I love our top boy’s name for lots of reasons (family history, meaning, possible nicknames). DH approves because it is the last name of one of his favorite characters ever. I appreciate the connection but like that it isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
Now he admits he is pushing [name_u]Everett[/name_u] be added to our list because of a character from a movie (O Brother Where [name_m]Art[/name_m] Thou). Sneaky!
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you have any names on your list from fandoms? Are they obvious ([name_f]Hermione[/name_f], Samwise, [name_m]Sherlock[/name_m])? Or would you have to give someone a clue?
I think [name_u]Everett[/name_u] is a pretty obvious name if your husband is an open fan of the film (since it’s the main character). If I knew he liked the movie, then my initial response would most likely be “Oh, from O Brother Where [name_m]Art[/name_m] Thou.”
To me, sneaky fandom names come from minor/supporting characters or obscure references in the fandom, not necessarily from obscure fandoms themselves.
Some of my fandom favorites:
[name_m]George[/name_m] (It’s a Wonderful Life-- not sneaky, even though it’s a pretty common name, because everyone knows I love the film)
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f] (Obvious. Great character, great name)
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f] (See above)
Llewyn (From Inside Llewyn [name_m]Davis[/name_m]-- not necessarily because of any fondness toward the character or movie, but I think he wore the name well and I like it)
[name_u]Finn[/name_u] and [name_f]Marceline[/name_f] (both from Adventure Time. I don’t even care.)
[name_f]Olive[/name_f] (from [name_m]Little[/name_m] Miss [name_f]Sunshine[/name_f])
[name_m]Jorah[/name_m] (from Game of Thrones)
And then actors/actresses allude to a whole other problem:
[name_m]Idris[/name_m] ([name_m]Idris[/name_m] [name_f]Elba[/name_f])
[name_u]Kit[/name_u] ([name_u]Kit[/name_u] Harington)
[name_f]Maisie[/name_f] ([name_f]Maisie[/name_f] [name_m]Williams[/name_m])
I’m a hardcore convention-attending nerd, and I kind of love the idea of sneaky fandom names. In fact, pretty much all the names I love have fandom connections.
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]: Of [name_m]Roald[/name_m] Dahl’s “[name_f]Matilda[/name_f],” one of my enduring favorites. [name_f]Alice[/name_f]: in Wonderland. [name_f]Eloise[/name_f]: The spunky brat from the eponymous books. [name_f]Marigold[/name_f]: “[name_u]Magic[/name_u] for [name_f]Marigold[/name_f].” [name_f]Ramona[/name_f]: The [name_f]Beverley[/name_f] [name_m]Cleary[/name_m] series. [name_u]March[/name_u]: I love the idea of giving my daughters this as one of their middle names, so they can be “[name_u]March[/name_u] Girls” just like in “[name_m]Little[/name_m] Women.” [name_u]Hero[/name_u]: The name taken by [name_f]Polly[/name_f] Whittacker for her alter-ego in “[name_m]Fire[/name_m] and Hemlock” by [name_f]Diana[/name_f] [name_u]Wynne[/name_u] [name_m]Jones[/name_m] (my all-time favorite author). [name_f]Polly[/name_f]: See above. [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]/[name_m]Tam[/name_m]: An important Childe Ballad I often use in my work, upon which “[name_m]Fire[/name_m] and Hemlock” is based. [name_f]Diana[/name_f]: [name_f]Diana[/name_f] [name_u]Wynne[/name_u] [name_m]Jones[/name_m] again! [name_u]Wynne[/name_u]: [name_u]Love[/name_u] this as a middle, for the aforementioned reasons. [name_f]Winifred[/name_f]: DWJ, and the character from “[name_u]Angel[/name_u]” ([name_u]Joss[/name_u] Whedon is another HUGE fandom). [name_m]Simon[/name_m]: The character from Firefly. [name_u]River[/name_u]:Firefly again. [name_m]Malcolm[/name_m]: More Firefly. [name_f]Jane[/name_f]: For so many reasons - [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u], [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_f]Eyre[/name_f], [name_f]Jane[/name_f] Goodall, [name_f]Jayne[/name_f] from Firefly, and [name_m]Captain[/name_m] Janeway from [name_f]Star[/name_f] Trek. [name_f]Elektra[/name_f]: After the badass [name_f]Marvel[/name_f] character. [name_f]Lyra[/name_f]: I really wish this name was usable for me, since I love the character from “His Dark Materials.” [name_m]Alas[/name_m]. [name_f]Thea[/name_f]: A character from a series I love, which also happens to have been written by a