Literature Names You Love

Girl Names
1

Fellow Berries, what are some literature-inspired names that you love? I personally have a soft spot for [name_f]Aravis[/name_f] (The Chronicles of [name_f]Narnia[/name_f] series) as it sounds exotic and exciting, and [name_m]Ishmael[/name_m] ([name_m]Moby[/name_m] [name_m]Dick[/name_m], I don’t really know why I like it, I guess it’s because it reminds me of [name_m]Israel[/name_m]) but I also love more poetic, beautiful names such as [name_f]Estella[/name_f] (Great Expectations) and [name_m]Lucien[/name_m] (The [name_u]Paris[/name_u] Architect).

Before you ask, yes, I love classic novels and have a whole collection on the bookshelf at home. :slight_smile:

3

The first book I ever read was The Witch of Blackbird Pond when I was rather young, and I fell in love with the names [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] and [name_f]Mercy[/name_f]. Another series I read as an adult had a protagonist named [name_f]Mercedes[/name_f] with the nickname [name_f]Mercy[/name_f], and that sort of reaffirmed my love of it. Also love all the sweet classic names from [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u] ([name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], etc.) and [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s [name_f]Viola[/name_f], [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]. I’m sure there are loads others as books (along with TV, movies, etc.) are my primary source of names, but I’m drawing a blank right now.

4

I also loved The Witch of Blackbird Pond! I love [name_f]Prudence[/name_f] and [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m] (also because of [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m]). Any names in L.M. [name_m]Montgomery[/name_m], [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u] or [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] [name_f]May[/name_f] [name_u]Alcott[/name_u] novels. [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], [name_f]Harriet[/name_f], [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], etc. [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] made me so envious of cool names like [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] Figg or Nymphadora Tonks. JK Rowling really raised the bar with naming. :slight_smile: I love [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] heroine names too–[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] is my favorite.

5

One of my favourite literary names is Manolin from The Old [name_m]Man[/name_m] and The Sea. I also love [name_f]Una[/name_f] from the [name_f]Anne[/name_f] of [name_u]Green[/name_u] Gables series and [name_m]Sirius[/name_m] from [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m].

6

Wuthering Heights is my favorite novel of all time, so of course i love these girl names:
[name_f]Catherine[/name_f]
[name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_u]Nelly[/name_u]
[name_f]Bronte[/name_f]

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[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Estella[/name_f]
[name_f]Lydia[/name_f]
[name_f]Branwen[/name_f]
[name_f]Claudia[/name_f]

8

All of the names in [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u]'s novels, pretty much. haha. [name_f]Frederica[/name_f], [name_f]Alicia[/name_f], [name_f]Susan[/name_f] (from Lady [name_f]Susan[/name_f], which I’m reading now); [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Maria[/name_f], [name_m]Fitzwilliam[/name_m]/[name_u]Darcy[/name_u], [name_m]Charles[/name_m], [name_m]Bennet[/name_m], etc.; [name_f]Elinor[/name_f], [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], and [name_m]Edward[/name_m] (I’m not too keen on [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] or her name, unfortunately, lol); [name_f]Anne[/name_f], [name_u]Elliot[/name_u], [name_m]Frederick[/name_m], etc.; [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], [name_m]Henry[/name_m] (I still think [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] and [name_m]Henry[/name_m] is the best literary sibset stylistically ever!), [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], etc. So classic and [name_m]Fitzwilliam[/name_m] has got to be the coolest literary name choice ever. It’s just got so much personality. I wish I could find a combo for him that I actually liked!
[name_m]Absalom[/name_m] (Cry, the [name_f]Beloved[/name_f] Country)
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] ([name_m]Longfellow[/name_m]'s poem titled [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]. I’ve yet to read the poem but I love the name so, so, so much!)
[name_f]Cosette[/name_f] ([name_u]Les[/name_u] Mis. I love [name_u]Jean[/name_u] Valjean’s “new” name–Monsieur [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f]–for some reason, too. [name_u]Jean[/name_u] Valjean seems like an odd character name, but ah, well)
[name_m]Aramis[/name_m] (I think [name_m]Dumas[/name_m] was a brilliant namer, but [name_m]Aramis[/name_m] is my favorite musketeer, and his name also happens to be my favorite!)
[name_m]Just[/name_m] about all the names from The [name_m]Count[/name_m] of [name_m]Monte[/name_m] Cristo. le swoon! [name_m]Maximilien[/name_m], Penelon, [name_m]Emmanuel[/name_m], [name_m]Benedetto[/name_m] (hate him; love his name!), [name_m]Gaspard[/name_m] (same as [name_m]Benedetto[/name_m]! I adore [name_m]Gaspard[/name_m], but hated Caderousse. [name_m]Dumas[/name_m]'s baddies are always pretty easy to hate, I’ve found, though!), [name_m]Edmond[/name_m], [name_m]Louis[/name_m], [name_u]Valentine[/name_u], Haydee, [name_m]Lucien[/name_m], [name_f]Eugenie[/name_f], etc.! They’re so deliciously [name_m]French[/name_m] and adventurous. I love them.
[name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f] (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
[name_u]Percy[/name_u], [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f], [name_m]Armand[/name_m], etc. (The [name_f]Scarlet[/name_f] Pimpernel)
[name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_f]Cecily[/name_f], [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f], and [name_m]Algernon[/name_m] (The Importance of Being [name_m]Earnest[/name_m])
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f] (The Great [name_m]Gatsby[/name_m])
[name_m]Peter[/name_m], [name_m]Edmund[/name_m], [name_m]Caspian[/name_m], [name_f]Rilian[/name_f] (not sure I’m willing to consider the [name_f]Narnia[/name_f] series literature, but if I do, these would be on it!)
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f], [name_u]Hero[/name_u], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_f]Viola[/name_f] (prefer [name_f]Violet[/name_f] and [name_f]Violetta[/name_f], but since she’s my favorite Shakespearean heroine, I feel I should include her…), etc. (Various Shakespearean plays!)
[name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_m]Rochester[/name_m]/[name_m]Edward[/name_m], [name_f]Adele[/name_f] (och, [name_f]Adele[/name_f]!!!), St. [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_f]Eyre[/name_f], etc. ([name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_f]Eyre[/name_f])
[name_m]Charles[/name_m], [name_m]Alexandre[/name_m], [name_f]Lucie[/name_f] (I’m not a huge [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] fan, but something about [name_f]Lucie[/name_f] seems more appealing. Maybe because I liked the character), [name_u]Sydney[/name_u], etc. (A Tale of Two Cities)

