Literary Names: The Bronte Sisters

We’ve talked a lot about Shakespearean literary names and characters in Dickens and Jane Austen, but we’ve overlooked three of the best namers in literary history—the sisters Brontë.  We love their own names—Charlotte, Emily and Anne, and we love their initial-appropriate male pen names—Currer, Ellis and Acton.  We even love their surname, which a number of parents have chosen for their daughters.

But it is the particularly rich cast of character names in their novels that we love the most.  One of them, in fact, had a considerable effect on baby naming of its era.  Though it’s long been said that it was Shirley Temple who promoted her given name in the 1930s, she wasn’t the first.  In Charlotte Brontë’ second novel, following Jane Eyre, the protagonist of Shirley was given that name because her father had anticipated a boy, and Shirley was a distinctively male name at the time.  The novel’s Father Keeldar made a gender switch that has proven to be permanent.

Here is a selection of Brontë bests;  the list isn’t meant to be complete—some of the more common names have not been included. (The initials AB, CB and EB represent Anne, Charlotte and Emily.)

GIRLS

Ad**èle,** CB—Jane Eyre

Agnes, AB—Agnes Grey

Alice, AB– The Tenant of Wildfell Hall; CB- Jane Eyre

Annabella, AB– The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Bertha, CB—Jane Eyre

Bessie, CB–Jane Eyre

Blanche, CB– Jane Eyre

Caroline, CB—The Professor; CB– Shirley

Catherine, Cathy, EB— Wuthering Heights

Diana, CB—Jane Eyre

Eliza, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall; CB—Jane Eyre

Ellen nn Nelly, EB— Wuthering Heights

Esther, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Eulalie, CB– The Professor

Frances, EB—Wuthering Heights; CB– The Professor

Georgiana, CB– Jane Eyre

Ginevra, CB—Villette

Grace, CB—Jane Eyre

Helen, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall; CB– Jane Eyre

Hortense, CB– The Professor, Shirley

Isabella, EB— Wuthering Heights

Leah, CB– Jane Eyre

Lucy, CB—Villette

Maria, CB—Jane Eyre

Matilda, AB—Agnes Grey

Millicent, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Modeste, CB—Villette

Paulina, nn Polly, CB—Villette

Rosalie, AB—Agnes Grey

Rosamond, CB—Jane Eyre

Rose, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Rosine, CB—Villette

Shirley, CB—Shirley

Sylvie, CB—The Professor

Zillah, EB— Wuthering Heights

Zora**ïde,** CB—The Professor

BOYS

Arthur, AB— The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Edgar, EB—Wuthering Heights

Edward, CB—Jane Eyre

Fergus, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Frederick, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Gilbert, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Graham, CB—Villette

Hareton, EB—Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff, EB—Wuthering Heights

Hindley, EB—Wuthering Heights

Hiram, CB—Shirley

Hunsden, CB—The Professor

Jules, CB—The Professor

Kenneth, EB—Wuthering Heights

Linton, EB—Wuthering Heights

Matthewston, CB—Shirley

Ralph, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

St. John, CB—Jane Eyre

Walter, AB—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall