I know there’s a writer’s corner but it doesn’t get much traffic and since I’m trying to get some writing done I was hoping for a little help if you berries don’t mind
I need a name for a main character’s longtime personal maidservant. At the beginning of the story she has fallen very ill and her daughter has taken her place as Amadahy’s maid. The maidservant has been like a mother to [name]Ami[/name] her whole life. She started out as her wet nurse and nanny and later, after difficulties birthing one of her children she is no longer able to have more and so she cannot provide wet nursing services anymore she spends a short amount of time as a house maid but Amadahy requests her as her personal maid and so she really spends most of her life with her. [name]Ami[/name] trusts her more than anyone and loves her a great deal.
She is small and swarthy with thick black hair barely streaked with silver despite her age and lively black eyes (sort of gypsy like in coloring, appearance etc.) She is wise, serene, peaceful, strong (almost guru like, if you will). She is descended from an ancient race of fierce desert nomads. Her grandmother was kidnapped and taken as a slave four generations ago. Her grandmother’s wisdom, stories, and traditions (so far as she knew them when she was taken) were passed down secretly. While she is technically still a slave she is viewed with respect among other slaves and servants and is generally referred to by most of the staff and even the household as a servant. Her unwavering loyalty has bought her daughter’s (albeit low class) freedom and one of them now serves as [name]Ami[/name]'s maid.
I need her to have a short name, no more than three to five letters at the most (I really want a three letter name though) and one to two syllables. The two daughters relevant to the storyline are [name]Isa[/name] and [name]Ula[/name].
My first thought when reading your description of the character was the name [name]Nenna[/name]. I think it has the uni-cultural sound and to me sounds like a faithful and affectionate caregiver.
Other ideas…
Alo (Hopi, “spiritual guide”)
Elsu
[name]Isi[/name] (Choctaw, “deer”)
Luyu
Sani (Navajo, “the old one”)
[name]Leal[/name] (French, “faithful”)
Nomsa (Zulu, “caring one, faithful”)
Wafi (Arabic, assoc. w/faithfulness)
Wila (Hawaiian, “loyal”)
[name]Ilo[/name] (Nigerian, “joy”)
[name]Zoa[/name] (from the Greek root,“life”)
peanut I like [name]Isi[/name] but I feel like it’s to close to her daughter [name]Isa[/name]. I also like Wila, [name]Ilo[/name], and [name]Zoa[/name] (I really like the sound of [name]Zoa[/name]!)
dantea I like [name]Ita[/name] but again I’m afraid it’s really quite close to [name]Isa[/name]. I like [name]Rin[/name] and [name]Xia[/name], too and I find [name]Bala[/name] and [name]Chay[/name] both kind of interesting.
[name]Blade[/name] I like [name]Onna[/name] but I have a friend named [name]Ona[/name] and so that might be weird.
