A - Z Challenge: XAVIER --> JAVIER

Again, I'm a day late.  Oh well.

SPAIN

Yay, today I'm going to talk about Spanish names, which are tons of fun.  I think Spanish names are some of the most beautiful names ever, so I'm going to share the ones I've encountered, my favorites, and what their English equivalent would be (if they have one).  Here it's also common to find more names that we might consider "old-fashioned," like Óscar (Oscar), Alfredo (Alfred), and Beatriz (Beatrice).  I really like that.

Boys

Javier (Xavier) --> A very common name, often shortened to "Javi," and well known in the English-speaking world due to Javier Bardem.

Antonio (Anthony)

Carlos (Charles)

Álvaro

Francisco (Frances)

Rafael (Raphael)

Raúl (Ralph)

Ricardo (Richard)
Juan (John) --> The king of Spain's name is Juan Carlos.
Reyes --> Literally means "kings" in Spanish.
Sergio (Sergius)
Ángel (Angel)
Santiago (James) --> Santiago (Saint James) is the patron saint of Spain.
Enrique (Henry)

Girls

Beatriz (Beatrice) --> This is my favorite girls' name, pronounced "Bay-uh-treez," and often shortened to "Bea."

Isabel (Elizabeth/Isabella) --> Very common.

Florencia (Florence) --> Often shortened to Flor (the Spanish word for "flower")
Soledad (Solitude) --> Despite this name's sad meaning, it's actually fairly common.

Aurelia --> Less common, and it means "gold."

Mercedes (Mercy) --> Yes, pronounced like the car, only a little softer.

Amparo --> Means "protection, shelter."

Alba --> This word means "morning light" in Spanish.

Pilar (Pillar) --> In English, we probably wouldn't name someone "Pillar," as in "column," but it's actually a pretty common name in Spanish.  Personally, I really like it.

Maria + José/Luisa/Laura/etc. --> Maria is a very common name, but it's often paired with another.
Rocio --> Literally translates to "dew" in Spanish.

WRITING

Names are fun, but they're also stressful.  How do you choose the perfect name for a character?  Sometimes, it just comes to you.  Sometimes, you have to search, and search, and search…

One of my biggest pet peeves is unusual names that have no reason to be unusual.  I understand want their characters to stand out, but at the same time, bizarre names often detract from believability, especially in a contemporary setting.  In fantasy and science fiction, unusual names are fine, as long as they fit with the rest of the world (if you're creating your own world, even made-up names should be derived from a common language so they have a similar sound, which helps with world-building).  Otherwise, tread carefully.

Be especially careful with historical fiction.  It's not enough for the name to come from the language of the country in which the story is set.  There was less variety back in the day (just look at Jane Austen's books, for example), and names that didn't follow the norm were very, very rare.  Some names didn't even exist yet.

How do you choose names?

A - Z Challenge: LEFTOVERS (ROME & MOORS)

SPAIN

The Iberian Peninsula has been inhabited for centuries, most notably by the Roman and Ottoman Empires.  To this day, you can see many leftovers in Spanish cities, especially in the autonomous community of Andalusia, the name of which comes from the Arabic Al-Andalus.

Architecture

This Roman aqueduct is right by my house!

Moors maintained a presence on the Iberian Peninsula from 711 to 1492.  That's 781 years.  Comparably, Spain has only been "Spanish" as we know it for 521 years, which is very strange to think about.  It's been asked if the Reconquista, or the Reconquest (when Catholics led by Ferdinand and Isabel expelled the Arabs from Spain), was actually a reconquest, or if it was just a conquest.

I believe these columns were supposedly
placed here by Hercules himself.  (Hercules
founded many cities in Spain, including
Sevilla and Barcelona, according to legend.)

Traveling through Spain, you'll find a lot of architectural leftovers from Rome and Moorish occupation.  In Sevilla, for example, there are several Roman columns.  My street even has the ruins of an old aqueduct :)

A patio in the Alcázar.  These archways are a
signature element of Islamic architecture.

As for Moorish influence, it's everywhere.  Courtyards, rounded archways, and tiles all have their origins in Arabic architecture.

The Alcázar, for example, was originally a Moorish fort, converted into a royal palace.  Though there are certain Gothic elements, most of it is Islamic design.

Sevilla's most famous site, the Cathedral, was actually originally a mosque.  The Giralda served as a minaret from which someone would issue the call to prayer.  It was converted into a Cathedral, yet it still has lots of Islamic architecture.

The Cathedral in Sevilla.

Language

While Spanish is a romance language that has Latin roots, its filled with words that come from Arabic.  Some of these include:

Andalucía - from Al-Andalus, the Arabic name for the region.

Ojalá - I hope, from law šhaʾ allāh "God willing".

Alcázar - palace, from al-qasr
Zumo - juice, from zum.  Spain is the only Spanish-speaking country that uses "zumo" for juice.

And hundreds more!

WRITING

When writers build worlds, they often draw from real cultures and civilizations.  Stereotypical fantasy worlds are usually based on medieval Northern Europe (the Holy Roman Empire is probably closest in comparison); and when they name characters and places, they often pick a language to act as the "root language."

Why is this a good idea?  So that the made-up words sound as though they belong to the same family, the same culture.  It helps to make the world believable, and that's extremely important :)  So as you create world, make like Spain and let other civilizations influence you!

P.S.  I'd love to read a fantasy in which the world is based on North Africa or Middle East, so if you know of any, please let me know!