[name_m]Hi[/name_m] berries,
We’ve almost settled on the name Liriel (or Lirael) for our daughter (due in few weeks). I love the way it sounds. But my husband and I are a bit concerned that it won’t be considered a “real name” by others. I first heard of the name when reading the [name_m]Garth[/name_m] [name_f]Nix[/name_f] books many years ago. It is also the name of another fictional character in series by [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] Cunningham.
I’ve found some historical reference to Liriel/Lirael online (in the Old Testament), but there isn’t that much information available. It seems to be a name which is more often used in [name_u]Brazil[/name_u] (as in the singer Liriel Domenicano).
[name_f]Do[/name_f] any of you name experts/buffs know the origin of this name? What do you all think of it? Is it usable in [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u] alongside girls called [name_f]Brielle[/name_f], [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f] and [name_u]Ariel[/name_u]?
We like Liri or [name_f]Ella[/name_f]/[name_f]Elle[/name_f] as nicknames.
Thanks very much,
[name_f]Jetta[/name_f]
[b]Liriel means ‘lyrical God’ / ‘lyrics of God’:-Liri is Hebrew for ‘lyric’ or ‘lyrical’ and the Hebrew ‘el’ suffix means ‘God’, originating from Elohim (e.g: [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_m]Eli[/name_m], [name_m]Samuel[/name_m], [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m], [name_m]Raphael[/name_m], etc.)[/b]
On the other hand, Lira used to be the Israeli monetary unit, before they reintroduced the system of shekels. It also means ‘lyre’, so Lirael means ‘Gods lyre’ or ‘lyre of God.’
Lirael (from what I can see) is Google’s misunderstanding of [name_m]Israel[/name_m], e.g: The Holy Bible Containing the Old Testament and the New, ... - Google Books actually says [name_m]Israel[/name_m], but the print is faint on the I and S, so it looks like Lirael. Lirael is not actually in the Old Testament.
Thanks Nooshi - that’s great! I really appreciate that information. Yes I did see it was often misprinted in the Old Testament.
A lyre is a stringed instrument isn’t it?
Thanks everyone for your comments, I really like it
[name_f]Jetta[/name_f]
@jetta, yes, a lyre is a stringed instrument. They’re quite pretty (both appearance and sound), and there are a tonne of great mythology ([name_m]Orpheus[/name_m], [name_m]Apollo[/name_m]'s cattle and [name_m]Hermes[/name_m]), historical (e.g: Lyres of Ur) and Biblical references ([name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]David[/name_m], especially in Psalms, e.g:‘Give thanks to the [name_m]LORD[/name_m] with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!’) to them.
@ tilelli would you think that the girl’s parents had created a “yoon-eek” type of name, ie. made up something completely or changed around the letters to create a rare name, or would you just think - oh it’s probably from that book. Trying to avoid the “yoon-eek” thing.
Thanks
Liriel is gorgeous! I think I probably like it so much because I love the similar-in-construction [name_f]Mirielle[/name_f]. And I agree–Liri is adorable! Or [name_f]Ella[/name_f].
I don’t know anything about it, but [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] Cunningham is my uncle’s [name_m]SIL[/name_m] (omgoodness, small world!), and I could ask him if he could maybe find out where she got it from.
For what it’s worth, I’m not a fan of making up names myself, but I love names made up by authors for their stories–names like [name_f]Lucinda[/name_f], [name_f]Fiona[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Arwen[/name_f], [name_m]Caspian[/name_m], [name_f]Cora[/name_f], [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f], [name_f]Miranda[/name_f], [name_f]Wendy[/name_f], [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f]. A little bit whimsy, a little bit grounded, and so wearable! And many of them have reallY great stories attached to them! I haven’t ever read an [name_f]Elaine[/name_f] Cunningham novel (ironically! But she’s distantly related and I’m not really into her genre), but if it’s a good association, why not? Liriel is gorgeous.