dear friend (not specifying what book, since it’s a cult favorite and I know the author Googles her work assiduously). [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]: Another character from the same series. [name_f]Irina[/name_f]: After [name_f]Irene[/name_f] (pronounced Eye-[name_f]REE[/name_f]-nah) [name_m]Adler[/name_m] from the [name_m]Sherlock[/name_m] [name_m]Holmes[/name_m] books. Otherwise known as The Woman. [name_m]Adler[/name_m]: I actually prefer this slightly to [name_f]Irina[/name_f]. [name_f]Iris[/name_f]: Not exactly a sneaky fandom name, but I do love [name_f]Iris[/name_f] Murdoch, and since [name_f]Iris[/name_f] is the goddess of rainbows, this is a meaningful name for be as a queer person. [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u]: [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] is my favorite playwright, and I’ve done quite a bit of my academic work in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]: Lear’s brave and clever daughter. [name_m]Orlando[/name_m]: Another sadly unusable name. I love the book by [name_f]Virginia[/name_f] [name_m]Woolf[/name_m], and the gender-swapping aspect really appeals (queer can be a fandom, right?). [name_f]Coraline[/name_f]: I’m a huge [name_u]Neil[/name_u] Gaiman fan, and this is my favorite of his books. [name_f]Persephone[/name_f]: Big mythology buff. Like, huge. [name_f]Clio[/name_f]: Mythology. [name_f]Thalia[/name_f]: Mythology. [name_f]Antigone[/name_f]: Mythology. [name_f]Phaedra[/name_f]: And more mythology. [name_f]Freya[/name_f]: Ditto. [name_m]Jove[/name_m]: Ditto. [name_u]Loki[/name_u]: Ditto. [name_m]Atlas[/name_m]: Ditto. [name_f]Morganna[/name_f]: The Arthurian legends and the character from “Mists of [name_f]Avalon[/name_f].” [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m]: While [name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] Hamet isn’t my favorite author, I admire his courage in standing up to McCarthyism and ultimately going to jail for refusing to cooperate with the House Unamerican Activities Committee. [name_m]Hadrian[/name_m]:Memoirs of [name_m]Hadrian[/name_m] is one of my favorite books. [name_m]Archer[/name_m]: Okay, I definitely wouldn’t name my kid after [name_m]Archer[/name_m]. But I wouldn’t be unhappy about the connection, either. And if I did name my kid [name_m]Archer[/name_m], all my friends would assume that the alcoholic animated spy was his namesake. [name_f]Lucinda[/name_f]: A name coined in [name_m]Don[/name_m] [name_m]Quixote[/name_m], one of my favorite books and a major site of scholarly work for me right now. [name_f]Dulcinea[/name_f]: Ditto. [name_m]Aramis[/name_m]:The Three Musketeers. [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f]: Loved the [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] books growing up. [name_m]Jack[/name_m]: So many great Jacks - [name_m]Captain[/name_m] [name_m]Jack[/name_m], [name_m]Captain[/name_m] [name_m]Jack[/name_m] [name_f]Sparrow[/name_f], Samurai [name_m]Jack[/name_m]… [name_f]Violet[/name_f]: From The Incredibles ([name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] and [name_m]Jack[/name_m], too! I wish I could get away with this sibset…) [name_f]Natasha[/name_f]: The [name_m]Black[/name_m] Widow. [name_f]Ursula[/name_f]: LeGuin. [name_f]Harriet[/name_f]:The Spy. [name_m]Ferdinand[/name_m]:The Bull. [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]: Hepburn. She made some of my all-time favorite movies. [name_f]Elinor[/name_f]: Speaking of which, I’m a HUGE [name_f]Elinor[/name_f] of [name_f]Aquitaine[/name_f] fan. [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f]: The little [name_m]French[/name_m] schoolgirl, who I still adore. [name_f]Octavia[/name_f]: Another favorite author, [name_f]Octavia[/name_f] [name_m]Butler[/name_m]. [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] or Wilde: For [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] Wilde. [name_f]Lucy[/name_f]: The [name_m]Lion[/name_m], the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
[name_f]My[/name_f] biggest fandom name is [name_m]Caspian[/name_m]. The name is so dapper and mysterious, and I absolutely love the [name_f]Narnia[/name_f] books. If I could go to any mythical land, it would [name_f]Narnia[/name_f]. I like [name_m]Edmund[/name_m] and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], too.
