I was wondering what everyone’s favorite girl names from literature are? Hoping it will lead me to some good books to read with characters I might want to use as a namesake for my daughter who will be born at the end of [name]April[/name]. Mine to date:
[name]Astrid[/name](thinking about this one for my dd), [name]Ingrid[/name] - White Oleander by [name]Janet[/name] Fitch
[name]Frances[/name]- [name]Franny[/name] and [name]Zooey[/name] by J.D. [name]Salinger[/name]
[name]Freya[/name] - The Tricking of [name]Freya[/name] by [name]Christina[/name] Sunley
[name]Jane[/name] from [name]Jane[/name] [name]Eyre[/name]/[name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name]
[name]Meg[/name] and [name]Beth[/name] from [name]Little[/name] Women
[name]Pippi[/name] from [name]Pippi[/name] Longstocking
[name]Heidi[/name] from [name]Heidi[/name]
[name]Maia[/name] from The [name]River[/name] Sea
[name]Sara[/name] from A [name]Little[/name] [name]Princess[/name]
[name]Scarlett[/name] from Gone With the Wind
[name]Thomasina[/name] from [name]Thomasina[/name]
I still love [name]Scout[/name] from To Kill a Mockingbird. The idea of a quirky random nn like [name]Scout[/name] for something formal like [name]Jean[/name] [name]Louise[/name]. I also like [name]Jeremy[/name] with the nn [name]Jem[/name]. And of course [name]Atticus[/name] is becoming quite popular. I love To Kill a Mockingbird!
[name]India[/name] - Gone with the Wind
Haydee - The [name]Count[/name] of [name]Monte[/name] Cristo
[name]Briony[/name] - Atonement
[name]Portia[/name] - Merchant of [name]Venice[/name]
[name]Tessa[/name] - The [name]Constant[/name] Nymph
[name]Dagny[/name] - [name]Atlas[/name] Shrugged
[name]Zeena[/name] - [name]Ethan[/name] Frome
[name]Hero[/name] - Much [name]Ado[/name] About Nothing
[name]Bianca[/name] - The Taming of the Shrew
[name]Lucie[/name] (A Tale of Two Cities, by [name]Charles[/name] Dickens)
[name]Olivia[/name]/[name]Viola[/name] (Twelfth [name]Night[/name], [name]Shakespeare[/name])
[name]Gwendolen[/name]/[name]Cecily[/name] (The Importance of Being [name]Earnest[/name])
[name]Anne[/name] (Persuasion, [name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name])
[name]Eliza[/name]/[name]Elizabeth[/name]/[name]Lydia[/name]/[name]Jane[/name]/[name]Charlotte[/name]/[name]Catherine[/name] (Pride and Prejudice, [name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name])
[name]Elinor[/name]/[name]Eleanor[/name] (depending on which [name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name] novel!)
[name]Marguerite[/name] (meh, I don’t love [name]Marguerite[/name], but I love The [name]Scarlet[/name] Pimpernel! I much prefer [name]Percy[/name] and [name]Armand[/name] as characters over [name]Marguerite[/name], and as names in general–[name]Marguerite[/name] always seemed whiney and self-indulgent, until she realizes who and what [name]Percy[/name] is, but I still think the connection to the story is a great one!)
[name]Emilia[/name] (I love [name]Emilia[/name] as a namesake from The Comedy of Errors. I couldn’t say regarding the other of [name]Shakespeare[/name]'s Emilias–I’ve only read Comedy of Errors, which I loved. :))
[name]Lucy[/name]/[name]Susan[/name] (although I’d consider [name]Susanna[/name] or [name]Shoshana[/name] for [name]Susan[/name], personally!; The Chronicles of [name]Narnia[/name])
[name]Penelope[/name] (The Odyssey!)
