Shakespeare Girl Names

  1. Portia
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "pig"
    • Description:

      Portia is a perfect role-model name, relating to Shakespeare's brilliant and spirited lawyer in The Merchant of Venice, and is now also a Hunger Games name .
  2. Desdemona
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "ill-starred"
    • Description:

      Desdemona is as Shakespearean as a name can be, but because the beautiful and innocent wife of Othello came to such a tragic end, her name has been avoided for centuries. But at this point in time, there might be some adventurous parents willing to overlook that.
  3. Perdita
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "lost"
    • Description:

      A Shakespearean invention for an abandoned baby in The Winter's Tale, Perdita's sense of loss has always been off-putting to parents. But her image was somewhat resuscitated by its association with the appealing canine character in Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmations.
  4. Silvia
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "from the woods"
    • Description:

      This original form of the name -- the more familiar Sylvia spelling came later -- seems more modern now.
  5. Charmaine
    • Origin:

      French from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "charm or delight"
    • Description:

      Charmaine is an ancient name connected to Charmion, the name of one of Cleopatra's servants, and Charmian, a Shakespearean name. Its meaning is related to the word charm, though some sources tie it to the Charles family, which means "free man".
  6. Ariel
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "lion of God"
    • Description:

      Ariel is a male Biblical name, seen there as the messenger of Ezra, and also used as a symbolic name for the city of Jerusalem, while Shakespeare used it for a (male) sprite in The Tempest.
  7. Regan
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "little king"
    • Description:

      Like somewhat more popular twin sister Reagan, this vibrant last-name-first Irish choice makes a strong, straightforward option.
  8. Titania
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "giant, great one"
    • Description:

      This name of the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream has a delicate, lacy charm similar to Tatiana's, but that first syllable could cause embarrassing problems.
  9. Cleopatra
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "glory of the father"
    • Description:

      A royal name in ancient Egypt that's never quite made it to the modern world, though nickname Cleo is widely used. Other now-extinct Cleopatra diminutives, including Cleora and Cleola, achieved some popularity in the early 20th century when there was a crazy for all things Egypt-related as the ancient tombs were opened and artifacts displayed. In the US, Cleopatra became a popular silent film in 1917 starring Theda Bara.
  10. Hermia
    • Origin:

      Greek, female form of Hermes
    • Meaning:

      "cairn, pile of stones, boundary marker"
    • Description:

      Though we've gotten used to Hermione via Harry Potter, and even Hermes with its godlike and fashion associations, most people would still have a problem with Hermia (too close to hernia?) and Herman.
  11. Claribel
    • Origin:

      English combination of Clara + -bel, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "bright + beautiful"
    • Description:

      Claribel improves on its mother name Clarabelle by distancing itself from the clown and the cow.
  12. Charmian
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "joy"
    • Description:

      This name was used by Shakespeare (who got it from Plutarch) in Antony and Cleopatra for one of the attendants of the Egyptian queen. An interesting possibility, it is heard occasionally in the UK, even less frequently in the US.
  13. Calpurnia
    • Cymbeline
      • Hippolyta

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