Give Me Your Favorite Literary, Art and Heroine Names!

Girl Names
1

Pretty self explanatory! Can be your favorite characters, authors, poets, leaders, goddesses. Or even names that reference art ([name_f]Monet[/name_f], for example) that you feel would work. This would be going in the middle spot.

[name_m]Feel[/name_m] free to think outside the box. Looking for more classical / timeless references rather than, say, [name_f]Katniss[/name_f] Everdeen. NOT that she isn’t great! [name_m]Just[/name_m] trying to honor my art-loving-feminist-english-professor grandmother who passed away. I wanted to use her name, but it doesn’t work very well and she hated it, so I’m exploring other options!

2

Well that’s very nice what you’re doing.

Brontë Lively
[name_f]Trilby[/name_f] [name_f]Elouise[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f] [name_u]Shelley[/name_u]
[name_f]Zelda[/name_f] [name_m]Amis[/name_m]
[name_f]Lenore[/name_f] Beauvoir
[name_f]Zora[/name_f] [name_f]Edith[/name_f]
[name_f]Vera[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f]

I think Brontë Lively is my favorite

3

[name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] (Plath)
[name_f]Briony[/name_f] (Atonement)
[name_u]Scout[/name_u] (To Kill a Mockingbird)
[name_f]Margot[/name_f] (Paper Towns)
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] ([name_f]Alice[/name_f] in Wonderland)
[name_f]Cressida[/name_f] ([name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m])
[name_u]Aubrey[/name_u] (Beardsley)
[name_f]Anais[/name_f] ([name_m]Nin[/name_m])
[name_f]Kahlo[/name_f] ([name_f]Frida[/name_f])

4

I know very little about art, but I’ve got plenty of literature names on my list.

Alice
Amoret
Aravis
Beatrix
Belphoebe
Coraline
Daphne
Esmé
Guinevere
Isadora
Isannah

and then the Shakespeare section:

Aliena
Arden
Beatrice
Bianca
Celia
Cordelia
Diana
Emilia
Hermione
Illyria
Marina
Octavia
Ophelia
Perdita
Phebe/Phoebe
Portia
Rosalind/Rosaline
Silvia
Thaisa
Thisbe
Valeria
Viola

5

[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]/[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]
[name_u]Harper[/name_u]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Viola[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f]
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f]
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Emma[/name_f]
[name_f]Coraline[/name_f]
[name_f]Arabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Ariadne[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]

6

What about some of her favorite heroines (literary or historical) or artists? I wonder if it’d be more meaningful if it was one of her favorites. Either way, some of mine:

[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]/[name_f]Eliza[/name_f] ([name_m]Bennet[/name_m])
[name_f]Anne[/name_f] ([name_u]Elliot[/name_u]. My goodness, I love [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u] way more than I aught to!)
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] ([name_f]Elinor[/name_f] Dashwood and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] Tilney. What’s not to love?)
[name_f]Jane[/name_f] ([name_u]Austen[/name_u] and [name_f]Eyre[/name_f]!)
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] ([name_f]Bronte[/name_f] and [name_m]Lucas[/name_m]!)
[name_f]Emma[/name_f] (Baroness Orczy. I adore The [name_f]Scarlet[/name_f] Pimpernel!)
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] (erm, does music count? Because I’d totally add [name_f]Clara[/name_f] and [name_f]Nadia[/name_f] to this list for that reason. [name_f]Clara[/name_f] Schumann and [name_f]Nadia[/name_f] Boulanger are fantastic!)
[name_f]Odette[/name_f]/[name_f]Odile[/name_f] (I guess it depends on how broad your category of “art” is. If this includes the ballet and music and such, I would definitely add these two! I’ve not seen Swan [name_u]Lake[/name_u], but I have learned a couple pieces from it, and always thought it was gorgeous… and now I’m thinking of hoards of other music names… [Fur] [name_f]Elise[/name_f], [name_f]Aida[/name_f], [name_u]Carmen[/name_u], [name_f]Camille[/name_f], etc., etc.!)
[name_f]Viola[/name_f]/[name_f]Olivia[/name_f] ([name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]/Twelfth [name_m]Night[/name_m])
[name_u]Hero[/name_u] ([name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m])
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f] ([name_f]May[/name_f] [name_u]Alcott[/name_u])
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] ([name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m]/of [name_f]Aquitaine[/name_f]! Yes, I know I listed it twice, but [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is really fantastic, lol.)
[name_f]Nellie[/name_f] ([name_m]Bly[/name_m])
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] ([name_u]Mead[/name_u])
[name_f]Georgia[/name_f] (O’[name_m]Keeffe[/name_m])

