Okay this is super long…
With [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]/other character names, the first criterion for me is whether the character is a good one who has traits I want a future child to aspire to (intelligence, loyalty, kindness, etc.). I don’t mind if the story was sad or they met a bad end and recognize that all characters, like all real people, have flaws. That’s fine as long as (in my opinion) they’re inherently good and try to do good.
Are you familiar with who all these characters are? Some I would never use because they just aren’t great namesakes!
Favourites from the list (as you can tell from my signature):
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]- not a huge fan of the character, but love the name. Beautiful, elegant, feminine, yet strong and more than holds her own. [name_u]Love[/name_u] the [name_f]Anne[/name_f] of [name_u]Green[/name_u] Gables connection.
[name_f]Portia[/name_f]- same imagery/vibe as [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]. [name_f]Portia[/name_f] from The Merchant of [name_f]Venice[/name_f] is amazing though- clever, quick-thinking, hilariously witty, and what she did for [name_m]Antonio[/name_m] (won’t spoil it if you haven’t read it!) was pretty self-sacrificial in my opinion.
[name_m]Prospero[/name_m]- A huge GP for me- I’d actually consider using it but no one else I know thinks it’s usable. One of the few [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] characters who apologizes for his mistakes. He feels very real in that he has good intentions but also his own jealousies and censures. And [name_f]Helen[/name_f] [name_u]Mirren[/name_u] was amazing as Prospera.
[name_u]Percy[/name_u]- I love it as a nickname for [name_m]Percival[/name_m], [name_m]Perseus[/name_m] or [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m]. Not fond of it as a full name though
[name_f]Rosalind[/name_f]- She could be a nut and a basket case, but she’s charming, charismatic, lovable, and just such a sweetheart. The name is sweet, girly and pretty but strong too.
[name_f]Viola[/name_f]- A kind and interesting character, there’s a lot more to her than you see at first. She seems sure of herself and put together, but deep down has her doubts, yet tries her best anyway. Thus the name comes off as “soft/sensitive but strong” to me.
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]- a quintessentially British name with a preppy feel. [name_f]Innogen[/name_f], the original spelling, is nice too.
[name_f]Nerissa[/name_f]- a bit mysterious and magical, reminds me of deep green seas
**[name_f]Portia[/name_f], [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f], [name_f]Viola[/name_f], and [name_m]Prospero[/name_m] are (some of) my favourite [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] characters, so I guess I’m a bit biased. 
Like:
[name_f]Francisca[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]
[name_m]Balthasar[/name_m]
[name_u]Corin[/name_u]
[name_f]Cressida[/name_f]- [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] Bonas wears it well, though not the best character to name a child after
[name_m]Lysander[/name_m]
[name_m]Bertram[/name_m]
[name_m]Ulysses[/name_m]
[name_m]Marcellus[/name_m]
[name_u]Valentine[/name_u]
[name_f]Nell[/name_f]- prefer as a nickname for [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], or the [name_f]Nelle[/name_f] spelling
[name_f]Rosaline[/name_f]- prefer [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f]
[name_m]Ferdinand[/name_m]- love the sound, don’t love the character
[name_u]Oberon[/name_u]
[name_f]Octavia[/name_f]
[name_f]Cleopatra[/name_f]- I love this but people have said it’s not usable
Fitzwalter- so dashing, but if people say [name_m]Fitzwilliam[/name_m] is too much I can see them saying Fitzwalter is too
[name_m]Octavius[/name_m]
[name_m]Flavius[/name_m]
Usable but NMS:
[name_f]Constance[/name_f]
[name_m]Angus[/name_m]
Thaisa
[name_f]Leonine[/name_f]
[name_m]Adriano[/name_m]- might be a bit odd if you’re not Italian or maybe Spanish though
[name_f]Lucetta[/name_f]- not that different from [name_f]Lucinda[/name_f], and has the common NNs [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and [name_f]Etta[/name_f] if she thinks her names is too weird
[name_u]Grey[/name_u]
[name_m]Lucio[/name_m]- close to [name_m]Lucian[/name_m] and [name_m]Lucius[/name_m]
[name_m]Griffith[/name_m]
[name_m]Lucius[/name_m]
[name_m]Davy[/name_m]- better as a nickname for [name_m]David[/name_m] though
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f]- people will make the connection to [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] a lot, does that bother you?