[name]Evangeline[/name] (the poem [name]Evangeline[/name], by [name]Henry[/name] Wadsworth [name]Longfellow[/name])
[name]Cora[/name] (The Last of the Mohicans, by [name]James[/name] Fenimore [name]Cooper[/name])
And och, in just trying to make this list of my own literary favorites, I’ve come across nearly just as many that I have yet to read (really, my list is just too long!) that I’m just dying to–[name]Jane[/name] [name]Eyre[/name], The Hunchback of Notre Dame, For Whom the [name]Bell[/name] Tolls, Middlemarch, [name]Anna[/name] Karenina, [name]Emma[/name], The Adventures of [name]Tom[/name] [name]Sawyer[/name], The [name]Little[/name] [name]Prince[/name] (okay, again. I read it in French in my high school French classes), Around the World in 80 Days, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, [name]Lord[/name] of the Rings, The [name]Count[/name] of [name]Monte[/name] Cristo! And I’m in the midst of reading The Three Musketeers right now. I haven’t really come across any girls’ names from that, though…
My English teacher heart leaped up when I saw this thread. [name]Love[/name] so many of what’s been contributed already: I always thought [name]Elinor[/name]/[name]Marianne[/name] would be a lovely sibset for two sisters. And [name]Gwendolen[/name]/[name]Cecily[/name] are so lovely, too!
There’s an out-of-print children’s book that I loved as a little girl and was lucky enough to find a copy of to save and read with my own daughter(s) - “[name]Minty[/name]'s [name]Magic[/name] Garden,” with the main character named [name]Araminta[/name]. I always thought that was a magical sounding name!
My cousin’s name is Mandalay ([name]Mandy[/name]) after the poem “On the Road to Mandalay,” which I always thought was a pretty cool name inspiration.
A teacher colleague of mine has maintained for years that she will name her first daughter [name]Hero[/name], inspired by the [name]Shakespeare[/name] character from “Much [name]Ado[/name].”
[name]Margaret[/name], [name]Josephine[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name] and [name]Amelia[/name] - [name]Little[/name] Women (better known as Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy). I also love Theodore Laurence nn Teddy and Laurie!
[name]Sunniva[/name] ~ The Dark [name]Light[/name] by [name]Mette[/name] Newth
[name]Astrid[/name] ~ White Oleander by [name]Janet[/name] Fitch
[name]Josephine[/name] ~ [name]Little[/name] Women by [name]Louisa[/name] [name]May[/name] [name]Alcott[/name] and Chocolat by [name]Joanne[/name] [name]Harris[/name]
[name]Anouk[/name], [name]Vianne[/name] and [name]Roux[/name] ~ Chocolat by [name]Joanne[/name] [name]Harris[/name]
Zosie ~The Lollipop Shoes by [name]Joanne[/name] [name]Harris[/name]
[name]Alice[/name] ~ [name]Alice[/name] in Wonderland by [name]Lewis[/name] [name]Carroll[/name]
[name]Lyra[/name] ~ The [name]Golden[/name] Compass by [name]Philip[/name] Pullman
[name]Jane[/name] ~ [name]Jane[/name] [name]Eyre[/name] by [name]Charlotte[/name] Bronté [name]Elizabeth[/name] ~ Pride and Prejudice by [name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name] ~ [name]Dante[/name]'s Inferno by [name]Dante[/name] [name]Cosette[/name] ~ [name]Les[/name] Misérables by [name]Victor[/name] [name]Hugo[/name]
[name]Isabelle[/name] ~ The Invention of [name]Hugo[/name] Cabret by [name]Brian[/name] Helznick
[name]Ophelia[/name] ~ [name]Hamlet[/name] by [name]William[/name] [name]Shakespeare[/name]
[name]Arabella[/name] ~ Atonement by [name]Ian[/name] [name]McEwan[/name]
[name]Matilda[/name] ~[name]Matilda[/name] by [name]Roald[/name] Dahl [name]Sara[/name] ~ A [name]Little[/name] [name]Princess[/name] by [name]Frances[/name] [name]Hodgson[/name] [name]Burnett[/name]
[name]Christine[/name] ~ The Phantom of the [name]Opera[/name] by [name]Gaston[/name] Leroux
[name]Zoya[/name] and [name]Alexandra[/name] ~ [name]Zoya[/name] by [name]Danielle[/name] [name]Steel[/name] [name]Violet[/name] and [name]Sunny[/name] ~ A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Jane from Jane Eyre. I also really like Eyre. And Charlotte. And Bronte. Jane Eyre is one of my all time favorites.
Elizabeth as in Bennet or March
Lydia Bennet
Margaret March
Shakespearean names- Katharina, Juliet, Rosalind, Ophelia, Audrey, Helena, Iris, and Lavinia.
(If I could do anything I’d have for girls, Katharina Juliet, Rosalind Helena, Ophelia Iris, and Lavinia Audrey.)
Madeline is a favorite. It was my favorite book as a child and such a stand out name.
As is Matilda.
Cosette is stunning and Les Mis is such a beautiful story.
