What does the name Amira mean?

Amira is a name of Arabic origin meaning princess, and also commander or leader. In The Hallway of Doorknobs, author Lynn A. Haller chose it for a girl whose name would carry strength and a sense of her own worth.

Why did Lynn A. Haller choose the name Amira?

Lynn has always been drawn to names that start with A, including her daughter Ashley and her niece Avery. She chose Amira for its meaning of leadership, because she loved the way it sounds, and because she wanted the children in the book to reflect the many backgrounds real children come from.

Who is Amira in The Hallway of Doorknobs?

Amira is one of the children who moves through the hallway in The Hallway of Doorknobs: A Journey to the Feelings Inside, a picture book for ages 6 to 10 that helps children meet their feelings through friendly characters.

What is The Hallway of Doorknobs about?

The Hallway of Doorknobs: A Journey to the Feelings Inside is a children's picture book for ages 6 to 10. It introduces emotional states as friendly characters that children meet behind doors in a hallway, helping kids understand and welcome their many feelings.

Behind the name: Amira - Lingua Ink Books

Name: Behind the name: Amira
Uploaded: 2026-10-01T06:21:57-07:00
Channel: Lynn A. Haller
Description: Every child in The Hallway of Doorknobs was named on purpose. Meet Amira, a name that means leader, with a family of A-names and a Hamilton wink behind it.

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Lynn A. Haller

Lynn A. Haller, MSW, LCSW, is a trauma-informed therapist and educator with over 25 years of experience bringing Internal Family Systems concepts to life through story. Her first children's book, The Hallway of Doorknobs, helps young readers meet their protective inner parts as characters they can understand and befriend.

Latest posts by Lynn A. Haller (see all)

Behind the name: Sara - October 7, 2026
Behind the name: Manuel - October 5, 2026
Behind the name: Amira - October 1, 2026

An A-name, a Hamilton lyric, and a wish for every kind of child.

I have always been drawn to names that start with A. My daughter is Ashley. My niece is Avery. So when it came time to name the children in The Hallway of Doorknobs, an A-name felt like home to me.

I’ll admit I’m also a Hamilton fan, and somewhere along the way I realized my Ashley fits right into the song “Your Obedient Servant.” A. Ham, A. Burr, and my own A. Hall. It still makes me smile. I bring that up because the next name in the hallway has a Hamilton story of its own. Read about Manuel on Monday.

All of that is to say, I love an A-name. And Amira is the one that stayed.

It means princess in Arabic. It also means commander, and leader. I wanted a girl in the hallway whose name carried that kind of strength, a reminder that a young girl can lead, and can know her own worth.

I also wanted the children in this book to look and sound like the real world children live in. Kids come from every kind of family and every kind of background. Their names should reflect that too. Amira is part of making sure more children can open this book and find someone who feels a little like them.

And if I am honest, I just love the way it sounds. Some names simply feel good to say. Amira is one of them.

So Amira walks the hallway now, carrying strength in her name and a bit of my own heart in that first letter.

This is part of a series about how the children in The Hallway of Doorknobs: A Journey to the Feelings Inside got their names.