[name_f]Madeline[/name_f] (and variants) will always hold a special place in my heart from the [name_f]Madeline[/name_f] books as a kid.
I was in seventh grade when the first Twilight movie came out. I remember watching the trailer on TV one day and then immediately rushing to the bookstore to get my hands on the first book. I finished it that same day, and I found myself completely hypnotized by the tragic love story and by all the beautiful vampires.
I’m seventeen now. And even though I’ve pretty much outgrown my silly Twilight obsession, I still have this great love for the series as a whole.
Many of my favorite baby names are, in one way or another, inspired by the books. [name_m]Edward[/name_m] has always been a favorite of mine, as well as [name_f]Esme[/name_f] ([name_m]Edward[/name_m]'s mom), [name_f]Alice[/name_f] (his sister), and [name_u]Seth[/name_u] and [name_f]Leah[/name_f] (the names of two brother-sister werewolves from [name_m]Jacob[/name_m]'s pack). And Quil and Embry are also honorable mentions; they were in the story as Jacob’s two best friends.
Some of my favorites:
[name_f]Marceline[/name_f] from Adventure Time
[name_f]Tabitha[/name_f] from Bewitched
DH semi-seriously wanted to name our oldest [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Bond[/name_m] [Lastname]. We settled on the family name (DH’s grandpa’s name) instead.
Mine probably aren’t too sneaky. I doubt I could use any of these names, but I do love them.
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]: [name_f]My[/name_f] inspiration is from The Nutcracker and I always loved going to see the ballet around [name_u]Christmas[/name_u]. Hearing the music still makes me so happy.
[name_f]Odette[/name_f]: Swan [name_u]Lake[/name_u]
[name_f]Cosette[/name_f]: From [name_u]Les[/name_u] Mis and I thought the name was absolutely beautiful.
[name_f]Eponine[/name_f]: She was my favorite character in [name_u]Les[/name_u] Mis and one of two characters that I actually cry over whenever I see the play.
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] are guilty pleasures that I unfortunately couldn’t put on my child.
Mine aren’t necessarily fandom based names, but there are some in my list that are there because of inspiration from books, tv or actors.
[name_m]Benedict[/name_m]: [name_f]My[/name_f] favourite actor. I liked the name anyway but I like it all the more because of him, lol.
[name_u]August[/name_u]: From ‘[name_f]Spring[/name_f] [name_f]Moon[/name_f]’.
[name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] and [name_u]Valentine[/name_u]: From ‘Parade’s End’.
[name_f]Clover[/name_f]: From ‘What [name_f]Katy[/name_f] Did’.
I named my cat [name_f]Luna[/name_f] after [name_f]Luna[/name_f] Lovegood
Here are some others
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] - From [name_f]Alice[/name_f] in Wonderland. [name_u]Love[/name_u] me some Disney movies!
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u] - The [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid
[name_f]Cleo[/name_f] - The fish from Pinocchio
[name_f]Giselle[/name_f] - Disney’s Enchanted
[name_f]Lorelai[/name_f] (nn [name_u]Rory[/name_u]) - [name_m]Gilmore[/name_m] Girls
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f] - Sound of [name_f]Music[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] - Friends
[name_f]Primrose[/name_f] - The Hunger Games
[name_f]Violet[/name_f] - The Incredibles
[name_u]Ari[/name_u] - Not sure if you could this as fandom since he’s a real person, but this was one of the guys on [name_f]Emily[/name_f]'s season of The Bachelorette and I loved the name!
[name_m]Atticus[/name_m] - To Kill A Mockingbird
[name_m]Casper[/name_m] - [name_f]Do[/name_f] I even need to explain this one?
[name_m]Caspian[/name_m] - [name_m]Prince[/name_m] [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] from the [name_f]Narnia[/name_f] series
[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] - The Incredibles
[name_u]Dexter[/name_u] - Loved this one since I watched [name_u]Dexter[/name_u]'s Laboratory as a kid
[name_u]Emmett[/name_u] - A Twilight one
[name_m]Phineas[/name_m] - The kids I teach are into [name_m]Phineas[/name_m] and Ferb and I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] this name!
[name_u]Robin[/name_u] - After [name_f]Winnie[/name_f] the Pooh’s [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] [name_u]Robin[/name_u]
[name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] - Lost
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] - The [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid
And those are just the ones off my list. There are plenty more that I love from fandoms!
I like [name_m]Edmund[/name_m] and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], too.