I’m a total Harry Potter geek and Luna, Emmeline, Arabella, and Fleur are all names I love.
Arya from GoT is a love for me.
Margo and Hazel are both from John Green novels and I love them equally.
Lux, Cecilia, and Therese from the Virgin Suicides are loves for me.
Evageline is a favorite poem and such a perfect name.
(For boys I love Atticus, Holden, Gatsby, Milo, William, Elliot, and Edmund.)
So pleased to see some other White Oleander fans! That is one of my sister’s and my favorite books - As I mentioned in another thread, she gave the mn ‘Oleander’ to her second daughter.
My fav lit names:
[name]Alanna[/name] (from the Song of the Lioness Series by [name]Tamora[/name] [name]Pierce[/name])
[name]Lyra[/name] (from the His Dark Materials Trilogy by [name]Phillip[/name] Pullman)
Conina (from I-don’t-remember-which Discworld book by [name]Terry[/name] Pratchett - I’ve ploughed through 15 of them in the last year, lol!)
Gone with the Wind - ([name]Katie[/name]) [name]Scarlett[/name], [name]Melanie[/name]
Pride and Prejudice - [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Georgiana[/name], and [name]Charlotte[/name]
[name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables - [name]Anne[/name], [name]Diana[/name], [name]Marilla[/name]
A Voice in the Wind (by [name]Francine[/name] [name]Rivers[/name]) - [name]Hadassah[/name]
Her Mother’s [name]Hope[/name] (by [name]Francine[/name] [name]Rivers[/name]) - [name]Marta[/name]
The [name]Scarlet[/name] Thread (by [name]Francine[/name] [name]Rivers[/name]) - [name]Mary[/name] [name]Catherine[/name]
[name]Cyrano[/name] de Bergerac - [name]Roxane[/name]
[name]Hamlet[/name] - [name]Ophelia[/name]
Sir [name]Gawain[/name] and the [name]Green[/name] [name]Knight[/name] - [name]Guinevere[/name]
[name]Jane[/name] [name]Eyre[/name] - [name]Jane[/name], [name]Sophie[/name], and [name]Adele[/name]
The Chronicles of [name]Narnia[/name] - [name]Lucy[/name] and [name]Susan[/name]
There are more, but these are the ones I could think of right now! All great books too.
Villanelle (from The Passion by [name]Jeanette[/name] Winterson)
[name]Louise[/name] (from Written on the Body by [name]Jeanette[/name] Winterson)
[name]Silver[/name] (from Lighthousekeeping by [name]Jeanette[/name] Winterson)
[name]Alix[/name] (from The [name]Power[/name] Book by [name]Jeanette[/name] Winterson)
[name]Alice[/name] (from The Daylight Gate by [name]Jeanette[/name] Winterson)
[name]Alma[/name] (from The [name]History[/name] of [name]Love[/name] by [name]Nicole[/name] Krauss)
[name]Lexie[/name]/[name]Alexandra[/name] and [name]Elina[/name] (from The Hand That First Held Mine by [name]Maggie[/name] O’[name]Farrell[/name])
[name]Antonia[/name] (from My [name]Antonia[/name] by [name]Willa[/name] Cather)
[name]Ruby[/name], [name]Gillian[/name], [name]Alice[/name], [name]Nell[/name] (from Behind the Scenes at the Museum by [name]Kate[/name] Atkinson)
[name]Isobel[/name] (from Human [name]Croquet[/name] by [name]Kate[/name] Atkinson)
[name]Euphemia[/name] (from Emotionally Weird by [name]Kate[/name] Atkinson)
[name]Clare[/name] and [name]Alba[/name] (The Time [name]Traveler[/name]'s Wife by [name]Audrey[/name] Niffenegger)
[name]Morgaine[/name], [name]Elaine[/name], Nimue, Niniane, [name]Viviane[/name] and [name]Guinevere[/name] (from The Mists of [name]Avalon[/name] by [name]Marion[/name] Zimmer [name]Bradley[/name])
[name]Constance[/name] (from Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. [name]Lawrence[/name])
[name]Ursula[/name] (from Women in [name]Love[/name] by D.H. [name]Lawrence[/name])
[name]Veronika[/name] (from [name]Astrid[/name] & [name]Veronika[/name] by [name]Linda[/name] [name]Olson[/name])
[name]Thomasin[/name] (from The Return of the Native by [name]Thomas[/name] [name]Hardy[/name])
[name]Tess[/name] (from [name]Tess[/name] of the d’Urbervilles by [name]Thomas[/name] [name]Hardy[/name])
[name]Ren[/name] (from The Year of the Flood by [name]Margaret[/name] Atwood)
Venevil (from Venevil by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson)
[name]Victoria[/name] (from [name]Victoria[/name] by [name]Knut[/name] Hamsun)
Ylajali (from Hunger by [name]Knut[/name] Hamsun)
