Names like [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Ramona[/name_f], and [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] bring joy to my heart when I think back to my favorite childhood books and movies. It seems so exciting to have an actual story behind a name.
There’s so many to choose from, like [name_f]Madeline[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]'s [name_m]Web[/name_m], and [name_f]Alice[/name_f] in Wonderland to name a few.
[name_u]Shiloh[/name_u] makes me think of boys and their dogs while [name_m]Stuart[/name_m] makes me think of little mice.
What names take you back to the stories you read as a kid? Or even the stories you read now? Would you want to name your kid after a character in a book or does it seem too cheesy?
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] makes me think of [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] [name_f]Bedelia[/name_f].
[name_u]Cam[/name_u] (any cam name with nn cam) makes me think of [name_u]Cam[/name_u] [name_m]Jansen[/name_m]
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f] makes me think of the pig from the [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] books
[name_f]Judy[/name_f] makes me think of [name_f]Judy[/name_f] [name_m]Moody[/name_m]
[name_f]Angelina[/name_f] makes me think of [name_f]Angelina[/name_f] Ballerina
[name_f]Heidi[/name_f] is from [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] of course
[name_f]Anne[/name_f] is from [name_f]Anne[/name_f] of [name_u]Green[/name_u] Gables
[name_m]George[/name_m] is curious [name_m]George[/name_m]
[name_m]Clifford[/name_m] is [name_m]Clifford[/name_m], [name_m]Barney[/name_m] is [name_m]Barney[/name_m], caillou is caillou, [name_m]Elmo[/name_m] is [name_m]Elmo[/name_m], etc. (basically any character from a show I grew uo with has a now unusable name imo)
[name_u]Marley[/name_u] is always a dog
[name_f]Meg[/name_f] [name_u]Jo[/name_u] [name_f]Beth[/name_f] and [name_f]Amy[/name_f] are little women
[name_m]Jonas[/name_m] (The Giver)
[name_m]Asher[/name_m] (The Giver)
[name_u]Charlie[/name_u] ([name_u]Charlie[/name_u] and the Chocolate Factory)
[name_m]Oliver[/name_m] ([name_m]Oliver[/name_m] Twist)
[name_m]Pip[/name_m] (Great Expectations)
[name_m]Harry[/name_m] ([name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m])
Heathcliffe (Wuthering Heights)
[name_m]Holden[/name_m] (Catcher in the [name_m]Rye[/name_m])
[name_f]Madeline[/name_f] ([name_f]Madeline[/name_f])
[name_f]Fiona[/name_f] (The Giver)
[name_f]Annemarie[/name_f] (Number the Stars)
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f] ([name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m])
[name_f]Anne[/name_f] ([name_f]Anne[/name_f] of [name_u]Green[/name_u] Gables)
[name_f]Heidi[/name_f] ([name_f]Heidi[/name_f])
[name_f]Mary[/name_f] (The [name_f]Secret[/name_f] Garden)
[name_f]Beth[/name_f] ([name_m]Little[/name_m] Women)
[name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m]: [name_m]Harry[/name_m], [name_m]Remus[/name_m], [name_f]Minerva[/name_f], and [name_f]Andromeda[/name_f]
[name_u]Percy[/name_u] [name_m]Jackson[/name_m] and the Olympians: [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], [name_u]Nico[/name_u], [name_f]Bianca[/name_f], [name_m]Jason[/name_m], and [name_m]Leo[/name_m]
A Series of Unfortunate Events/All the Wrong Questions: [name_u]Kit[/name_u], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], [name_u]Sunny[/name_u], [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], and [name_f]Moxie[/name_f]. (This is my current inspo, actually.)
The Anybodies: [name_f]Fern[/name_f] (I’m not a huge [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]'s [name_m]Web[/name_m] fan, but [name_f]Fern[/name_f] from The ANybodies claims to be named after that [name_f]Fern[/name_f] when she was actually named after a potted plant in the hospital waiting room.)
Wenny Has Wings: Wenny
Pictures of [name_u]Hollis[/name_u] Woods: [name_u]Hollis[/name_u]
The Chronicles of [name_f]Narnia[/name_f]: [name_m]Peter[/name_m]
A Wrinkle in Time: [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] “[name_f]Meg[/name_f]” and [name_f]Zillah[/name_f]/[name_f]Zylla[/name_f]
[name_f]Catherine[/name_f] Called [name_f]Birdie[/name_f]: [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] “[name_f]Birdie[/name_f]”. (Apparently no one else has read this.)
[name_f]Laura[/name_f] Ingalls wIlder: [name_m]Wilder[/name_m], [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_f]Carrie[/name_f], and Almanzo.
That’s what is is on my shelves/I could think of off the top of my head. I’m sure there’s more.
This thread is gold! So many books and characters now flooding my memory! My son Peter is named after the Peter Rabbit character and really it’s not something I deny or am ashamed of. I think my love for these books never really ended, so when I come across a name that belongs to a certain character I enjoyed, the mere association makes me love it even more. That’s why I chose Peter, because it brought back some of my greatest childhood memories… things that always make me smile. My daughter’s name is also inspired by literature, although for adults. We came across Sabina reading “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” while I was expecting her.
There are tons of children’s storybook characters that I draw inspiration from–whether they were the ones I read as a little girl or the one my kids enjoy reading today. Some of them:
Harold (The Purple Crayon)
Timothy (The Little Brown Bear and also the one from the Rosemary Wells books that I grew up reading)
Edmund (Pevensie, from Narnia)
Max (Where The Wild Things Are)
Nancy (Fancy Nancy which my daughter adores and Nancy Drew)
Eloise (Eloise who lives at the Plaza)
Robin (Hood and Christopher Robin)
Winnie/Winifred (Finding Winnie and Winnie the Pooh, as well as D.W from the Arthur series)
Junie B. (Jones) - I named my angel baby Beatrice June inspired by this one!
Benjamin/Benny (Benny Alden from the “Boxcar Children”)
Violet (Alden, also from the “Boxcar Children”)
Matilda (Roald Dahl’s)
Arthur (Arthur series, there were books and also a cartoon)
Dorothy (Wizard of Oz)
Celeste (Queen Celeste from the Babar books)
Lola (Charlie and Lola series)
George (Curious George)
Olivia (the little Pig)
Other names I love from books/characters that I probably will never use for little humans: Paddington, Corduroy, Mowgli, Jemima (Puddleduck), Spot, Heidi, Wilbur (Charlotte’s Web) and Honey (Honey Bear from the Berenstain Bears).