Menu

TV Names: Let TV be your guide

TV Names: Let TV be your guide

The minute I saw that the leading character in the new sitcom Life Unexpected was a young girl named Lux, a bell went off.  Does this mean that there will be a slew of baby Luxes (Luxi?)?  Will Lux be the new Lexi?  Or won’t it have any effect at all in this era of diminished network TV viewing?

We certainly know that some TV characters’ names of the past have had an impact, from Samantha on Bewitched to Alexis on Dynasty to Brandon and Dylan on the old Beverly Hill 90210 to Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Aidan on Sex and the City right up to the female Addison on Grey’s Anatomy.

So what about the current line-up?  Though some of these are not strictly speaking new names, here are the somewhat out of the mainstream character names of current (and a few about to launch) shows.  Think any of them will make an impression on baby namers?

GIRLS

ADALEEN—Big Love

ADRIANNA, nn ADE90210

AMITANUMB3RS

ARIZONAGrey’s Anatomy

BREEDesperate Housewives

BRITTACommunity

CERIE—30 Rock

DOROTAThe Gossip Girls

FIAMiami Medical (upcoming)

FRANKIEThe Middle

JULESCougar Town

JULIETLost

HENRIETTA/”HETTY”—NCIS: Los Angeles

KALINDAThe Good Wife

KENSI—NCIS: Los Angeles

LUXLife Unexpected

MARGENEBig Love

MARISOLMiami Medical (upcoming)

MERCEDESGlee

NAEVIA—Sparticus: Blood & Sand

NICOLETTEBig Love

RILEYMelrose Place

SILVER (her last name used as first) 90210

SLOANEntourage

SURA—Spartacus: Blood & Sand

TANCYBig Love

WILHELMINAUgly Betty

ZOEYNurse Jackie

BOYS

ANDO—Heroes

ARIEntourage

ARLO24

ASHURSpartacus: Blood & Sand

AXLThe Middle

BAZE, nn for Nate Bazile—Life Unexpected

BOONELost

CASTIEL—Supernatural

CREEDThe Office (the real first name of the actor who plays him)

CROSBYParenthood

DANOI—Treme—upcoming

DEXTERDexter

DIXON90210

FINNGlee

FITCH—Nurse Jackie

FRITZThe Closer

GREYSONCougar Town

HIROHeroes

HUGO/”HURLEY”—Lost

IGNACIOUgly Betty

KIMBALLThe Mentalist

MILESLost

ORSONDesperate Housewives

PIERCECommunity

ROWDY—The Deep End

RUFUSGossip Girls

THATCHERGrey’s Anatomy

THORNurse Jackie

ZEEKParenthood

About the Author

Linda Rosenkrantz

Linda Rosenkrantz

Linda Rosenkrantz is the co-founder of Nameberry, and co-author with Pamela Redmond of the ten baby naming books acknowledged to have revolutionized American baby naming. You can follow her personally at InstagramTwitter and Facebook. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed New York Review Books Classics novel Talk and a number of other books.