[name]Lux[/name], [name]Cecilia[/name], [name]Bonnie[/name] (from The Virgin Suicides by [name]Jeffrey[/name] Eugenides)
[name]Calliope[/name], [name]Clementine[/name] (from Middlesex by [name]Jeffrey[/name] Eugenides)
Belphoebe, [name]Una[/name], Florimell and [name]Amoret[/name] (from The Faerie Queene by [name]Edmund[/name] [name]Spenser[/name])
[name]Selina[/name] (from [name]Affinity[/name] by [name]Sarah[/name] Waters)
[name]Vivien[/name] (from The [name]Night[/name] Watch by [name]Sarah[/name] Waters)
[name]Anthea[/name] (from Girl Meets Boy by [name]Ali[/name] [name]Smith[/name])
[name]Marianne[/name] (from The Gargoyle by [name]Andrew[/name] [name]Davidson[/name])
[name]Hero[/name] (from [name]Hero[/name] and [name]Leander[/name] by [name]Christopher[/name] [name]Marlowe[/name])
[name]Nedra[/name] (from [name]Light[/name] Years by [name]James[/name] Salter)
[name]Charlotte[/name] (from Infinite Jest by [name]David[/name] [name]Foster[/name] [name]Wallace[/name])
Anellia (from I’ll Take You There by [name]Joyce[/name] [name]Carol[/name] Oats)
[name]Lily[/name] (from The Enchantment of [name]Lily[/name] Dahl by [name]Siri[/name] Hustvedt)
[name]Iris[/name] (from Blindfold by [name]Siri[/name] Hustvedt)
[name]Camilla[/name] (from The [name]Secret[/name] [name]History[/name] by [name]Donna[/name] Tartt)
[name]Oriane[/name] and [name]Odette[/name] (from In Search of Lost Time by [name]Marcel[/name] [name]Proust[/name])
[name]Ren[/name]ée (from The Vagabond by [name]Sidonie[/name]-[name]Gabrielle[/name] [name]Colette[/name])
[name]Natasha[/name] (from War and [name]Peace[/name] by [name]Leo[/name] Tolstoy)
[name]Ceridwen[/name], [name]Olwen[/name], [name]Bronwen[/name] (from [name]How[/name] [name]Green[/name] Was My [name]Valley[/name] by [name]Richard[/name] [name]Llewellyn[/name])
[name]Sadie[/name] (from Under the Net by [name]Iris[/name] Murdoch)
[name]Gwendolen[/name] (from The Importance of Being [name]Earnest[/name] by [name]Oscar[/name] Wilde)
[name]Aura[/name] (from [name]Say[/name] Her Name by Fransisco Goldman)
Asherah (from [name]Snow[/name] [name]Crash[/name] by Neal Stephenson)
[name]Emma[/name] (from [name]Emma[/name] by [name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name])
[name]Rosalind[/name], [name]Miranda[/name], [name]Viola[/name], [name]Olivia[/name], [name]Cressida[/name], [name]Lavinia[/name], [name]Perdita[/name], [name]Cordelia[/name], [name]Julia[/name], [name]Isabella[/name], [name]Helena[/name], [name]Ophelia[/name] and [name]Imogen[/name] (from plays by [name]Shakespeare[/name])
[name]Beatrice[/name] (from The [name]Divine[/name] Comedy by [name]Dante[/name] Alighieri)
[name]Fiammetta[/name] (from Elegia di [name]Madonna[/name] [name]Fiammetta[/name] by [name]Giovanni[/name] Boccaccio)
[name]Serafina[/name] (from Northern Lights by [name]Philip[/name] Pullman)
Messalina (from I, [name]Claudius[/name] by [name]Robert[/name] [name]Graves[/name])
[name]Yvaine[/name] (from Stardust by [name]Neil[/name] Gaiman)
[name]Arwen[/name], Silmarien, Tinuviel, Elentari, Elbereth, Earendil, [name]Eowyn[/name] and Galadriel ([name]Lord[/name] of the Rings and various things by J.R.R. Tolkien)
[name]Mary[/name], from The [name]Secret[/name] Garden - for extra bonus points, this is the sort of name that appears in everyone’s family tree, turns out you can totally give your girl a name from your favourite book and tell everyone’s she’s named for family. cough
[name]Harriet[/name] and [name]Jane[/name] ([name]Janie[/name]), from [name]Harriet[/name] the Spy
[name]Anne[/name], [name]Marilla[/name] and [name]Cordelia[/name], from [name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables
[name]Josephine[/name], from [name]Little[/name] Women
[name]Sara[/name], from A [name]Little[/name] [name]Princess[/name]
[name]Matilda[/name], from [name]Matilda[/name]
[name]Lyra[/name], from His Dark Materials
[name]Luna[/name], from [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name], although really I just like the name. Kind of unusable here though since it’s a fairly common dog name. Actually, I’m quite partial to many of the names in [name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name].