I’m sure I’d have more if I could think of more books I love. I’m basically stuck on my top 10-12 favorite literary novels, and can’t seem to think of the ones I’ve read outside of that. Except for The [name_f]Scarlet[/name_f] Letter, which I absolutely hated and didn’t even like any of the character names lol. So I’m not including that one. :wink:

9

[name_f]Bronte[/name_f] is one that has stuck with me since English class in school. I hadn’t really been geeking over names because I was busy with schoolwork, and my naming taste was something else then (lol), but this one really stuck with me. I thought it was so cool and beautiful.

And I also fell in love with [name_f]Alaska[/name_f] from Looking For [name_f]Alaska[/name_f]. I love her character, although she was tragic.

10

I’m studying Twelfth [name_m]Night[/name_m] & Great Expectations in class now, and I love [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_f]Viola[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Estella[/name_f] & [name_m]Pip[/name_m]/[name_f]Pippa[/name_f]. I also love harry [name_m]Potter[/name_m] names like [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], [name_f]Luna[/name_f], and Elladore.

11

[name_m]Just[/name_m] some off the top of my head:

[name_f]Alice[/name_f], [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] ([name_m]Lewis[/name_m] [name_u]Carroll[/name_u])
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], [name_u]Hero[/name_u] ([name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m])
[name_m]Holden[/name_m] (Catcher in the [name_m]Rye[/name_m])
[name_f]Luna[/name_f] ([name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m])
[name_m]Milo[/name_m] (The Phantom Tollbooth)
the eponymous [name_f]Coraline[/name_f]
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f] (The [name_f]Scarlet[/name_f] Letter)

12

[name_m]Thomas[/name_m] Pynchon’s novel [name_u]Mason[/name_u] & [name_m]Dixon[/name_m] has some really amazing out-there names - most are a little too wild but some have definitely become guilty pleasures! Some of the best/most unusual:

Girls:
Tenebrae (nn [name_u]Brae[/name_u]) (I love the sound and meaning of this)
[name_f]Mauve[/name_f] (an update on [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] that fits in with colour name trend?)
Austra (this is great)
[name_f]Rhodie[/name_f]
Zab (an original nn for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f])
Euphrenia
[name_f]Hester[/name_f] (nn [name_f]Hetty[/name_f])
[name_f]Florinda[/name_f]
Galactica (sounds cosmic but actually a pun on Ancient Greek gala, which means milk, as she is a milkmaid!)
[name_f]Zsuzsa[/name_f] (Hungarian form of [name_f]Susan[/name_f])
[name_f]Kezia[/name_f]

Boys:
Wicks
[name_u]Wade[/name_u], Lomax and [name_m]Ives[/name_m] (brothers, I especially love and would consider using [name_m]Ives[/name_m])
[name_m]Pitt[/name_m] and Pliny (twins; sister is Tenebrae)
Ethelmer (would love to be brave enough to use this Anglo-[name_m]Saxon[/name_m] name)
[name_m]Armand[/name_m]
Zepho
[name_f]Eyre[/name_f] (this was actually a real 18th century man although I think it would be lovely on a girl)
[name_m]Fabian[/name_m]
Haimo
[name_m]Elroy[/name_m]
[name_m]Immanuel[/name_m]
Ingvarr
Lonsdale
[name_m]Edmund[/name_m] and [name_m]Nevil[/name_m] (brothers)
Ludowick
Cloudsley (too whimsical?? For some reason I really like it…)

Also another real person mentioned in the novel has the amazing name Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim! Despite the quest for originality nowadays, I sometimes think modern names are tame in compared to some of the things medieval people were called…

13

[name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Celia[/name_f]
[name_f]Alma[/name_f]