I feel like I’m missing a bunch of great ones, but hopefully this gets you started. :slight_smile:

7

‘[name_f]Winnie[/name_f]’ [name_f]Winifred[/name_f] [name_m]Foster[/name_m] - [name_m]Tuck[/name_m] Everlasting
[name_f]Irene[/name_f] (pronounced EYE-ree-nee) - [name_f]Princess[/name_f] and The Goblin.
[name_f]Elisa[/name_f] - The [name_m]Wild[/name_m] Swans
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] - [name_f]Alice[/name_f] in Wonderland
[name_f]Wendy[/name_f] - [name_m]Peter[/name_m] and [name_f]Wendy[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosie[/name_f] - [name_u]Love[/name_u], [name_f]Rosie[/name_f]
[name_f]Starla[/name_f] - Whistling Past the Graveyard
[name_f]Macy[/name_f] - The [name_u]Truth[/name_u] About [name_u]Forever[/name_u]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f] - The Chronicles of [name_f]Narnia[/name_f]
[name_u]Auden[/name_u] - Along for the Ride
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] - [name_m]Little[/name_m] Women
[name_f]Helena[/name_f]? - A Midsummer [name_m]Night[/name_m]'s [name_u]Dream[/name_u]
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] - Much [name_f]Ado[/name_f] About Nothing.

8

Thanks for all the great replies everyone! I’m really open to just about anything…just looking for those ones that hit the nail on the head, you know? These responses provide a lot of much-needed inspiration!

@the Irish [name_m]Saint[/name_m] – [name_f]Bronte[/name_f] Lively is lovely! [name_f]Bronte[/name_f] is one that is definitely in my back pocket.

@Geek – [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] is a treasure trove! My grandma was a huge fan! I have many [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] names as top first names.

@[name_u]Ash[/name_u] – She had many many favorites that varied widely and wildly! She did absolutely adore [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] so that is a solid and bountiful resource for names. I have some other ideas as well that I relate to her personally and not just literature / art in general, but she passed away 5 years ago now, well before I ever considered naming babies! [name_f]Opera[/name_f], classical music and ballet were all passions of hers. I thought I’d leave it to you berries to see what pops up and sparks that may have slipped by me. It’s a very broad category!

[name_f]Music[/name_f] definitely counts! Sorry, probably could have been a little more detailed when I said “[name_m]Art[/name_m]”. By art I mean just about everything outside of science that was produced by human creativity and passion. :slight_smile:

9

The ones I can think of now:

Frida (Kahlo), Philippina or Pina (Pina Bausch), Isabel (Isabel Allende), Gabo (Gabriel Garcia Marquez), Simone (de Beauvoir), Virginia/Adeline (Virginia Woolf), Alice (Alice in Wonderland), Maria (Callas), Robin (Williams - prefer it on a girl), Marjane (Satrapi), Eva (Green), Helen/Helena/Helene/Elena/Eleni (Helen of Troy), Anna/Ana/Anita (Anna Akhmatova and Anna Pavlova), Marina (Marina Tsvetaeva and Marina Abramovic)…

You said she loved opera: Leonora, Magda, Gilda, Violetta, Carmen, Lucia, Floria, Tosca, Adelia, Aïda, Thaïs, Norma, Medea, Micaela, Mimi, Rosina or the more obvious: Aria.

If she loved music how about the patron saint of music (and name of one of the greatest contemporary opera singers, La Bartoli): Cecilia.

Classical music: Costanza (wife of Mozart), Cosima (Wagner), Clair de Lune could be inspiration to use Claire, Clare, Clara, Clarice or Luna.

When I can think of more I’ll pass by again. I love this thread and great idea going after something your grandma loved to honor her instead of her name.

10

[name_f]Nadia[/name_f] [name_f]Esperanza[/name_f]

11

[name_u]Clair[/name_u] de [name_f]Lune[/name_f]! Why didn’t I think of that. I love [name_f]Claire[/name_f] and this just added to that love.

