Alright, first i must say that this stuff I am about to tell you could be not true... I never read these anywhere so it is more of a strong hunch I have based on what I know about the characters and mythology, make of it what you will.
Aerie - Name is connected with the Greek Goddess of Strife named Eris and is usually depicted with feathered wings and bird feet. I think Aerie has gone through her share of strife..
Viconia - This one might seem a stretch but bear with me. Name is connected to Virgo (Viconia, Virgonia, Virgo), Virgo is the star constellation that gets its name from the goddess Astrae the star maiden, who is associated with innocence and purity, the complete opposite of Viconia which is the irony of the name influence i would guess, also Astrae is deeply tied to Justice and Viconia is deeply tied to revenge..
Jaheira - Name is connected with the Greek Goddess Hera, the queen and mother of many gods. This might be a reason why Jaheira is so bossy and well mother-like all the time..
Haer'Dalis - So Fleur de Lis means flower of the lily in french, Haer means nothing, but Hier means last or yesterday depending on the context its used in. So Haer'Dalis means Last of the Lily.. Of note is that the Fleur de Lis is also known as Flower of Light. So him being a member of the Doomguard, a faction that believe that the decay and entropy of everything was not only inevitable but a good thing, and what was "supposed" to happen, makes this a very interesting choice of name. Potentially his name means Last of the Light, makes more sense to me than last of the lily but he is a bit flowery..
now for a few more obscure ones
Minsc - This one seems so obvious i just hate to point it out but here we go. Minsc is connected to the word Misc, the short form of miscellanious which is just another way of saying different. Minsc is different? Only to some i guess..
Imoen - Name is connected to the words " I'm owing". Which is something she must do alot of since shes good natured and a thief. She probably has a list..
Anomen - Name is connected to the words " An omen". An omen are phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. For a spiritual guy that worships a dead god (Helm is dead), maybe him having this name is a kind of way of him being arrogant enough to think that his worship will bring Helm back to life?
Cernd - Name is connected to the word " concerned, which means worried, troubled or anxious. Since when you first meet him he was imprisoned for investigating a disturbance at a druid grove, that sounds concerned to me..
Edwin Odesseiron - His last name Odesseiron is connected with the words " Odds I run", or to put it in a more familiar order " I run the odds". Being a man who is constantly trying to manipulate others to get what he needs and talking to himself constantly to remind himself why he puts up with the fools, this name would seem to fit nicely..
Shar-Teel - Name is connected to sharp steel. Yup she does like it sharp..
Dorn - Name is connected to Thorn. He is a prickly sort I would say..
Solaufein - Alright he's not an NPC and the list would be massive if I started getting into all of the many names and their meanings so i won't, but I will make an exception for this drow since he was an important part of the story. Name is connected to Cellophane which is just a fancy way of saying clear plastic wrap. Compared to the other drow he becomes pretty honest about his state of affairs, no spoilers if you don't know about him but he is as transparent as drow come in terms of what kind of person he really is.
List is getting pretty long and I could probably find a bunch more but I will just finish up with a juicy one.
Sarevok Anchev - Alright so this one might seem like a big stretch as well, but I try not to waste your time with guessing and always back it up with reasons. The name Sarevok is connected to the words "scare and evoke" basically to create fear.. He wouldn't do that would he? The name Anchev is connected to the words "anchor and evil" basically to make evil take root or take hold.. He did sort of try and do that didn't he? Just a little? Maybe its just me..
That's all for today. I hope you found it insightful a little bit.
Not really sure why I felt the need to share any of this, I guess @Ravenslight efforts at luring me out of the shadows have succeeded a tiny bit... only a tiny bit.
Aerie - Name is connected with the Greek Goddess of Strife named Eris and is usually depicted with feathered wings and bird feet. I think Aerie has gone through her share of strife..
Viconia - This one might seem a stretch but bear with me. Name is connected to Virgo (Viconia, Virgonia, Virgo), Virgo is the star constellation that gets its name from the goddess Astrae the star maiden, who is associated with innocence and purity, the complete opposite of Viconia which is the irony of the name influence i would guess, also Astrae is deeply tied to Justice and Viconia is deeply tied to revenge..
Jaheira - Name is connected with the Greek Goddess Hera, the queen and mother of many gods. This might be a reason why Jaheira is so bossy and well mother-like all the time..
Haer'Dalis - So Fleur de Lis means flower of the lily in french, Haer means nothing, but Hier means last or yesterday depending on the context its used in. So Haer'Dalis means Last of the Lily.. Of note is that the Fleur de Lis is also known as Flower of Light. So him being a member of the Doomguard, a faction that believe that the decay and entropy of everything was not only inevitable but a good thing, and what was "supposed" to happen, makes this a very interesting choice of name. Potentially his name means Last of the Light, makes more sense to me than last of the lily but he is a bit flowery..
now for a few more obscure ones
Minsc - This one seems so obvious i just hate to point it out but here we go. Minsc is connected to the word Misc, the short form of miscellanious which is just another way of saying different. Minsc is different? Only to some i guess..
Imoen - Name is connected to the words " I'm owing". Which is something she must do alot of since shes good natured and a thief. She probably has a list..
Anomen - Name is connected to the words " An omen". An omen are phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. For a spiritual guy that worships a dead god (Helm is dead), maybe him having this name is a kind of way of him being arrogant enough to think that his worship will bring Helm back to life?
Cernd - Name is connected to the word " concerned, which means worried, troubled or anxious. Since when you first meet him he was imprisoned for investigating a disturbance at a druid grove, that sounds concerned to me..
Edwin Odesseiron - His last name Odesseiron is connected with the words " Odds I run", or to put it in a more familiar order " I run the odds". Being a man who is constantly trying to manipulate others to get what he needs and talking to himself constantly to remind himself why he puts up with the fools, this name would seem to fit nicely..
Shar-Teel - Name is connected to sharp steel. Yup she does like it sharp..
Dorn - Name is connected to Thorn. He is a prickly sort I would say..
Solaufein - Alright he's not an NPC and the list would be massive if I started getting into all of the many names and their meanings so i won't, but I will make an exception for this drow since he was an important part of the story. Name is connected to Cellophane which is just a fancy way of saying clear plastic wrap. Compared to the other drow he becomes pretty honest about his state of affairs, no spoilers if you don't know about him but he is as transparent as drow come in terms of what kind of person he really is.
List is getting pretty long and I could probably find a bunch more but I will just finish up with a juicy one.
Sarevok Anchev - Alright so this one might seem like a big stretch as well, but I try not to waste your time with guessing and always back it up with reasons. The name Sarevok is connected to the words "scare and evoke" basically to create fear.. He wouldn't do that would he? The name Anchev is connected to the words "anchor and evil" basically to make evil take root or take hold.. He did sort of try and do that didn't he? Just a little? Maybe its just me..
That's all for today. I hope you found it insightful a little bit.
Not really sure why I felt the need to share any of this, I guess @Ravenslight efforts at luring me out of the shadows have succeeded a tiny bit... only a tiny bit.