[name_f]Ursula[/name_f]- I know an [name_f]Ursula[/name_f] in real life, actually
[name_f]Blanche[/name_f]
[name_u]Vernon[/name_u]
[name_m]Clarence[/name_m]
[name_m]Edmund[/name_m]
[name_m]Sampson[/name_m]
[name_f]Jacquenetta[/name_f]
[name_m]Silvius[/name_m]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]- love the sound, but find the character weak and irritating
[name_f]Juno[/name_f]
[name_m]Talbot[/name_m]
[name_m]Forester[/name_m]
Theoretically usable, but kind of weird/dated:
[name_m]Oswald[/name_m]
[name_u]Gardiner[/name_u]- gardener is a common word, so might be confusing
[name_m]Cornelius[/name_m]
[name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]- still rather fusty and frumpy
[name_f]Perdita[/name_f]
[name_m]Timon[/name_m]- it’s rare, but close to the familiar [name_m]Simon[/name_m]
[name_f]Titania[/name_f]
[name_m]Bardolph[/name_m]
Curan- I know someone whose last name is [name_u]Curran[/name_u], so I can’t see it as a first, but it does sound usable
[name_m]Cymbeline[/name_m]- I like this only on a boy, as the character was male, but some people seem to think it sounds feminine
Beaufort- I like the sound, but the Lady [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] Beaufort association isn’t great to me
[name_m]Herbert[/name_m]- see [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]
[name_m]Caius[/name_m]
[name_m]Horatio[/name_m]- I love this and the [name_m]Horatio[/name_m] [name_m]Nelson[/name_m] reference is a great one (whichever side you’re on, he was a brave and smart fighter), but a lot of people don’t think it’s usable
Camillo- nice sound, but I know someone with the surname DiCamillo so it doesn’t sound like a first name to me
[name_m]Hubert[/name_m]
Montano
[name_u]Robin[/name_u]
[name_m]Cato[/name_m]- someone on Nameberry just named their new son this
[name_m]Humphrey[/name_m]- rather fusty, but [name_m]Humphrey[/name_m] [name_m]Bogart[/name_m] is a great connection
[name_f]Ceres[/name_f]- rather close to the word cherry
[name_m]Dorset[/name_m]
Iras- [name_u]Ira[/name_u] is probably easier for people to get right
[name_m]Junius[/name_m]
[name_m]Orsino[/name_m]- I could never understand what [name_f]Viola[/name_f] saw in him
[name_m]Jupiter[/name_m]
[name_m]Osrick[/name_m]
Not a great idea:
[name_m]Achilles[/name_m]- too much to live up to, and [name_m]Achilles[/name_m]’ heel isn’t a nice connotation
[name_u]Albany[/name_u]- not the nicest place or character
Timandra- the “[name_m]Tim[/name_m]” part is very masculine, “andra” very feminine so kind of weird
[name_m]Peto[/name_m]- sounds like pedo, as in pedophile, in my accent
[name_m]Philo[/name_m]- reminds of phyllo pastry
[name_m]Travers[/name_m]- it’s a dressage movement, so I can’t see it as a name. The [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_m]Travers[/name_m] connection is nice though.
Barnardo- British orphans called the Barnardo children were sent to [name_f]Canada[/name_f] in the 19th century to work or be adopted on a large scale, rather controversial so not something I’d want my child’s name to refer to
[name_m]Tybalt[/name_m]- not a great character, and the name reminds me of the word tyrant
[name_m]Priam[/name_m]- I like the sound, but doesn’t really sound very name-like
[name_f]Desdemona[/name_f]- not a great character, and it means “demon child” if I remember correctly
[name_u]Hero[/name_u] - pretentious and too much to live up to! will seem masculine to most people. I’m not fond of the character anyway
Mardian- too close to martian
[name_m]Quintus[/name_m]
Martius- see Mardian
Reignier- having the word “reign” in your child’s name is rather pretentious. [name_m]Rainier[/name_m], like the former prince of Monaco, is nice
Varrius- sounds exactly like the word various
[name_m]Dion[/name_m]- too associated with Céline [name_m]Dion[/name_m]
[name_m]Montague[/name_m]
[name_m]Reynaldo[/name_m]
Varro
Catesby
Dionyza- too close to [name_m]Dionysus[/name_m], seems a bit over-the-top
[name_m]Hume[/name_m]
Vaux- too close to “faux”
Dolabella- a combination of “doll” and “bella”- sounds rather [name_f]Barbie[/name_f]-like, as if all she ever had to do was look pretty
[name_m]Mortimer[/name_m]
[name_m]Roderigo[/name_m]- I like the sound, but [name_m]Roderigo[/name_m] was a bit of a sop. I prefer [name_m]Rodrigo[/name_m].
[name_m]Iago[/name_m]- NOOOO! He’s one of [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s most well-known and worst villains.
[name_m]Morton[/name_m]- “mort” means die/death in [name_m]French[/name_m]
[name_f]Charmian[/name_f]- [name_f]Charmain/name_f would have fewer pronunciation/spelling issues
Dumaine
[name_u]Willoughby[/name_u]- the cad of a [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u] character ruined it for me
Rumour- awful meaning!
[name_m]Claudio[/name_m]
[name_m]Eros[/name_m]- too close to the word erotic
Nym
[name_m]Claudius[/name_m]- another of his most well-known villains!
Seyton- this sounds exactly like Satan in my accent
[name_m]Cleon[/name_m]
[name_m]Fenton[/name_m]
[name_m]Jourdain[/name_m]- would be easily confused with [name_u]Jordan[/name_u]
[name_m]Clifford[/name_m]- I grew up with [name_m]Clifford[/name_m] the Big [name_u]Red[/name_u] Dog, so don’t think it’s usable
Stephano- a rather foolish character
[name_f]Tamora[/name_f]- not a great character
Here’s the one’s I think are usable and I would use myself. I’ll * the one’s we’ve actually considered or are on our list.