[name]Trixie[/name], from [name]Trixie[/name] [name]Belden[/name]
[name]Alice[/name] - of course the obvious literature reference here is [name]Alice[/name] in Wonderland, but it first caught my attention via Go Ask [name]Alice[/name]. Perhaps not as nice an association, though.
[name]Lila[/name], from Sweet [name]Valley[/name] High - character is totally obnoxious, but I did like the name!
[name]Celia[/name], from the first in a series of books by one of my favourite Australian authors, [name]Jaclyn[/name] Moriarty.
If this list seems like it’s all children’s books, all I can say is that my reading taste has completely failed to grow up with me.
[name]Bronte[/name] - not from literature but it’s the surname of famous sisters and i think it’s very cute.
[name]Primrose[/name] - probably not the best example but I love it, it’s from Hunger Games.
[name]Margarita[/name] - Master and [name]Margarita[/name] by Bulgakov
[name]Catherine[/name] - Wuthering Heights/ Germinal
[name]Jane[/name] - [name]Jane[/name] [name]Eyre[/name]
[name]Lux[/name] - also not the best example, but I love the name, from The Virgin Suicides
[name]Mignonette[/name] - [name]Princess[/name] Diaries (my guilty pleasure)
[name]Portia[/name] - The Merchant of [name]Venice[/name] by [name]Shakespeare[/name]
[name]Cosette[/name] - [name]Les[/name] Miserables
Oooh, this is a great topic. So many of my favourites have been mentioned already.
[name]Harry[/name] [name]Potter[/name] series: [name]Hermione[/name], [name]Minerva[/name], [name]Ginevra[/name], [name]Lavender[/name], [name]Augusta[/name], [name]Andromeda[/name]
[name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables books: [name]Diana[/name], [name]Ruby[/name], [name]Marilla[/name], [name]Dora[/name]
Middlemarch: [name]Dorothea[/name], [name]Celia[/name], [name]Rosamond[/name]
[name]Pippi[/name] Longstocking: [name]Annika[/name]
[name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name]: [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Jane[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Caroline[/name], [name]Louisa[/name] (the Bingley sisters are so mean but I love their names), [name]Georgiana[/name], [name]Elinor[/name], [name]Emma[/name], [name]Isabella[/name] (shame it is so popular now)
Oryx and Crake: Oryx (not her real name, but I love it still)
Middlemarch: [name]Calliope[/name]
Quo Vadis: Ligia
@niusity, I also love the [name]Princess[/name] Diaries! [name]Mia[/name] and [name]Clarisse[/name] are great names.
It’s her last name that I like- [name]Leona[/name] Cassiani, from [name]Love[/name] in the Time of Cholera. Huge obsession with [name]Kassiani[/name] / Cassiani lately. [name]Gabriel[/name] [name]Garcia[/name] [name]Marquez[/name] is great for names.
There are so many more… [name]Just[/name] a few off the top of my head.
harriet and emma- from emma by austen
caroline from pride and prejudice
[name]Anne[/name] from Persuasion
[name]Sally[/name] from “The Adventures of [name]Sally[/name]” by PG Wodehouse
[name]Jaime[/name] and [name]Claire[/name] from Outlander by [name]Diana[/name] Gabaldon
[name]Sam[/name] from Discword Novels by [name]Terry[/name] Pratchett
I wish i could think of more but that’s what comes to me off the top of my head
I haven’t really come across any girls’ names from that, though…