Avalon said:
ok, I just got what Zaria means - couldn't realize it as it's not a name in Russian. It means "dawn" in Russian (and Slavic languages). I haven't heard of anyone called Zaria but now I know the meaning, it seems more attractive.
Thanks for looking this up, it makes all the difference in appreciating these kinds of names, I think.
All the same, both Luana and Zaria are the types of names more likely to conjure up images in my mind's eye of va-va-voom characters in computer games than they do of poised sophisticated Eurobred Countesses, but anyway. That's of course not these little girls' doing, and I wish both Zaria and her big sister a long and industrious existence with the hopes they'll take after their paternal grandparents in intelligence and spirit.
That said, I also wish the trend among celebrities to pick these 'out there' monikers for their offspring would cool off a bit..
Also, at the risk of boring you all, as I've doubtlessly said this many times before, but I also wish these Dutch royals would show a preference for traditional Dutch names, which are, internationally speaking, just as original as odd-ball choices like 'Zaria'.
Someone who gets it right, or, has so far three times, is in my opinion, Laurentien. She picked names for her kids that reflect their place in society as grandchildren of a reigning monarch, no less. On the other hand a name like Zaria could, in my view, also easily feature in the family tree of, say, a celebrated soccer player for example (not that there's anything wrong with that..)