Awesome! Here’s my own list of names that fit her loves as well as my enjoyment of the actual name, with many repeats. I love many of these as first names too:

[name_f]Bronte[/name_f] – Nuff said.
[name_f]Millay[/name_f] – [name_f]Edna[/name_f] St. [name_m]Vincent[/name_m] [name_f]Millay[/name_f].
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] – Quintessential
[name_f]Celie[/name_f], [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f], [name_f]Celia[/name_f] – SEH-lee, multiple references across the [name_m]Art[/name_m] spectrum including Moliere, [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] and several different musical ones.
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] – NMS, but I can’t ignore the broadness of its place amongst the arts.
[name_f]Leonore[/name_f] / [name_f]Leonora[/name_f] – Multiple references, also hinting at “[name_f]Lenore[/name_f]” and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], which I love but could not use due to similarity to Dd name.
[name_f]Magdalena[/name_f] – [name_f]Anna[/name_f] [name_f]Magdalena[/name_f] [name_m]Bach[/name_m]
[name_f]Amadea[/name_f] – Feminization of [name_m]Amadeus[/name_m], [name_m]Mozart[/name_m]
[name_f]Athena[/name_f] – [name_f]Goddess[/name_f] of [name_f]Wisdom[/name_f], she also is associated with owls which my grandmother collected.
[name_f]Arietta[/name_f] – term for “little [name_f]Aria[/name_f]”
[name_f]Anais[/name_f] – [name_m]Nin[/name_m]. My grandmother’s guilty pleasure.
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] – [name_m]Longfellow[/name_m] invention
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f] – She was a huge [name_m]Twain[/name_m] fan, whose first name was originally [name_f]Clemence[/name_f].
[name_f]Galilea[/name_f] – More science than art, though I find this to be a poetical reference.
[name_f]Freya[/name_f] – [name_f]Goddess[/name_f]
[name_f]Bronte[/name_f]
[name_f]Odessa[/name_f] – more often associated with places, it was originally given to the city in [name_f]Russia[/name_f] as a feminization of [name_m]Odysseus[/name_m].
[name_u]Scout[/name_u] – To Kill a Mockingbird was the first book my grandmother ever gave me.
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f] – More indirect. She loved [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] O’[name_m]Keeffe[/name_m] and I always think of her Poppies.
[name_f]Wendy[/name_f] – another quintessential storybook one for me
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f] – another indirect reference. Vermeer’s “Girl with a [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] Earing”
[name_f]Aida[/name_f]
[name_f]Thais[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Boheme[/name_f] – La [name_f]Boheme[/name_f] was the last opera she was able to see and she obsessed over it. Not sure if I would ever actually use it though. :slight_smile:
[name_f]Calliope[/name_f] – [name_f]Muse[/name_f] of Epic [name_f]Poetry[/name_f]
[name_f]Reverie[/name_f] – Debussy composition
[name_f]Paloma[/name_f] – indirect [name_m]Picasso[/name_m] reference
[name_f]Cosima[/name_f] – [name_m]Wagner[/name_m], Lizt
[name_f]Willa[/name_f] – Cather
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] – [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m], [name_m]Dante[/name_m]'s Inferno
[name_f]Octavia[/name_f]
[name_f]Apolline[/name_f] – Feminization of [name_m]Apollo[/name_m]
[name_f]Briar[/name_f] – [name_f]Briar[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_f]Cressida[/name_f]
[name_f]Galilea[/name_f] – Feminization of [name_m]Galileo[/name_m], not an artist by definition but nonetheless poetic.
[name_f]Djuna[/name_f] – invention
[name_f]Melisande[/name_f] – of Palleas and [name_f]Melisande[/name_f]
[name_f]Iseult[/name_f] / [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] – of [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] and [name_f]Iseult[/name_f]
Amorette – Faerie [name_f]Queen[/name_f]
[name_f]Una[/name_f] – Faerie [name_f]Queen[/name_f]
[name_f]Fiona[/name_f] – [name_m]Ossian[/name_m] Poems
[name_f]Claribel[/name_f] – lots of sources
[name_f]Clea[/name_f] – Lots of references
[name_f]Tosca[/name_f] – [name_f]Opera[/name_f]
Kitri, [name_f]Dulcinea[/name_f] – [name_m]Don[/name_m] [name_m]Quixote[/name_m]
[name_f]Viola[/name_f], [name_f]Violetta[/name_f]

Thank you everyone! At the top of my list is the name [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] and I am thinking [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Millay[/name_f], [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] [name_f]Odessa[/name_f] sound quite gorgeous. I think I may be inspired to place all of these in a comprehensive “arts” list with the references as there are many names that have very rich histories! And I love this type of inspiration.