounding Russian words, but I appreciate that’s a pretty niche set of associations. It certainly sounds magical and mysterious!
Kielo: A surprisingly sweet, serene meaning for a name which looks and sounds very spiky, spunky and dynamic. I enjoy the contrast, and I’m a sucker for o-ending names so I really like this!
