The plays of William Shakespeare are a mother lode of wonderful names, rich and diverse, drawing from the history and mythology of ancient Greece and Rome, tales of Renaissance Italy, the royal courts and noble estates of England and Scotland–not to mention those that sprung from the playwright’s imagination.

We were inspired by Kat’s recent name board comment on the “Underrated Baby Names” question of the week to revisit the subject of Shakespearean names, starting from her excellent list and then digging a little deeper into some of the major and more minor characters that may not be as strongly associated with the Bard, but still boast some Shakespearean cred and cachet.

Kat’s suggestions:

GIRL NAMES

BOY NAMES

And here are some other examples of Shakespeare names found among the dramatis personae of the tragedies, comedies and history plays, some playing leading parts, others more in the background—and, in the case of a few of the male names, surnames or titles:

GIRL NAMES

BOY NAMES