Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
The Witcher Names
Across 4 pages
of 4
Raymond
German
"wise protector"
Now that the show has gone into reruns, does anybody still love Raymond? Though it's been long dormant, some parents, including Jack Nicholson, are finding its cool name component, largely through…
Conrad
German
"brave counsel"
Solid and intellectual, with just a touch of ruggedness thanks to that rad ending, Conrad has appeared consistently in on the US popularity charts since the 19th century. Over the years, it has been…
Corbin
English and French surname
"crow, raven"
Corbin, the name of the castle where the Holy Grail was said to be hidden, came to the fore in the 1980s via actor Corbin Bernsen when he was the high profile star of LA Law , but its use is only now…
Roland
German
"famous throughout the land"
Roland is a chivalrous old name made famous by the supposedly eight-foot-tall romantic hero and nephew of Charlemagne, celebrated in medieval poetry and song. It is more widely heard in the US now in…
Celina
Greek, French
"moon or heavenly"
A light and pretty pan-cultural name which can be considered a variant of either the Greek name Selene or Selena, meaning "moon", or of the French Celine, meaning "heavenly". An attractive choice…
Alvin
English
"noble friend, friend of the elves"
Alvin has a sturdy, no-frills sound that belies its somewhat whimsical meaning. Interesting potential namesakes include British rocker Alvin Stardust, and US footballer Alvin Williams, and…
Jethro
Hebrew
"excellence"
Jethro, though the biblical father-in-law of Moses, has suffered for a long time from a Beverly Hillbilly image, but some really adventurous parents might consider updating and urbanizing it and…
Lazlo
English variation of László, Hungarian
"glorious ruler"
Arguably, an even more Anglicized spelling of László than Laszlo, this stripped back form of the Hungarian name has begun to see occasional use in the US, though the longer spelling is still twice as…
Zoltan
Hungarian
"sultan"
Though a common name in Hungary, with the spelling Zoltán, the relatively rare Z sound is striking to English speakers. Penn Gillette used the Zolten spelling for his son; it was also the name of…
Percival
French
"one who pierces the valley"
There are several Percivals scattered through the Harry Potter series, which might help transform the old-fangled, fussy image it has accrued. Actually, the original Percival was the one perfectly…
Eudora
Greek
"generous gift"
Eudora is the name of five minor goddesses of Greek mythology and a major goddess (in the person of Pulitzer Prize-winning Eudora Welty) of modern American literature. Eudora is pleasant and…
Istredd
Literary name
Istredd is the name of sorceress Yennefer's former lover in The Witcher series, created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Some sources theorize that the name is related to the Scandinavian royal…
Vilgefortz
Literary name
Vilgefortz is a character from The Witcher series -- one as unappealing as his name.
Angus
Anglicized form of Aonghus, Aonghas, Gaelic
"one strength"
Angus is a traditional yet stylish choice in the UK, especially in Scotland. And it's a cool choice for US parents too, particularly those whose roots go back to Glasgow. The ancient Celtic form…
Antoinette
French feminine diminutive form of Antoine
"priceless one"
This feminization of Anthony, like other early French forms, such as Babette and Nanette, is not heard as often as it once was, but it could be time for a reappraisal of this delicate Gallic choice.…
Berenger
German
"warrior fighting with a spear"
Last-name-first-name with a romantic but dangerous edge.
Tea
Short form of Dorotea or Mattea
"gift of God"
As Theo and Thea get more popular, so do Teo and Tea, short forms of the Latinate variations of Theodore and Matthew -- which include Dorotea and Mattea. But like Theo and Thea, Tea can stand…
Tetra
Greek
"four"
Tetra is a Greek numeral prefix meaning "four", so it could make a fitting choice for a fourth child or for an IV. There is a female character by the name in the Legend of Zelda video game franchise;…
Coleman
English and Irish
"little dove"
The name of three hundred saints, a mustard, and your own baby boy. Coleman was off the US Top 1000 list for much of the 1960s and 1970s, but it was a mainstay before and has been for most years…
Geralt
German
"ruler with the spear"
Geralt is an antiquated version of the old-fashioned name Gerald, which has been dropping toward the bottom of the US Top 1000 since the early 1940s and finally dropped out in 2021. Geralt is seeing…